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From age 2 to 7, I lived in a tiny "town". My house had a neighboring house on one side, the yards weren't separated, and a cornfield on the other, and an area where the fence could be crossed. We used to play "Cowboys and Indians" in the cornfields, sled down the slopes in our front-yards, me and my dad would build wood shelters, and I had a tree I claimed for my own.
The yard was full of them, big, huge trees, and I don't remember clearly, but I don't remember there being a "limit" to our backyard... Maybe woods or something.
My tree was one my favorite places to be, according to my parents. I'd sit there, stare at the sky, play with branches, look for bugs...it was a beautiful place to grow up in.
Then we moved to Mexico City. I loved it too, but I wasn't able to really "go out and play" on my own. You see, in the DF (Distrito Federal, the capital), you don't really see houses from the street, you see walls. Or wall high gates that you can see through, but mostly walls, sometimes with barbed wire or shards of glass on top of them to protect the house.
You often heard of kidnappings, and being a white kid younger than 12, I was probably even more a choice target.
We did have a driver/everyjob kind of guy, which most expats in Mexico have. They know the city (which is a tough place to know or even drive in), and sometimes we'd take walks together to the local park, and then yeah, I'd be free to play around (and trust me, the park near my house was like a kingdom for me...I wish I had pictures...there was empty fountains, playground areas, just an awesome place).
But still, not the same as being alone, discovering new things on your own.
I'm taking this decision now, my kid will go out and play. If I feel safer with him/her having a cell phone, fine, but I think it's one of the most important things a child can do. And they'll have great memories like I do. Thanks, mom and dad.
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