The Physical Exercise And Emotional Stretching That

Kids And Adults Pay A Price For Too Much Tech, And It's Not Wholesale.

If A Child Never Sees The Stars, Never Has Meaningful Encounters With Other Species, Never Experiences The Richness Of Nature, What Happens To That Child?

In A Famous Middletown Study Of Muncie, Indiana, In 1924, Mothers Were Asked To Rank The Qualities They Most Desire In Their Children. At The Top Of The List Were Conformity And Strict Obedience. More Than Fifty Years Later, When The Middletown Survey Was Replicated, Mothers Placed Autonomy And Independence First. The Healthiest Parenting Probably Promotes A Balance Of These Qualities In Children.

Nature-deficit Disorder Describes The Human Costs Of Alienation From Nature, Among Them: Diminished Use Of The Senses, Attention Difficulties, And Higher Rates Of Physical And Emotional Illnesses. The Disorder Can Be Detected In Individuals, Families, And Communities.

Now, My Tree-climbing Days Long Behind Me, I Often Think About The Lasting Value Of Those Early, Deliciously Idle Days. I Have Come To Appreciate The Long View Afforded By Those Treetops. The Woods Were My Ritalin. Nature Calmed Me, Focused Me, And Yet Excited My Senses.