This Was My Backyard, My Childhood

This was my backyard from when I was about 4 years old until about 14 years old.

Messy, dirty, barefoot. That’s how I spent my childhood.

There was a “no TV during daylight hours” rule. No iPads. No apps. No screens. Just real world 3-D.

Running, sliding, moving, playing – constant motion. Riding bikes, climbing trees in flip-flops. Pretending. Real time with family.

Simple.

I can still feel the prickly oak leaves and the rough bark. From these times, I learned what I could do — and how to be me.

My kids will have this. I want your kids to have this.

As a parent, I don’t wish it could happen.

I make it happen.

Because . . . our house is small, the wilderness is further away, we have no backyard.

But, the parks and playgrounds of Orange County are their backyard. We find the wild spots. We build a childhood there.

And I don’t care how many hours we end up spending outdoors or how far I have to drive to find it — my kids WILL have this time to BE kids.