Nature Is One Of The Best Antidotes

The Pleasure Of Being Alive Is Brought Into Sharper Focus When You Need To Pay Attention To Staying Alive.

A Widening Circle Of Researchers Believes That The Loss Of Natural Habitat, Or The Disconnection From Nature Even When It Is Available, Has Enormous Implications For Human Health And Child Development. They Say The Quality Of Exposure To Nature Affects Our Health At An Almost Cellular Level.

In A Famous Middletown Study Of Muncie, Indiana, In 1924, Mothers Were Asked To Rank The Qualities They Most Desire In Their Children. At The Top Of The List Were Conformity And Strict Obedience. More Than Fifty Years Later, When The Middletown Survey Was Replicated, Mothers Placed Autonomy And Independence First. The Healthiest Parenting Probably Promotes A Balance Of These Qualities In Children.

In Our Bones We Need The Natural Curves Of Hills, The Scent Of Chaparral, The Whisper Of Pines, The Possibility Of Wildness.

Some Kids Don't Want To Be Organized All The Time. They Want To Let Their Imaginations Run; They Want To See Where A Stream Of Water Takes Them.