The Solution to the Go Play Outside Problem at Home

“Go outside!” That is a statement, plea and often times downright beg that parents for generations have said to their kids. Yesterday in New Jersey was one of those late summer/early fall days that you love. Sunny, not too hot, a bit breezy. Outside weather.

“Go outside!”

That is a statement, plea and often times downright beg that parents for generations have said to their kids.  Yesterday in New Jersey was one of those late summer/early fall days that you love.  Sunny, not too hot, a bit breezy.  Outside weather.

While I challenged my boys to play go outside and play, I realized that as a kid I did the same thing.  I wanted to play inside, unless of course, I, not my parents, made the decision to go outside.  Back then it was Pong and Atari that had me enthralled, along with nine TV channels (if the rabbit ears worked …and that included PBS).

So why do kids have the natural tendency to want to play inside?  I thought about it some.

My answer is that we love our homes and do everything we can to make them warm, inviting and fun.  Media rooms, TVs that are now bigger than people with hundreds of channels and tons of OnDemand options, couches that engulf you, Wii, Xbox.  It goes on and on and we want it all.  For inside!

But outside?  Outside of an occasional pool or trampoline in the neighborhood and basketball hoop in the driveway, we haven’t made that same investment.

There has to be an answer. So look what I found.  It already exists.  An outdoor, weatherproof TV!

This is a solution to a number of problems and a way to get your kids outdoors more often. And potentially even get them more active. So here are my suggestion to the future of outside:

  • Get a weatherproof TV for your outdoor patio or deck
  • Go with basic cable out there to limit the viewing options. Definitely no Netflix or other movie options.
  • Remove any comfortable furniture so kids won’t just lounge on the couch to watch something.
  • Hook up the Wii or XBox Kinect and get some active games to guarantee some movement

Soon all of the kids in the neighborhood will be enjoying a Dance Dance Revolution tournament in your backyard. And you’re instantly upgraded to the coolest house on the block status.

 

Image courtesy of SunbriteTV

Senior Manager, Public Relations & Giving for Coldwell Banker. Grew up in Sarasota and attended college at Western Carolina University. Athena wanted to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep so headed to Madison Avenue to start her marketing career. She has been with this awesome brand for more than 15 years and can be found generating buzz about CB in every way possible. Athena helps to grow the brand’s position as the most storied real estate company within the industry and has led many high-profile endeavors; she was at the forefront of the brand’s pioneering smart home campaign, raised $6 million in two years to build 130 Habitat for Humanity homes, and led the Homes for Dogs program in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com that resulted in tens-of-thousands of dogs finding their furever home. She currently leads the CB Supports St. Jude program, which encourages the Coldwell Banker network’s 96,000+ real estate agents to make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for every real estate transaction they represent. In her spare time, you can find her either digging up a new area in her yard for another flower bed or planning her next travel adventure. She's the proud mom of three cats Jolene, Ziggy and Lucy.

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