British government says kids need to fall down more

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Jun 13th 2007 2:02PM

I have to confess that I am a total Anglophile. I love British novels and English tea and the monarchy. My sons are named after English kings (okay, their names are also family names, but no one in the family was surprised by our choices; in fact, one sister-in-law told me, she fully expected us to name our second son George).

And now, one more reason to love the Brits: the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (yes, they have a SOCIETY for the prevention of accidents!) is recommending that children be given the opportunity to fall down more. According to an article in the Times Online, children who are given the chance to get hurt learn valuable lessons about avoiding more serious injuries later in life. Peter Cornall, head of leisure safety at the RoSPA, argues that "Parents and children must not be frightened about venturing outside. When children spend time in the great outdoors, getting muddy, getting wet, getting stung by nettles, they learn important lessons – what hurts, what is slippery, what you can trip over or fall from. We need to try to break down the perceived safety barriers to playing outside. A step towards achieving this can be the creation of wild areas for natural play within parks." These wild areas, he says, would have paddle boats and hiking trails, contained within safe spaces, for children to play in.

Cornall says that the media coverage of incidents like four-year-old Madeleine McCann's disappearance have made parents even more nervous about letting children play outside, but that it is important that we not give in to fear. "We need to ask ourselves," he says, "whether it is better for a child to break a wrist falling out of a tree, or to get a repetitive strain wrist injury at a young age from using a computer or video games console.'

I agree. In fact, I'm going to shoo my kids outside right now to ride their scooters in the driveway. And then I'm going to make a cup of tea and read a little Jane Austen.

Comments (13)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ginny 6-13-2007 @ 3:29PM

Man, I need to show this to my husband. He is SUCH a freak about supervising our kids. Don't get me wrong too...so am I...in public. He can't believe I allow them to play in the back yard by themselves...and they are 5 and 6. He thinks they are going to hurt themselves on the swing set, etc. Well, he may be right, but is that so bad?

Ginny 6-13-2007 @ 3:30PM

"Don't get me wrong too...so am I...in public. "

Who wrote that? lol I meant, "Don't get me wrong, I am too, in public."

Trisha 6-13-2007 @ 4:29PM

I am with the Brits on this one too, I let my 1 1/2 year old go down stairs by herself (gasp) much to the horror of my over protective mom and often husband:)
I think I need a little Jane Austin right now too, speaking of, there is a movie coming out soon:
Becoming Jane. I have high expectations....

Anita 6-13-2007 @ 4:35PM

I purposely do not protect my kids from every bump. Unless they could cause irreversable damage or die from their actions, I let them play the way they want--run, climb trees, climb monkey bars, ride bikes and scooters, etc. My daughter was a pigeon-toed, bowlegged toddler who tripped constantly and we were used to telling her not to run. Then I read that parents today protect their kids too much so kids are getting overwieght and lazy. It took a while to train my husband too but now my daughter is 7 and my son is 5 and they are both very active.

hp 6-13-2007 @ 4:39PM

The only way to prevent my 10 month old from falling would be to wrap him up in a straitjacket. The child is a monkey. I'm taking bets on how much longer we'll be able to use the crib: I've found him hanging from the top, his feet braced half-way up the bars, more than once now.

Stephanie 6-13-2007 @ 4:42PM

I love it! I know parents who won't let their kids play in the back yard alone. I'm picky about them playing out front, mostly because at 5 and 2 I don't think they have enough sense about the street and oncoming cars. But I always figured if they don't sometimes need an extra bath such as on this day: http://www.greensahm.com/wordless-wednesday-earlier-today/ then I'm not letting them do enough.

Bumps and bruises need to be a part of childhood.

Sabrina 6-13-2007 @ 5:41PM

I had a hard time accepting that falling and other outdoor type bumps and bruises are a fact of life, and I've been forcing myself to back off progressively with my 2 year old. Instead of hovering, I watch closely from a bit further away. I have to summon every bit of strength to not run right over and catch her if she starts to slip. But over the past few months I've seen a definite improvement in her concentration when climbing things at the playground, and she's become more independent about it too. It really is worth it to let them learn that you need to pay attention to what you are doing. It gives them a sense of "doing it all by myself" that all kids need to have.

Heather 6-13-2007 @ 6:19PM

I LOVE our fenced in back yard. Our 5 and 2 yr olds go out and play all the time outside. I just check on them every now and then out the back door. They get bumps and bruises all the time but I don't baby them about it.
My mother-in-law, however, puts a band-aid on every scratch. UGH! (She watches them sometimes durring the day.) My son is really bad about being babied, mostly because grandma started at a very young age at letting him get by with it.
My theory is: If you're not bleeding or dying I don't want to hear it. :)

M4Mommy 6-13-2007 @ 6:40PM

LOL Heather.

No Blood.. No bones. Your'e ok. Go Play

My daughter put her knee through the glass front of the entertainment center when she was 3. Took 10 stitches on her knee.
Little bumps etc are nothing to her now. she doesnt even react to things that other kids her age are screaming over

Karen 6-13-2007 @ 8:35PM

Both of my children are generally fearful. My son also had some gross motor skill delays. As a result I have been constantly pushing my children physically. The other mothers gasp in horror as I tell my child to just jump when they realize they can't make it across the monkey bars, or they reach a curb, or they climbed on a half wall...or whatever. I'm the one that builds bike ramps, buys roller blades, scooters, etc.

I also say, "No broken bones, no blood? You are okay! Keep playing!"

Ann Adams 6-13-2007 @ 9:32PM

I buy bandaids in boxes of 100. The girls run, they skate, they ride bikes, and they fall down - a lot.

I insist on helmets but other than that, I let them have at it.

They get sweaty and dirty and have a wonderful time.

Best of all, they're healthy.

SKL 6-13-2007 @ 11:31PM

I totally agree with this. When I was a kid, I used to be covered in bruises from trying to do what my older brothers could do. Falling down the attic / basement steps, tripping and sliding down the hill on my bare knee, etc., etc. By the time I was 10 years old, I could reliably do things my brothers wouldn't dare try - ride my bike standing on the crossbar, walk across the top of the swingset, climb the outer wall of the three-story schoolhouse, ride my 10-speed down motorcycle hill, etc. Knock on wood, but I never had a broken bone, despite my relatively extreme risk-taking antics. Even today (30 years later) my friends call me a mountain goat because I can casually walk up and down steep hills / mountains, climb steep rocks, etc. with nary a stumble or a scratch (knock on wood again).

baby toytown 8-01-2007 @ 2:12AM

i guess, it's pretty much dependent on the age of your child.

i think its okay when they're a bit older and can handle themselves. but if they're just developing its best to keep a good eye on them, and place ample childproofing accessories around them.

a great site to visit with a wide assortment of baby proofing accessories is: http://www.babytoytown.com