Dirt Plus Water

Go outside!

These are words youngsters seldom hear, which is too bad.

Growing up in the 70s meant that I had almost no limits on my access to outdoor activities. That wasn’t because I had play dates, which is a phrase that always makes me laugh.

The kids in my neighborhood didn’t need any adult help in organizing activities. In fact, my main goal was to avoid ever being noticed by any parent including my own.

The adults didn’t micromanage us, nor did they hover. The concept of helicopter parenting was laughable.

In my neighborhood, we never had a shortage of invented games.

Even in the most desperate moments of boredom, we knew that mixing some dirt with water would snap us back to our fun of being kids.

About the author: I am Stephen Kennedy, an experienced photographer with more than 2500 completed sessions in all 50 US states.