Harden your kids and watch them grow

Just waiting for my zune to charge so I can go jogging. So, of course, I blog.  We went to a company swim party tonight at Mesquite Aquatic Center and it brought me back to the good old days when I went there for swim team practice during the summer.  I'd get up and ride my bike 3 miles to get there at 6 am.  I'd swim my little hiney off for an hour and then ride my bike home.  I was 12.  What 12 year old do you know now-a-days that would do that?  We're so used to going everywhere in our air conditioned cars.  Let your kids get out and explore! If they don't want to, just shove them out with a bottled water and a snack, say "have fun!," and lock the door.  And then you can cry as you watch them through the window.  We used to have so much fun outside.  We'd make bike trails with jumps and we dug a tunnel that led to a big underground room.  We'd make blowtorches out of aerosol cans and play in mud.  We even played night games in our front yards.  Yes, it's hot.  That's what water is for. Kids need no-parent time to be inventive.  It helps their brains, I swear it! 
(Just make sure to have homeowners' insurance cause it saved my parents when Rob set our shake-shingle roof on fire.... on accident....of course )
Here's a news article about "outside time" from Wales- and seeing as I'm mostly Welsh, I say it's fitting that I link to it :)