Last Child In The Woods Summary

904 Words2 Pages

Richard Louv author of “Last Child in the Woods”, eloquently and vividly shines light into the ongoing trend of nature-deficit disorder. Louv is a strong advocate who is exposing the reality that many children are being deprived of exploring nature and therefore suffering from nature-deficit disorder. It is clear that children today are not having similar encounters or any at all with nature as their parents or past generations did. There is no doubt that in a more modern and urbanized world children are being separated and distanced from the marvelous gifts and experiences that nature brings. Louv exposes the reasons why nature-deficit disorder is occurring by exploring time constraints, fear, bogeyman syndrome redux and a flawed educational …show more content…

In part three, Why Johnnie and Jeannie Don’t Play Outside Anymore, it is clear that nature is seen as something to fear and dangerous, therefore making parents and children worry on whether it is “safe” to free play. In part three we learn that nature is being stereotyped by an illusion of a buggy man, and ignored and minimized by both parents and the education system, all of which is harming children today and the generations to come. To begin with, Louv exposes how parents have set priorities into extracurricular activities in their children’s lives outside of school, keeping children occupied in studying, piano lessons, soccer practice etc. instead of relaxing and having a peaceful time surrounded by nature. Louv describes this ideal as “[Being] productive but less inventive” (116). This is often the case because parks and natural habitats are not at a reach which can be seen in the data of Trust for Public Land that …show more content…

There has been a change between parents then and children now, back in the day children were free to roam around freely but now they are limited and given parameters on how far they can go. Although parents had freedom they are not doing the same with their children, parents fear nature because their children can get hurt, lost and kidnapped. For example, many parents are scared, of their children being abducted that is why they keep a constant eye on their kids. The reality is that the Bogeyman-syndrome does not exist, the reality is that children get kidnapped by someone relatively close to them not strangers. Parents fail to realize that nature is actually a safe environment for their children to be a part of. Out of fear they are making irrational decisions that are harmful to their kids, such as “shyness inventory” (129). Children are being taught to be alert and reserved, Lynn Handerson beliefs that this is preventing them to “self-confident and discerning”. Parents are obsessed with the idea of keeping their children “safe”. Louv states “Children and adults are even beginning to see nature as our natural enemy- a bogeyman” (130), by the media. Media in itself is spreading this fear of nature by exaggerating instances where murder has taken place in nature or

Open Document