“I think as parents, we might be a little scared of the risks that come along with outdoor play and free play, but you should remember that these small, often low-stakes risks are actually positive and can help your kid grow,” says Aliza Pressman, Ph.D., the cofounding director and director of clinical programming for the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. “Especially if you are someone who maybe didn’t grow up in this environment. So how you feel about letting your kid explore probably depends on the lens that you were raised with. And like anything that’s new, it’s normal for your mind to go immediately to what could go wrong.” If this sounds like you, here are a few ways you can get outside your comfort zone. And, like with any new habit, start slow and build up from there. “If this is something that you just know you are not going to be comfortable with, let go of it and find someone you trust to take your kid out there,” says Pressman. “If you are going to be stressing and making cringe faces the whole time, your kid is going to pick up on that. It will just increase everyone’s anxiety.” Perhaps this also takes the form of enrolling your kid in camp or an outdoor-focused group activity. This way, too, your kid will be with other children their own age who also enjoy the outdoors. “There are such things as well-thought-out physical risks,” says Pressman. “And we often get too overprotective and forget that kids are supposed to be rolling around, jumping off things, and climbing stuff.” Think of it like a cost-benefit analysis: How happy is it making them versus how potentially dangerous is it? “If it’s bringing them joy, and it’s not that risky of a behavior, then yes—you’re just going to have to sit in your discomfort,” she says. Pressman says that if you can do the work on yourself and get to a place that you’ll be able to let go a bit and enjoy exploring with your kid, it can only be beneficial for the both of you. Not only will you receive the healing benefits of the outdoors, but you’ll create a space in which you can grow and bond with your child.
