Now, My Tree-climbing Days Long Behind Me,

Here Is The Beginning Of Understanding: Most Parents Are Doing Their Best, And Most Children Are Doing Their Best, And They're Doing Pretty Well, All Things Considered.

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.

We Tend To Block Off Many Of Our Senses When We're Staring At A Screen. Nature Time Can Literally Bring Us To Our Senses.

What Happens When All The Parts Of Childhood Are Soldered Down, When The Young No Longer Have The Time Or Space To Play In Their Family's Garden, Cycle Home In The Dark With The Stars And Moon Illuminating Their Route, Walk Down Through The Woods To The River, Lie On Their Backs On Hot July Days In The Long Grass, Or Watch Cockleburs, Lit By Morning Sun, Like Bumblees Quivering On Harp Wires? What Then?

If Getting Our Kids Out Into Nature Is A Search For Perfection, Or Is One More Chore, Then The Belief In Perfection And The Chore Defeats The Joy. It's A Good Thing To Learn More About Nature In Order To Share This Knowledge With Children; It's Even Better If The Adult And Child Learn About Nature Together. And It's A Lot More Fun.