Kids who grew up in the city discover a whole new way of life

Last weekend, I looked out the window and saw my son climbing a tree.

It's a completely normal kid activity, but one that a kid who has grown up in apartments hasn't had a lot of opportunity to indulge in.

And last Sunday, I assembled my daughter's first real bike and realized that unlike when her big brother was learning to ride, we aren't going to have to throw the bike in the car and drive to a nice, flat, safe place to test it out.

The kids have just recently discovered the joy of a simple garden hose, and one of my daughter's new favorite activities is running through the sprinklers.

I grew up in the suburbs, and I guess I always took things like backyards and sidewalks for granted. As a kid, I was rarely indoors when the sun was out.

My children, however, have always been townies who spent most of their free time indoors because, frankly, there wasn't much to do outside.

They both get a lot of outdoor activity during the week, so I didn't think they were deprived.

Maybe they didn't either, but now that they know that there's a world where they can walk out the front door and immediately jump on a bike or scooter, they don't seem to have much inclination to go back to city living.

Whereas once we were shopping for video games and action figures, these days we're out buying potting soil (and pots), seeds, spades and other assorted gardening implements.

At the toy store, they're drawn to wading pools, Super Soakers, balls and other outdoor toys now that they finally have a place to play with them.

I've always liked the convenience of living in town where everything's nearby and planning outings doesn't require factoring in drive time.

Watching how the kids are thriving in the 'burbs, however, I think a shift of priorities might be in order.

I might be partial to the concrete jungle, but the kids outnumber me and it's pretty clear they want grass.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.