Last weekend, my teenage son and his friend went to the park. They wanted to hike the trails and take pictures of strange plants for an album cover they’re making. I was thrilled because I’m always trying to get these kids outside. I think they spend too much time on electronics, and it’s bad for their health. Not long into the adventure, a call came from my son telling us they were detained and being questioned by a park ranger. They had not broken any rules or done anything dangerous. It seems someone in the park thought they were suspicious simply because they were teens.

The park staff and the officer were quick to apologize and set things right, but my son’s friend was upset. He felt the incident should not have happened, and it made him uncomfortable. It left a bad taste in my mouth as well.

Back in the dark ages, when I was growing up, my brothers and I went everywhere on our bikes. Miles and miles, through different towns, into the woods, up and down the hills. It wasn’t unusual. Kids were outside. There was nothing else to do, so we didn’t have a choice. Our parents expected us to be outside, not in the house all day. No one thought it was something to investigate or complain about, it was just the way things were.

Young people today live in two different worlds. One is the world I grew up in, riding bikes all day and playing kick the can until dark with the neighbor kids. The other is the online world, where ‘influencers’ and Tik Tok videos abound, all competing with each other by posting outrageous stunts and edgy takes for clicks. This stuff is pumped straight into the vulnerable minds of the electronic generation.

Let’s be honest. Too many teenagers are struggling mentally and physically. Many aren’t getting exercise. Anxiety, depression, deteriorating physical health—this stuff is common as daylight now in young people. The skyrocketing statistics on the overall health of today’s teens are unsettling to say the least. Many parents are trying to bring balance to the situation by finding safe, healthy activities kids actually want to do outside.

Karens will Karen though, so it’s reasonable to prepare juveniles that are playing outside for the sort of event my son and his friend experienced. In Texas, the ‘Reasonable Childhood Independence Act’ (HB 567) is in effect, making decisions about kids playing outside more of a parental issue than a law enforcement one. Kids that are involved in safe, age appropriate activities have the right to be outside.

Holocaust survivor, psychiatrist and author Viktor Frankl once said, “If we take a man as he is, we make him worse, but if we take man as he should be, we make him capable of becoming what he can be.” People live up to the expectations of others, especially young ones. When we expect them to behave badly, that might well be the result. Conversely, when we expect them to be good, responsible citizens, and treat them as such, this helps them attain the goal. If kids are obeying rules and are safe, let them play!

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Diane Adams is a local journalist whose columns appear Thursdays on BrownwoodNews.com