Childhood games

My name‿ is Grace. I grew up‿ in‿ a village│ where the adults did not know│ where we were,│ and‿ I have come to think that the unsupervised part‿ of my childhood did more for my social skills than‿ any lesson‿ I was‿ ever taught.

We improvised‿ everything. A ball game‿ agains(t) the school wall had rules that changed daily,│ invented by whoever was losing. Somebody always got hurt,│ an(d) we deal(t) with‿ it‿ ourselves,│ which‿ is│ where self-regulation‿ an(d) coordination were learned. When‿ it rained,│ we played‿ a boar(d) game with my grandmother,│ who cheated for her‿ own‿ amusement‿ an(d) taught me,│ without meaning to,│ that rules‿ are negotiable social‿ agreements.

I am cautious‿ about nostalgia,│ because‿ every generation believes‿ its‿ own childhood was better^be-der. I would not have wanted^wan-did to grow up with the screen time my niece has now,│ but she also has‿ access to things‿ I could never have‿ imagined,│ an(d) free play has not disappeared,│ it has simply changed‿ address. What worries me is not the technology but the supervision. Children‿ are driven to activities that‿ are‿ organised,│ timed,│ an(d) praised. Risk has been removed,│ an(d) with‿ it‿ a great deal‿ of‿ improvisation.