“Today kids sit in front of their computers and don’t play out in the streets anymore” is something many people say about younger generations, and it is not untrue.
Young children are used to having mobiles and tablets from an early age and by the time they’re teens, all they want to do is stay at home and play their favorite online games instead of going out with their peers to play in the street.
However, experts argue that this habit can have negative effects on them, unlike street play that can have numerous benefits for their physical and mental health.
More specifically, it is believed that street play enhances children’s imagination since it is a “blank slate” and it offers many opportunities for creative play. Moreover, it helps them release their energy, something that can’t be done in a small apartment or backyard. And, of course, it enhances social skills by bringing together people from different backgrounds and generations.
However, it seems that some people are so used to children not playing outside anymore that they are annoyed when they actually do. Like the person who called the police on some Ohio children playing football in the neighborhood.
Indeed, a few days ago, Shaker Heights police were called on some children that were playing football in the street, as their mother, Wendy Brown, explained on Instagram.
“A #Karen called the police on my kids for playing football in the street,” she wrote in a post.
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But, unlike what one might have expected, the officers that arrived at the neighborhood didn’t tell off the kids for their behavior. On the contrary, they joined them in their game.
“The #shakerpolicedepartment pulled up and joined in on the game,” Brown explained. “Thank you for letting the kids be kids!”
In the photos Brown posted on Instagram, as well as in a video that was later posted on Twitter, the two officers, whose names remain unknown, can be seen trying to catch the ball the kids throw at them. Both the children and the officers look happy to be sharing these carefree moments.
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It seems one of the officers approached the children’s mom and explained that they had gotten there after a call that the children were playing in the street, while adding that they used to play outside, too, as kids.
“I don’t know the cop’s name, but he came to me and said ‘I don’t know who would do it, but someone called police on the kids, they said they were playing in the street so we came by.’ And he said ‘we used to play in the street as kids,’” Brown told Fox 8 News.
Brown’s original post about the incident got about 30k likes on Instagram and people praised the officers for their approach, while they expressed their annoyance towards anyone who would call the cops on just children playing.
We are glad the two officers showed these kids that there is nothing wrong with going outside to play, while they also showed whoever called the police that their act was unreasonable.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
A #shakerheights mom says someone called police on her kids playing football in the street. This is what happened when they showed up… #communitypolicing @ShakerHtsPolice #UnitedNotDivided #fox8 #police #humanizingthebadge pic.twitter.com/pu4dQCo8Pn
— Elizabeth Noreika (@enoreikaTV) June 22, 2020
