Biophobia

Have you ever driven around your neigborhood on the weekends and noticed that something was missing? Where are the children? I know I rarely see kids playing outside where I live. When I have gotten outdoors with children I have noticed that sometimes they are afraid or bored. Some children are even afraid to step on grass or get dirty. That is sad!

“Many children today find it easier to stay indoors and watch television. I worry that children do not know what they are missing. Children cannot love what they do not know. They cannot miss what they have not experienced.”  Mary Pipher, The Shelter of Each Other

What is especially scary is that the children of today, who are spending all their time indoors, are not learning to respect nature. If they are afraid of nature and are not familiar with nature how do we expect them to care for the outdoors when we are gone?

“It is quite possible for today’s child to grow up without ever having taken a solitary walk beside a stream, or spent the hours we used to foraging for pine cones, leaves, feathers and rocks – treasures more precious than store-bought ones. Today it is difficult to tear children away from the virtual world of the mall to introduce them to the real one.” Gary Paul Nabhan and Stephen Trimble, The Geography of Childhood

A new term I learned recently is Biophobia, a fear of the natural world. Do we want our children to fear the outdoors?

Help Your Kids Enjoy the Outdoors