Out of the Woods: Today's Kids Can't See the Forest for the MTV

I recently read the article “Out of the Woods: Today’s Kids Can’t See the Forest for the MTV” by Joel Achenbach. This article was published in the Washington Post. In this article the author provides his opinion on why children today stay indoors more than children years ago. He describes how when he tells his kids to go outside they moan and groan, and are bored outside. He also talks about how back when he was a child there was no such thing as Nintendo or MTV; so he played outside most of the time digging in the dirt, climbing trees, and messing with ants. Kids today on the other hand would pick playing videogames over playing outside nine times out of ten. He says this is true mainly because of parents. He says that parents today over protect children and make them think that the outdoors are dangerous; as a result children are soft and would rather be indoors.

I have lived in the country my whole life and loved being outdoors. I would ride horses, go swimming, ride my bike, and go for walks in the timber. I was not like most kids my age because I hated videogames and I still do. I believe that kids spend way too much time inside. I think that many kids are lazy when it comes to physical work and their attention spans are practically nonexistent due to the fact that everything they do (videogames and watching TV) is so interactive that children get bored with tasks that involve work or learning. Also childhood obesity is on the rise and lying on the couch all day playing Xbox is not helping this issue. Playing outdoors in my opinion is much more beneficial to children. They get exercise, learn patience from animals or playing with other kids, and they are away from many of the negative issues videogames and TV provide.