Now that we are "tuned" in to how kids use their unstructured time, we recall an situation in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico in 2014. We were sitting at an outdoor picnic table at a ice cream shop named Taos Cow. The picnic table was one of several placed at the head of the parking lot in this store's side yard. The tables were placed along a ditch that had a small stream running through it. Small stream it was, a trickle would be more descriptive.
Two young ladies drove up and sat down at one of the adjacent tables while the three small boys went immediately into the ditch looking for something to explore. The found some sticks and used these to probe about every nook and cranny in this ditch, looking for who knows what. After a few minutes after which this activity had played its course, they began to first tease each other with the sticks, then they began to bash each other in a free for all. No holds barred here, they were slugging it out. Then another car drove up, this time with one young mother and two more boys who immediately found some sticks and joined the fray.
It was hard for us to watch because it appeared they would really do some harm, but thinking about how kids once had the freedom to play this way, we had to continue to watch the show.
Meanwhile, the mothers did nothing to interfere, but seem to be watching out of the corner of the eye, so to speak.
Well, it all finally ended and all went happily on their way. Sure did remind us of our old times.
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