The Risky Family
We don’t look so dangerous, do we? Nah, to most everyone we look like your average family. But somewhere between Elena’s first tentative steps and now, we realized that our philosophy on kids and play was not quite the same as most parents.
When other parents were hovering we were stepping back. We heard “Get down!” and encouraged our kids to climb higher. Even though we live in suburbia, we wanted our kids to experience some of the wilder, less-restricted days of our youth. Eventually we realized that most of the things we let our kids do – exploring creeks, climbing trees, skateboarding, riding bikes alone, even monkey bars – were considered “too dangerous” for kids’ safety. We didn’t want that to be the prevailing attitude for this next generation of kids, and so Mike and I decided to venture into blogging together. We’d like to introduce you to The Risky Kids!
The Risky Kids is our place to share a different way to play and parent: one that worries less, encourages freedom and fun, and yes, might include a few bumps and bruises. While we won’t be throwing any machetes or bungee-jumping (well, at least not until the kids are a little older – after that I can’t make any promises), we will push the boundaries of what society today considers “safe” play. Through reflecting over issues on play today, sharing our favorite books, toys and activities, and making our way through Gever Tulley’s book 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do), we hope to make risky play everyone’s business.
It will be our space to share our love for walking on the wild side of the playground, along with our journey as we go through the tasks in 50 Dangerous Things. We hope you’ll join us. You can subscribe to The Risky Kids via RSS or email. You can also follow us on Twitter, @TheRiskyKids.
Two blogs might seem crazy, but I see The Risky Kids as a space to voice our passion about a different way to play and parent, while allowing Just Like The Number to thrive within the more personal roots it began with.
So, kick back, relax and get to know our new blog!