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Games much worse than tag
When I read that tag had been outlawed at an American elementary school earlier this month, I thought back to my childhood. We played games far worse than tag. In fact, I distinctively remember burnt-orange shag carpet, a dark closet, and being 7 years old. We played spin the bottle and I kissed Jeremy C and I suspect I might have liked it. Surely Spin the Bottle is a lot more dangerous than a friendly game of tag?
I'm not the only one who remembers more "sinister" childhood games. I came across this blog entry today about childhood games we played as kids that were much, much worse than tag. It brought back memories: Red Rover, where the point is to smash into other kids. Keep Away, which was essentially an invitation to bruise, bash, and scrape. It brought back a lot of memories for me, and I wonder, do kids still play these games? I'd rather see Capture the Flag outlawed over Tag. Better yet, we should just let kids be bruised up, scraped up, and happily active.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris 10-31-2006 @ 8:13AM
"Better yet, we should just let kids be bruised up, scraped up, and happily active."
Exactly. We can't - and shouldn't - protect them from every potential bruise or scratch. How will kids ever learn boundaries in an environment like that?
I live in Ottawa, Canada and as you can imagine, in the winter we let a lot of snow. When I was a kid in elementary school, the snowplows would clear the school parking lot and push all the snow into a giant pile, near the school playground. By the middle of winter this mountain could get to be easily 10 feet high. One of the favorite games of the older (ie: 4th and 5th grade) kids was "King of the Hill." The point was to get to the top of the giant pile of snow and throw anyone else that tried to get up there off. Sounds a little more dangerous than Tag. Yet I distinctly don't remember reports of kids dying in the playground every day.
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ann adams 10-31-2006 @ 5:11PM
Chris, I grew up in snowcovered central New York and I'd all but forgotten King (or Queen) of the Hill.
I suppose hide and go seek is out as well.
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April 11-02-2006 @ 8:42AM
Gee. I would assume the basketball my father taught me and my sisters is definitely out that. Must have been too competitive.
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Rachel 1-25-2007 @ 3:00PM
Oh my gosh, what I wouldn't love to get a good game of capture the flag going. One of the best games in the entire world.
Sigh. To be 8 again.
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