Needing Nature

I am so happy they pick up the worms and play with the ants. That they aren't scared of the critters that abound out back. They are far less squeamish than I am and this makes me happy because it's one of my biggest concerns about raising them here in New York City.

Will they be exposed enough to nature? I wonder this. And it matters to me. I grew up here and love that I grew up here, but my parents whisked me away on weekends to the lush green of the Berkshires, in summers to the waters of Wisconsin, at Thanksgiving-time to the marshes of South Carolina.

And it's not just about them. What about me? What is this city life doing to me? Who will they become without a ton of nature? Who will I become without the same?

Do you live in the city, the suburbs, or "the country"? Are you and your family frequently in communion with the natural world? Do you ever think about, or worry about, the effects of your surroundings?