As a child, I remember one of the perks of finishing one’s homework was to go “outside” and play. I was allowed to spend an hour whistling the time away by either playing a game of badminton or catching up on the school gossip, of course we were all contained in a safe apartment block, occasionally checked up on by one of the Mothers. This sort of playing is not experienced by my children. Unfortunately living in the heart of Colombo they do not have the liberty of laying cricket at the end of the street or just hanging out with friends on the kerb.

Taking into consideration lack of space and of course their security into matter, playing outside is a wishful dream. They try and make do by playing with each other, but siblings eventually are annoying and after a few scrappy words they carefully settle themselves down in front of the T.V. This is indeed a sad state of affairs, for as children I feel that they are missing out on some main experiences in their childhood. To be playing hopscotch with friends, engaging in the everyday politics of who and who are best friends today or skateboarding with the boys are all life changing experiences essential to any growing child.

The modern day child hardly plays and usually never outside with other neighbouring kids. From school we cater them to swimming lessons and other activities, only to come home to an evening of homework and early bedtime, just so that they can get up and do the same thing the next day. Stuck behind XBoxes and iPads we encourage our children to be social delinquents. Then as the world hears about another horror shooting by some wayward young adult we hold our hands is dismay and ask the heavens “What went wrong?!”. Thus playing outside with neighbouring friends is not really about “playing” as such, it delves into a more in-depth search for qualities required. The art of building relationships, the complex journey of tricky situations in social settings and the wholesome feeling of getting along within a social group. These are indeed valuable life lessons that our children need to learn and which they won’t by being stuck indoors in front of some electronic device. As a parent, if my children had the ability to be outside playing with their friends, I would still feel quite nervous for their security, taking into account the existence of everyday horrors, and as a parent one can never be too careful. But on that same note it is also a good way of slowly teaching children to be aware of stranger dangers and also to keep an eye on younger siblings. It gives responsibility to the older ones and teaches them one of the first lessons of growing up.

Within the busy towns and cities, we hardly see children playing outside. As parents it is up to us to make it happen. Even if we have to organize play dates and cater them to a location where they can play as a group, I feel it is something we should pursue. Playing doesn’t have to mean elaborate games or obstacle courses, even it be kicking a tin can, it's all about getting along in a community. We should actively strive to make it a reality for as the kids stop playing outside, the faces of our community starts to change, we are all just work driven , rushing to get from point A to B. There is no laughter, there is no fun, the city becomes a drone of buzzing bees. If you do have the space and the logistics for your kids to play outside, then encourage it as much as you can, for a child will learn much more in actually climbing a tree, rather than watching someone do it on T.V. Bring the neighbourhood back!

By Mayuri Jayasinghe