From the time they could walk, both of my children have been racing for the door. They simply love to be outdoors, whatever the weather. It's a fascination I've encouraged, because I know they are forming healthy habits they'll carry into adulthood.

Today, my firstborn is an active 8-year-old girl who enjoys horseback riding, swinging from the monkey bars and running for the sheer joy of it. By offering her ample opportunity for creative physical play and the chance to run "wild" out-of-doors, her positive self-image has grown along with her body. She also has led the way for our youngest, a 2-year-old boy, to explore – and learn – through the physical world.

Recently during their outdoor pretend play, she showed him how to hold a hulahoop in the air so she could jump through it like a circus horse. Before long, she was the guide as her little brother ran through the yard to leap through the hoop. Later, they spent hours using miniature toy tractors to build dirt hills under the canopy of spirea bushes lining our front yard. Both are bright, engaging children who love to learn – a childhood joy I hope follows them the rest of their lives.