Almost two years ago, I shared with you my daughter’s “awakening” to the magic of Kris Kringle when she began seriously questioning why Santa printed barcodes on toys made at the North Pole. At that time, I knew our days of Santa magic were numbered, but the bigger loss we feared in our then 9-year-old was the end of innocence, wonder, and fantasy.
Fast forward to today, and another childhood milestone is upon us.
Halloween! The Great Candy Grab! Stuffing the treat bag to overflow for dads to pillage while our beautiful children slumber. (Don’t judge me! I know I’m not the only candy pillager out there!)
I love seeing her dress up every year, but now she’s getting “too cool for that.” And even worse, last year I had to coach her up because she was content with only canvassing four or five blocks in our neighborhood and ONLY having HALF a bag of candy. Ten-year-old Kevin would never have passed on racing to the next porch and ringing the doorbell.
Where’s the kid hustle nowadays? What happened to wanting to be outside? When did we get to the point where their activities had to be planned and scheduled weeks in advance?
And at the risk of sounding too much like a grumpy old man (it may be too late for that), I’m of the belief that organizations like the Y must help kids regain their youth and relearn how to play. Play has become a lost art, despite the abundance of literature that recognizes how free play supports cognitive and social development, physical and mental health, and emotional and creative expression. We need more free play, not less.
I’m proud to share that our Y will be introducing a new program next summer called Y on the Fly with the focus on taking the Y to local neighborhoods and showing kids just how much fun it can be to play. Kickball games, sack races, tag … they’re all just as much fun now as they were when you and I did them many moons ago and they’re probably needed now more than ever before.
We’ll have more information about the program as it starts to take shape, but I wanted you to know that we’re focused on the long-term healthy development of our children. And in the meantime, let’s work hard to fill those Trick-or-Treat bags this month. There’s a large group of dads waiting in the wings to “inspect” the goods.
Until next time…
Kevin Bolding, President & CEO
YMCA of Central Florida
The Y. For a better us.®
First Friday messages offer a monthly peak behind the veil of leading through change from the Y’s President & CEO.