Jack Rossi just returned from a family vacation to Boston -- and found a letter from his two elementary school children's principal saying that his kids' absence was not excusable. (Even though the primary purpose of the visit was to attend the funeral of a family member...) It read:
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Anyone who knows me knows I'm a "world play expert." And though I talk about several other topics in The Happy Talent... everything always comes back to playfulness and leisure skill development.
Which is probably why two Quora questions caught my eye recently. 1. Why don't they build playgrounds for adults? 2. How can adults have fun at the playground? (You know -- in addition to questions like, "Why don't adults play tag?" and "How can I become more playful as an adult?")
So I decided it was time for me to write a post about adult playgrounds.
I pride myself on my ability to rock out -- just don't stand too close, or you might actually hear me play...
I pride myself on a lot of things. Too many things, probably. But given my recent posts about why women need to practice being rude (#BeRude) and how important it is for women to own their beauty, talents and accomplishments (#ChooseBeautiful)... it's totally okay, right? :P
I hopped on the Twitter train lately, and have, therefore, been hearing a lot bout a band called One Direction. Who is this One Direction? I asked myself today. So I looked them up, and I found this.
Oh, god. Those guys.
The ones who praise women for being insecure. The ones who like when women smile at the ground because they think they're ugly. Because, to them, what makes a woman beautiful is her not knowing she's beautiful. They're not the only ones. Sometimes at karaoke, people sing "Just The Way You Are," by Bruno Mars. I love their singing, but I hate the message.
I did an anthropology research trip in the Great Sandy Desert in Fall 2007. On the last night of the trip, I was eating my last meal with Desmond, a Martu man with whom I had spent the last few weeks hunting, sharing dreamtime stories and discussing Aboriginal culture. And he looked up at me and said, "Eva, you are my sister, and I am your brother."
Nothing he said could have moved me more. It was a moment I will never forget, and I hope the following story will help explain why. ***
"You see that?" Desmond asks quietly as he adjusts the gun on his shoulder.
Last week, I published By 1979 Standards, Your 1st Grader is Physically and Emotionally Stunted. The TL;DR is that being able to walk 4-8 blocks alone -- to a friend's house, a playground, school, the store -- was once a prerequisite for 1st grade! Most 1st graders today have never done anything alone, ever.
Even at freaking Chuck E. Cheese! Seriously. I've been to Chuck E. Cheese with a couple of different families. And each time, the parent hovered constantly over the child. They either inserted the tokens into the coin slots for their kid, or took the child's hand in theirs and guided it the whole time.
I recently finished watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a new show on Netflix about a woman who was kidnapped by an evil reverend and held underground for fifteen years with three other women. The show begins with their rescue - after which the four "Indiana Mole Women" appear on the Today Show, with Matt Lauer.
During the interview, Lauer asks each woman how she ended up in the bunker. One woman, Cyndee, recounted: I had waited on Reverend Richard at a York Steak House I worked at, and one night he invited me out to his car to see some baby rabbits, and I didn’t want to be rude, so…here we are. Whether traveling alone or with friends, many people travel to have an authentic cultural experience. And while the idea of talking to and having adventures with lots of strangers can be daunting, making friends when you travel is actually pretty easy. Here's how: 1. Do What You Do At Home While You Travel. You'll have plenty of time to interact with locals when you're buying stuff from them or paying them for a tour. But if you want to make the interaction more authentic, try doing something you're already good at, something you'd do anyway, with them. For me, this often means basketball or volleyball. As I wrote in this post:
This happens to be one of my favorite basketball courts ever.
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Eva is a content specialist with a passion for play, travel... and a little bit of girl power. Read more >
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