Our 3 Year Old Doesn’t Have His Own Bedroom or Playroom (And So Far We Are All Okay With That)

When folks speak down to me about West not having his own dedicated bedroom or playroom, I take a deep breath and picture this:

I don’t think that our way of living is inferior, nor do I believe it to be superior. It’s just different. The typical American home is about 2500 square feet, whereas ours measures under 400. But given the strained state of our planet, I am certainly fine with “different.”

• Read my post on the environmental benefits of tiny living
• Read my post about our sofa-turned-child’s-bed

We are comfortable and content spending time within the walls of our tiny home. But small space living joyfully encourages us to step outside and explore our community, and take daily pleasure in the natural world.

The general decrease of public “green spaces” coupled with the increase in access to screens has left most children in the US and UK spending less time outdoors per day than prison inmates do on average.

Of course other important factors such as local climate, income levels, and parental worries play their roles in how much time children spend inside. But the stats remain what they are: most kids are spending less than 30 minutes outside every day, which has negative impacts on their physical and mental health. 

This spike in time spent indoors also untethers children from the natural world during what is an unprecedented and pivotal moment in our human-planet relationship. 

As we raise West to be responsible for and aware of his (and our collective) impact on the earth, we believe it’s important for him to experience the natural world so he can understand why it’s vital to protect and restore it. 

Obviously we are fortunate to be located in Venice, where the weather is steady year-round and where we’re in close proximity to the ocean and mountains. (If I consider my time living in places like Syracuse during the winter months, I am extra grateful to be here.)

But Los Angeles is still a car and trash filled city. When I worry that our family is too surrounded by concrete,  I remember these words from How to Raise a Wild Child:

“Too often, we think of nature as something wholly separate from us, sequestered in national parks, forests and seaside beaches that require organized trips. But nature is all around us, in backyards, schoolyards, gardens and empty lots… Nature isn’t just a bunch of far-off plants, animals and landscapes to learn about and visit once or twice a year. It’s an environment to be immersed in daily, especially during our childhood years.” 
- Scott D Sampson, How to Raise a Wild Child, 2015.

Kate Arends of Wit & Delight (based in St Paul Minnesota), commented on the benefits of getting outside during cold and busy days in this recent post, which stuck with me:

“Winter became a lot more tolerable once I realized complaining about the weather wouldn't change the weather.

It’s long. It's dark. It's inconvenient. SAD is a real thing. Kids go crazy. Parents lose their patience. And while going outside feels like the last thing you need, it's actually the thing we need most, both for improving our mood and overall health.

We did our quick walk this morning with Winnie in the snow and it made all the difference in my ability to just cope with this darker season. It's pretty beautiful if you can find enough headspace to appreciate it.

15 minutes. That’s all you need.”

Whether you live in 300 sqft or 3000 sqft, the far-reaching benefits of getting outside are all the same.

And as long as the inside of your home is safe and filled with love, it’s okay to not have a separate space for every family member if that’s how you need or choose to live.