Was playing outside at night as a child one of the most exciting and fun times?

Question:I just passed a playground and heard the shrieks and laughs of children playing while their parents shared a bottle of wine. Made me think of when I was a child and night made playing so magical. Why was that?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I just passed a playground and heard the shrieks and laughs of children playing while their parents shared a bottle of wine. Made me think of when I was a child and night made playing so magical. Why was that?

Someone said it was magical, Oh yes! I remember chasing fire flies & catching them in my hands, filled with wonder about their light. They always seemed to be brightest at dusk.
In the night when images were hard to make out, my imagination could make the shadows anything. My father approaching was a giant, the fire flies fairies, I the princess of the kingdom I saw laid out before me. The slide became the tower of my castle, puddles the moat!
As a child we need little as props, just nature & our imaginations. We learned more thru play than in a classroom it seemed. If only we could keep that child like nature.
Thanks, I think I will go looking for fire flies tonight!
Blessings!

Oh yeah. I was born in 1962 in a small Iowa town so there was nothing to do but play outside back in those days. I remember a new family of 6 kids moving to the neighborhood and we used to play all sorts of games. It was magical because I had such a crush on one of the brothers. Puppy love! Gosh, what would you give to have that feeling back again!

Because life was simple then.

We thought that it was great to be able to be outside after dark. In the summer especially because there was no school to get up for so our parents let us stay out.

Life was so easy then. To have no worries other than making sure mom left the porch light on for us.

For life to be like that again...

Yaap!! funny it was. I always laughed and giggled a lot, to my friend's dismay. And you know when I had to hide in the cold of the dark, it had to come, you know that feeling of going to the loo. I hated that.Just when the person was close to me, and I had to spite the person, shaaa, what a mess. I had to sit quiet through it and then when the person crosses over, I used to run fast as a deer and soft footed as a cat to my house, felt relieved and found a new spot to spite. I hated it, and it always came when I had to slap the person on the back, it was all so perfectly timed. But I did it anyway.
That was fun as no one caught me in the act, as that was cheating, I mean to run away home unnoticed and come back as if nothing happened.

Uncanny I was thinking the same a few days ago... when younger playing in the street with the neighbouring children, happy smiles and kindredness all around..Godfrey Hill .. no. 1 .. those were the days ... knock down ginger, the little old ladies chasing us around the street .... the tune of the ice cream van and searching for pennies to buy lollies... Little house on the prairie ... Lee Majors and the bionic woman, Childhood years ... without a care or worry, watched by protective and caring parents ..

Childhood ...

Because you know it's safe in the shadows and childhood hasn't had the opportunity to see what evil lurks in the dark.
When we were children it's magic was there because it was so rare to be able to play with only the streetlights to show us the way.

Summertime itself was magic...freedom from schedules and homework and the four walls of school. But night brought expanded magic...the lateness was lagniappe lapped up by every child sharing the shrouding mantle of evening's promise...play, extended play, play-"fullness," hiding places "secreted" away in dark nooks and crannies, flying arms and legs racing to safety with hearts pounding, screams of delight in the twilight, seeping away, as children flew here and there exploring the shifting energies of diminishing light, testing their bravado as pecking order was established, pint-sized heroes and heroines enthroned in the mini-social order, ghosts and boogey men chasing every boy and girl through the dark and exciting unknown. What fine memories come to mind. Thanks for an unexpected trip back to No Worries and Freedom From Adult Cares and Responsibilities. It was delightfully refreshing. i feel renewed in spirit. Wanna come out & play tonight?????

i am Sirius

yes, definitely... especially playing hide-and-seek with your childhood playmate. all you care about in the world is where is the place where nobody can find you...

The Freedom, the carelessness. The magic of the night..the firefly's, the stars, the warmth...the ability to simply feel without thought. The ability to be in the moment w/ no worries and fears. The laughter, the joy, the positive energy flowing through your veins... the bliss..

Oh it was a wonderful time. We played Old Man Kick the Can for hours. Sometimes we would put tennis balls in white athletic socks and throw them under the street lights and watch the bats chase them. I loved being outside at night with friends, especially in the summer.

I still like playing outside at night ^ ^

Oh yes! We played Kick the Can, Hide and Seek, Red Rover, Blind Man's Bluff, etc. AND caught lightening bugs.

I went to visit my daughter in TN a few summers back and she couldn't understand why I wanted to sit outside after dusk and catch "fireflies." It all goes back to my childhood. I'm sad that she didn't want to catch lightening bugs with me. My grandson will be 3 1/2 by the time I get to go back and I'm going to take him outside with me and teach him how to catch fireflies!!!