It’s National Play Day today…so what’s wrong with that??? Well in my day (and yes I’m aware of how old that sounds….) EVERY DAY was play day and we didn’t need a commemorative day to enjoy it.
I think it’s a sad indictment of our society that we are celebration something so naturally pure and instinctive and making it seem the exception rather than the norm…which maybe it now is.
We are officially the fattest country in Europe, with the most overweight or obese children. GP’s are seeing more and more cases of vitamin D deficiencies and repetitive thumb strains in our early teenagers than ever before.
There has been a definitive change in our attitude to play which has seeped in over the years. Now people look concerned when they see a nine year old walking alone without a parent or guardian, our default position is to be naturally suspicious when we see a group of children huddled over something in a park, a group of screeching young bikers are greeted with tuts rather than grins….when did we become so cold and judgemental?
Britain, as documented in the recent Olympic Games opening ceremony, was once a land of adventure, risk and entrepreneurialism….if we continue to prevent children’s self-expression, environmental awareness and general enthusiasm we will head towards a future population of non-communicative introverts who are afraid to take on the world.
So today…and tomorrow…and the day after that, unleash your inner play demon and encourage all the small people you know to do the same and let’s make play an everyday joy again.
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