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LOL...do they still have a bloomies? I never liked that mall... too posh for me : ) Same with Bridgewater Mall. That's one thing by us, no malls for the kids to hang out in which I think is great! Instead, we have movie night over at the township building...all the kids grab their pillows and blankets..bring their own popcorn, candy and soda... and all hang out on the floor watching a movie together. Great idea and the kids in the neighborhood really look forward to it. Plus it gives the parents a chance to relax and hang out with the adults....free babysitting : )
LOL...do they still have a bloomies? I never liked that mall... too posh for me : ) Same with Bridgewater Mall. That's one thing by us, no malls for the kids to hang out in which I think is great! Instead, we have movie night over at the township building...all the kids grab their pillows and blankets..bring their own popcorn, candy and soda... and all hang out on the floor watching a movie together. Great idea and the kids in the neighborhood really look forward to it. Plus it gives the parents a chance to relax and hang out with the adults....free babysitting : )
It is..plus someone just donated 5 acres to the twp. to build a new recreational facility. They also give free aerobics classes each week at the twp. building... it really is a great little twp. And if anyone is interested, the annual Wilbur's Country Fair is coming up...it's a nice day out and if you love "crafts", there will be tons of vendors.
or someone to go with. "just running up and down the sidewalk to their friends' houses to play" is sadly what I left behind and exactly what I am searching for. Simple pleasures//pics3.city-data.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif
I see a lot of kids playing on the quiet cul-de-sacs in Metuchen. There is also the town pool where a lot of kids go and I imagine the country club pool.
I also see them in Mendham plus they have their own beach there... not in my price range but looks wonderful.
When I think back to my childhood it was full of relaxed, spontaneous fun, and I worry so much that my children will look back at what should be a truly magical time in their lives and think, 'how boring'.
IMO boredom is a good thing. It motivates creativity. It was boredom that made me a musician which is a hobby I enjoy to this very day. It was boredom that inspired me to help my Dad fix the car and other things around the house. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.
I have heard from teachers that the students of today are so over-entertained by high tech video games and other things that being in the classroom is boring to them.
Boredom is a part of life. The sooner they get used to it the better. To be honest its part of the reason I'm here typing this on city data right now. Give your kids a chance to find themselves instead of worrying about them not having a perfect life.
And baseball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, sandboxes (with dirt movers - which is awesome imho)...
I see them outside all the time... I'm actually surprised you (sarahw) haven't, iirc you're practically next door to me. Maybe its the people nearby?
My street doesn't have many kids, two kids in their late teens and a one yr old, and then my three. So I've asked around friends who live in 'neighbourhoods' if it's different where they live and they all (4 nieghbourhoods so far) say no, the kids don't play out. I was more than willing to sacrifice my lovely wooded 3+ acre lot, which I painstaking cleared bike paths, built tree forts and added swings, zip lines and trampolines to, and move to a neighbourhood if it meant the kids would play out more, but alas....
My street doesn't have many kids, two kids in their late teens and a one yr old, and then my three. So I've asked around friends who live in 'neighbourhoods' if it's different where they live and they all (4 nieghbourhoods so far) say no, the kids don't play out. I was more than willing to sacrifice my lovely wooded 3+ acre lot, which I painstaking cleared bike paths, built tree forts and added swings, zip lines and trampolines to, and move to a neighbourhood if it meant the kids would play out more, but alas....
Maybe it's just going to take time... When we first moved in to our neighborhood there were 3 kids. In the 4+ years, 3 new families have moved in adding 7 more kids to the block. It is very active and I love it.
Funnily enough, while we rent a townhouse, and are looking to buy a place with property in the future, one of the things that I will really miss here is the number of kids playing outside.
They all congregate on their bikes, ride up and down, visit each other and play at the pool. Even better, there is a nice variety of ages, ethnicities and backgrounds so the kids really get to mix, rather than just hang in an organized homogenous group and you really see them use their imaginations. Not something I see replicated everywhere.
I actually think it has a lot to do with peoples fears. They don't want their kids out of their sights and they don't want them to "fall behind". Trouble is, unstructured and less supervised time is the best thing you can do for them.
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well....
