MBJ520

Am I the only one who enthusiastically believes in the value of outdoor play time but who FIRMLY rejects the 1,000 hours outside project?! The thought that we, as parents, have yet another thing to track/worry about/fail at if we don’t make the cutoff/even keep in the back of our brains at all really bugs me. Even one of the comments below said we “just met our 500 hour goal last year” and I hate the thought that you are failing if you didn’t meet X arbitrary, self-imposed number. Also, logistically, where are you tracking these hours? Also, is the male partner doing any tracking or is this another thing for mom’s mental load (I realize this is cishet specific but that’s my situation)? I also worry it can be a bit classist, as not everyone has easy access to safe outdoor spaces and it’s also a privilege to have the time to engage in this pursuit. I live in Southern AZ and many months of the year, it’s simply too hot to be enjoyable outside past 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. Of course, weather dependent, it’s always a good choice for my family to get outside and play in the yard or go on walks, but it’s not always possible and there are many valuable indoor activities. Can we just chill out and not give ourselves one more arbitrary metric to keep track of?