Adventure - An essential ingredient of childhood
Categories: Fun & activities, Health & safety, Extreme childhood
Schools have banned tag and other chase games. Playground equipment is safe and non-threatening. Swings are short so they can't swing too high. Climbing a tree is a lost art. Keeping kids safe is important, but are we protecting our children too much? There does seem to be a bit of a backlash against over-protection. First, there was The Dangerous Book for Boys, then Gever Tulley's TEDTalk, and now a new study from Play England, part of the National Children's Bureau in England says that children are missing out on an essential part of childhood -- risk.The study found that half of all children are not allowed to climb trees and one in six is not allowed to play tag or other chase games. Adrian Voce, director of Play England, says that kids "are not enjoying the opportunities to play outside that most people would have thought of as normal when they were growing up." He also noted that nearly three times as many kids ended up in the hospital after falling out of bed as after falling out of trees.
Now, I know it can be difficult for parents to watch kids get themselves into dangerous situations and the natural reaction, when they get hurt, is to ban the activity that caused the accident, but the truth is kids can run into poles walking through the mall (as my son did the other evening) just as easily as playing "tickle pirate" at the playground.
Sure, you don't want your kids to suffer serious damage, but a few bumps and bruises, if you ask me, builds character. My kids are forever running into things and falling down and they've learned you just get up and get on with it. That seems to me like a good attitude to take.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Baron 8-06-2008 @ 10:42AM
Thank goodness someone around here has some good sense! I'm so sick and tired of everyone being so concerned about this or that. Kids do need a little adventure!
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Jenn 8-06-2008 @ 11:16AM
I agree with this! Granted, I take steps to keep my daughter from getting seriously injured, but there has to be a limit. If they don't learn how to take physical risks as kids, and find their own limits, then how will they be able to accurately assess a situation when they are older?
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Brenda 8-06-2008 @ 11:34AM
Add me to the group of parents who belive that children need to learn how to fall down and get up. A little risk is a good thing. It teaches kids to strive, take chances, recover from failures and get on with their lives. I know I have a tendency to avoid risk and overprotect. These are not characteristics I want my children to have. So, when she wants to climb, I let her and when falls on her tush, she tries again. I am amazed at the things she can do. And we'd never know about them, if I hadn't let her fall a few times.
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ninainindia 8-06-2008 @ 12:19PM
I am really worried about the new generation that is growing up now. The way they are raised cannot possibly make them good adults. They have never taken a risk or gotten hurt.
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LS 8-06-2008 @ 12:27PM
You would not BELIEVE the looks that I get from everyone from my mother-in-law to strangers in the park when I tell my son, "no, I'm not going to boost you up, but you can go up if you get there yourself"... and then he proceeds to climb the ladder, the rock wall, up the slide the wrong way. And when he falls, he gets up, brushes himself off, and tries again. I will "spot" him - stand below to break his fall, or teach him how to work the rock wall. But if he gets halfway up and decides he can't go any farther without my help - he has to get himself down and try a different way up. That way, he knows his limits, as well as his abilities, and I don't worry about him so much.
Teaches him AND ME to trust him.
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Jenni 8-06-2008 @ 2:19PM
A child will self regulate if you allow him to. When he approaches a climbing structure that he is unable to get up, if there is no one there to "help" (really it's the opposite of help) him up, he must figure out how to get up there on his own.
The closest I get to helping them is saying, "Maybe if you put your foot on that bar there and your hands there." But I don't do it for them. I'm even so mean that if they get stuck in the middle I make them get themself down...even through the tears. Once they are down, or up, I do the whole song and dance, "Yeah you did it all by yourself and you didn't even need me!" Even if they needed some hints. This gives them the confidence to do this on their own the next time and to also know their limitations.
Trust your children and they will do what they can. I actually believe that children get hurt more (and much worse) when we do so much for them because they don't learn their personal limitations and will be more daring because they "did it" before with a hand on the back; maybe not realizing that hand was even there.
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Carrie 8-06-2008 @ 11:12PM
One of the things that irritates me to no end is the bossy playground mom who cannot seem to leave her child alone for a SECOND and just allow them to play! They must orchestrate every.single.move.
I feel so sorry for kids with parents like that. Kids need to have some healthy independence. Getting banged and bruised a little is not a bad thing. I think many parents today worry too much and try to prevent their kids from having any discomfort.
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