It's been kinda warm around central Oregon the last several days. In fact, we set all time records for high temps yesterday and today, 94 degrees! Normal for this time of year is 79. So I guess there was a good reason for me to see a kid, maybe eight or nine years old, walk by our place without a shirt and with no shoes to protect his feet from mother earth.
He was barefootin'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUOXgL4rvYk
It's something I used to see all the time, fifty years ago, but not so much these days. Ya know, a kid actually running around outside and lookin' like he's having a good time? It blew me away 'cause I am a little confused about stuff like this. Was that kid actually being abused?
Well, for sure it's child abuse if you happen to believe some of the scientific studies, paid for with your tax dollars and designed to scare the bejeezus out of modern mothers, that our government prints up. The scientists all agree - running around in the sunshine the Good Lord provides everyday is without question gonna kill the poor child - skin cancer, don't ya know? http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=43077 Or, maybe not. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,157348,00.html There you have it, both ways and clear as mud.
Armed with this information, maybe you can see why I've been of two minds for the last several hours just because a kid I have never seen before walked by my window. Should I be a good citizen and call the cops to have his mother locked away for the next couple dozen years? Or should I recommend her for a Citizen of the Year Award for allowing her child to benefit from the healing rays of our very own star? It truly is a puzzle and because I'm an American, I want to do the right thing.
The more government and academic studies I read, the more confused I get. Not just about this kid, but about most studies the government commissions. Is coffee bad for you? http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Coffee-is-Bad-For-Your-Health&id=3601380 Or good? http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/10/health/la-he-coffee-heart-disease-20110410
Did the kid need to have shoes on his feet? I read a study about that just a year or so ago. As I remember it - and understand that most of the time I'm totally confused - I think the study said a kid needs shoes.
Never mind - I just decided to do a little research on my own. Here's a picture of my younger brother and me that was taken 60 years or so ago. Notice neither of us have shirts, all four feet are in contact with the ground, and we're both smiling.
Further research involved a phone call to my brother. After several pertinent questions I determined:
1) He is in the same sorry condition as I. Older than any human has a right to be, overweight, but no sign of skin cancer.
2) Both his feet continue to reach the ground every time he stands up. The soles have not been worn off by many years of contact with the Earth, and there are no holes in either of them that he is able to detect. Exactly like mine.
Humm. It seems there was no apparent damage done because our mom allowed us to enjoy the Sun and Earth at an early age. But, just to be sure this was not an isolated incidence of our normal summer attire, I researched a little more, and found this.
Additional evidence of the way our Mom dressed us during the summer months - and from a year or so earlier - she must have dressed us this way for years. And yeah, I wish I still had those BuddyL cars. I bet they're worth a fortune. Here, too, we are shirtless and shoeless. I think I'm on to something. The results are in and my high powered, non-government sponsored study produced the following data.
1) It's OK to let kids dress like kids.
2) Dirt between the toes of the average kid is a good thing.
3) Most of the time ya can figure out if something is good for you or not all by yourself.
Now I know just what I need to do about the kid who walked by earlier. I need to nominate his Mom as Citizen of the Year. Too bad he's long gone and I can't find him or his mom.
Oh well..........
I dunno, Forrest, I've heard that kids get asthma and allergies and ear infections more when their parents _don't_ let them roll around in the dirt. They don't get enough exposure to nature's healthful everyday microbes early enough, and it causes trouble later. When I was a kid, I remember maybe one or two kids in school who had to carry inhalers. Now it's a lot more common, plus a zillion food allergies to boot.
ReplyDeleteAs for bare feet, a lot of the hippie-dippy healers down this way blame a lot of back problems on _not_ walking barefoot enough. Seems barefoot walking keeps the muscles in our feet and legs and hips stronger, and they support the back.
I suppose it's too late for me to strip off my shoes and roll in the dirt, but it might be worth a try!
Never too late for us old farts, Boomer. Just the other day I managed to bend over far enough to untie my shoes so I could feel the blades of grass between my toes.
ReplyDeleteDidn't quite work out, though. I forgot to take off my socks. Maybe it is too late...