Can a Playground Be Too Safe? 493
Hugh Pickens writes "John Tierney writes that the old 10-foot-high jungle gyms and slides disappeared from most American playgrounds across the country in recent decades because of parental concerns, federal guidelines, new safety standards set by manufacturers and — the most frequently cited factor — fear of lawsuits. But today some researchers question the value of safety-first playgrounds. Even if children do suffer fewer physical injuries — and the evidence for that is debatable — critics say that these playgrounds may stunt emotional development, leaving children with anxieties and fears that are ultimately worse than a broken bone. 'Climbing equipment needs to be high enough, or else it will be too boring in the long run,' says professor Ellen Sandseter. 'Children approach thrills and risks in a progressive manner, and very few children would try to climb to the highest point for the first time they climb. The best thing is to let children encounter these challenges from an early age, and they will then progressively learn to master them through their play over the years.' After observing children on playgrounds in Norway, England and Australia, Dr. Sandseter identified six categories of risky play, although fear of litigation led New York City officials to remove seesaws, merry-go-rounds and the ropes that young Tarzans used to swing from one platform to another."
This "safety net problem" (Score:5, Insightful)
is far broader than our playgrounds.
Re:This "safety net problem" (Score:5, Insightful)
The "safety net problem" is far bigger than that, indeed. Mostly, it's due to parents who would love to pack their kids in cotton boxes 'til they turn 18. Oddly, the same parents then kick their kids out as soon as they're 18, unprepared and unfit to survive in a world they have never seen.
Parents, your job is to prepare your kids for the life when they're fully responsible for their actions. It doesn't say anything about them not having had a single cut or bruised knee in their time 'til then. Bones heal. Scars heal. And you'd be surprised what damage children can sustain, where you witness it and you're sure they have to be dead, only to notice the child is wiggling his limbs, dusts himself off and climbs back onto the tree. Kids have tremendous healing ability, unparalleled any time later in their life. In other words, childhood is the perfect time to learn what is possible with your body and what is not. Your chances to survive stupid stunts will never be higher.
The problem is also a psychological one. If you keep your kids locked away 'til they are 18, you not only limit their development and their ability to judge their own abilities, you also prepare them for a life of missed chances. They will look back at their childhood and realize that they "lost" 18 years of their life. Also, their social development will suffer. They will not be able to interact sensibly with peers, and they will not be prepared for the dealings of social life and interactions. In short, they will be the tool in whatever company they will work in.
That's called bad parenting. Not having a child that has a skinned knee every now and then. Bad parenting is simply not preparing your child for the life after you're no longer responsible for them.
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The "safety net problem" is far bigger than that, indeed. Mostly, it's due to parents who would love to pack their kids in cotton boxes 'til they turn 18. Oddly, the same parents then kick their kids out as soon as they're 18, unprepared and unfit to survive in a world they have never seen.
Nope, it's worse: they still don't let them go, accompanying them to job interviews and trying to make sure their university profs are assigning them homework. Do a search on "helicopter parents" to read the true horror of what these morons are doing to their poor kids.
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Why phone when you could just yell up the stairs...
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It's partly parenting, but I think it's the lawsuit factor that gets people scared.
Where once parents let their kids play and get cuts and scrapes, they now look at it as a sort of lawsuit jackpot. "My kid got hurt! Sue!" in the hopes of extracting a five or six figure settlement.
It only takes the court to issue one judgement in favor of the parent before all the stuff comes down. Then said idiot parent goes in front of all the TVs and bleats about how dangerous stuff is, etc.
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That sort of happens with most cases. The lawsuit issue isn't nearly as big as the belief of the lawsuit problem. Many decisions out of fear from lawsuits don't come from lawyers. They come from upper mismanagement afraid they will get sued for whichever ridiculous thing they happen to think of. As well as meeting where someone is trying to show they did something.
The media also has a tendency to boiled down case o the most stupid blurb.
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Fear in general, is a awfully poor guidance.
My 6-year old will stay at home alone while I go to the store, assuming it's just a short visit (30 minutes max) Yes there's issues that could arise, that he'd be unable to handle himself. But he does know how to call me, and he does know how to ring the doorbell at the neighbours. (I guess fire would be the big one, but even then, 'get out and alert adults' is *likely* a sufficient response to ensure his safety)
As he grows and becomes more capable, he'll get more
Re:This "safety net problem" (Score:5, Interesting)
Some books related to your excellent points:
"In defense of childhood: protecting kids' inner wildness"
http://www.chrismercogliano.com/childhood.htm [chrismercogliano.com]
"As codirector of the Albany Free School, Chris Mercogliano has had remarkable success in helping a diverse population of youngsters find their way in the world. He regrets, however, that most kids' lives are subject to some form of control from dawn until dusk. Lamenting risk-averse parents, overstructured school days, and a lack of playtime and solitude, Mercogliano argues that we are robbing our young people of "that precious, irreplaceable period in their lives that nature has set aside for exploration and innocent discovery," leaving them ill-equipped to face adulthood. The "domestication of childhood" squeezes the adventure out of kids' lives and threatens to smother the spark that animates each child with talents, dreams, and inclinations."
"Last Child in the Woods"
http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/ [richardlouv.com]
"In this influential work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation--he calls it nature-deficit--to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression."
"Underground History of American Education"
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/16a.htm [johntaylorgatto.com]
"A huge price had to be paid for business and government efficiency, a price we still pay in the quality of our existence. Part of what kids gave up was the prospect of being able to read very well, a historic part of the American genius. Instead, school had to train them for their role in the new overarching social system. But spare yourself the agony of thinking of this as a conspiracy. It was and is a fully rational transaction, the very epitome of rationalization engendered by a group of honorable men, all honorable men -- but with decisive help from ordinary citizens, from almost all of us as we gradually lost touch with the fact that being followers instead of leaders, becoming consumers in place of producers, rendered us incompletely human. It was a naturally occurring conspiracy, one which required no criminal genius. The real conspirators were ourselves. When we sold our liberty for the promise of automatic security, we became like children in a conspiracy against growing up, sad children who conspire against their own children, consigning them over and over to the denaturing vats of compulsory state factory schooling."
And a TED Talk:
"Gever Tulley on 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do"
http://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids.html [ted.com]
We've taught our kid early on to use a sharp knife to cut up vegetables and fruits, in part because US emergency medicine to deal with knife injuries is far better than US medicine to deal with chronic health problems that come from not eating enough vegetables and fruits. Related:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/children/default.aspx [drfuhrman.com]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffJAePZFg90 [youtube.com]
Unfortunately, we listened to advice from doctors to "protect" our kid (and ourselves) from the sun and ended up with vitamin D deficiency and related health issues.
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions//kids_fall_short_on_vitamin_D.aspx [vitamindcouncil.org]
We're slowly learning. There is a l
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I'm sorry to nitpick, but I believe you mean "err" on the side of caution.
Great points about there being many kinds of indicators that are much more indicative of abuse than of a normal active lifestyle. Good pediatricians (and neighbors that know what kinds of things your kids do) go a long way. However, all it takes is one crackpot saying, "How did he REALLY break his arm?", and the authorities often are obligated to interfere. One guidance counselor at school who doesn't know your kid does gymnastics or
Adventure Playground (Score:5, Informative)
"C. Th. SÃrensen, a Danish landscape architect, noticed that children preferred to play everywhere but in the playgrounds that he built. In 1931, he imagined "A junk playground in which children could create and shape, dream and imagine a reality." Why not give children in the city the same chances for play as those in the country? His initial ideas started the adventure playground movement.
The first adventure playground opened in Emdrup, Denmark in 1943, during World War II. In 1946, Lady Allen of Hurtwood visited Emdrup from England and was impressed with "junk playgrounds." She brought the idea to London. These "junk playgrounds" became known as "adventure playgrounds." "
http://adventureplaygrounds.hampshire.edu/history.html [hampshire.edu]
"The Adventure Playground at the Berkeley Marina was opened 31 years ago in 1979. It is a wonderfully unique outdoor facility where staff encourage children to play and build creatively. Come climb on the many unusual kid designed and built forts, boats, and towers. Ride the zip line or hammer, saw, and paint. By providing these low risk activities Adventure Playground creates opportunities for children to learn cooperation, meet physical challenges and gain self confidence. Pictures of a fort building project. The concept for Adventure Playgrounds originated in Europe after World War II, where a playground designer studied children playing in the "normal" asphalt and cement playgrounds. He found that they preferred playing in dirt and lumber from the post war rubble. He realized that children had the most fun designing and building their own equipment and manipulating their environment. The formula for Adventure Playgrounds includes Earth, fire, water, and lots of creative materials."
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=8656 [berkeley.ca.us]
And here's a song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQtwb3lQ_c0 [youtube.com]
Re:This "safety net problem" (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd vote this up if I had mod points. Anyway, 'controlled risk' is the key word. All the playgrounds I've ever been on in my entire life have been controlled risk environments and decently safe. Compared to the other places children can find to play, playgrounds are a fucking safe haven.
Playgrounds aren't supposed to have no risk. No place is supposed to have no risk, because that's impossible. You cannot construct a place where people can't find a way to injure themselves. Even padded rooms can cause injury if someone wants to ram their heads into the walls at full speed. Playgrounds are supposed to have LESS risk than other choices. As a kid, I often had to choose between cool places like construction sites, abandoned buildings, and playgrounds. A lot of kids played in the others, and a lot of them got seriously injured. Making playgrounds shitty and devoid of cool things to climb on will just lead to more kids getting hurt.
It's basically shifting the blame. The city can now say, sorry folks, we can't make flat ground any safer, and we aren't responsible for your kids that went to play in an abandoned building and died when the roof collapsed. They do this by necessity, because so many people feel like they're owed something for nothing. My kid sprained his ankle, I want a hundred grand for medical bills and pain/suffering. Which won't go to the kid even if they win, it'll be used to buy things for the parents anyway.
I guess what I'm getting at is that there's a level where you can't make playgrounds any safer without just removing them. Kids need to learn that the ground is hard and to watch where the hell they're going or they'll never learn. Running full speed into a metal post when they're a kid is less damaging than doing it as an adult.
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Will this "risk adverse" affect our future explorers? Will we have fewer people climbing on top of rockets to go into space or testing state of the art aircraft? We need risk takers, people who push the envelope. Imagine some of the accomplishment that would have been lost if these people didn't take risks.
Of course. I see a younger generation who are terrified of failure, terrified of risk, unable to attempt anything that isn't a 100% guaranteed success. Not to mention the fragile-as-eggshells mentality that goes with it.
The way I look at it, if you don't risk failure, you don't risk success, either.
...laura
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Our local Montessori school actually wrapped their tree trunks in foam so the kids wouldn't get hurt if they ran into them. The kids adjusted by intentionally running into the trees to enjoy the bounce.
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Ultimately a human is hard-wired with a specific risk tolerance, all you do by adding safety features is make them behave in a manner that will bring the risk tolerance back to where they are the most comfortable.
Which leads to the behaviours that the parent talked about. Those who "tolerate risk" more than others will revert to risky behaviours when the perceived risk is reduced. If you have anti-lock brakes, you will tend to assume that the dangers are less and the risks are similarly reduced. This leads to more risky behaviour because it takes more risk to return to your "most comfortable" levels.
In other words, nuts who would go 80 MPH except they don't feel safe about it on wet pavement will start going 80 MP
I don't understand the perceived problem (Score:5, Funny)
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What's the most dangerous thing on the playground? (Score:2)
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It's not the equipment, the sandpit, or the tether-ball. It's the other children. Now, if we could only remove the children then we'd have safe playgrounds.
I guess that depends on the playground. Some kids fear the bully but other kids fear the drug pusher. Location Location Location
Learning (Score:2)
Re:Learning (Score:5, Insightful)
Fear of lawsuits isn't stupid. It's quite sensible.
Lawsuits are stupid.
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Personally, as the ex husband of a woman who acted this way; I would say that it has more to do with that daughters are more likely to be sheltered due to their perceived fragility.
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I believe it is a reference to the double standard. Guys are championed for their sexual prowess while girls are considered sluts when they get around.
Perhaps it's a reflection of the effort it takes for most guys to get laid compared to most women who can just stand up and say "Next!".
risk/reward (Score:5, Interesting)
The whole risk=reward philosophy is just a way for people who are comfortable and have never needed to take any risks to push others to do so, so they can leech off them. Tell people that something will make them a man and they'll run into the middle of a battlefield.
A society's advance is measured by risk reduction, so stuff can be achieved without a large proportion of people being harmed in the process.
Re:risk/reward (Score:5, Funny)
You obviously don't work in Aperture Labs do you?
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A society's advance is measured by risk reduction, so stuff can be achieved without a large proportion of people being harmed in the process.
Says who?
By removing the risk of physical injury in these cases, you add the risk of psychological "injuries". A child locked in an empty padded cell is perfectly safe but the adult resulting from such an upbringing will be a broken mess.
Granted, that's an extreme. However, to some degree w're already seeing this in today's society: people ruled by abstract fears, nobody taking responsiblity, everybody blaming/sueing somebody else and so on.
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Let them all play video games, as that's the least risky.
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A society's advance is measured by risk reduction, so stuff can be achieved without a large proportion of people being harmed in the process.
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risk reduction is different from risk aversion. It's better to know about risk and work to mitigate it, than to avoid the problem (and progress) entirely, due to fear.
Indeed. It seems like the modern american gestalt is to increase risk due to excessive risk aversion. Like preventing minor yearly brush fires causes lots of brush to build up and ultimately result in massive forest fires every half decade or so.
In other words (Score:5, Insightful)
In a society whose political and media culture centers around obscuring debate by preying on fear?
Whodathunk?
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No evidence (Score:5, Interesting)
Like most of Tierney's articles, this one is iconoclastic but has no evidence to back it up. The "study" he cites is just one psychologist's opinion, with no actual data behind it.
Speaking for myself, I do think I'm more well-adjusted psychologically as a result of all the dangerous stuff I did as a little kid, but given the medical bills and the permanent scars, I can't honestly say it was worth it overall.
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As a latchkey kid who got his 'do stupid things with friends' out of his system before his teenage years, I'd have to say that's preferable than the alternative. Playing, climbing, jumping, and biking with friends as a young kid made me into a socially and psychologically well rounded person, not to mention helping me to be well above average with most physical tasks. I'd say a few trips to the ER (actually only 1 in my case) was worth saving a lifetime of therapy to deal with social and psychological pro
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Thing is, it's not like every kid who's coddled by a hyperprotective society ends up schizophrenic as an adult, just like not every kid who plays on a steel-bar jungle gym ends up paraplegic.
Which is a bigger problem? I dunno, but at least we have some statistics on childhood playground injuries. The folks who argue that the psychological damage is a big deal are bringing *zero* data to the table.
Remembering old times (Score:4, Interesting)
I grew up in a traditional village in Malaysia during the early 80's. I know this is going to sound like one of those get off my lawn stories but my experiences while growing up there was very beneficial. At that time, my playground was the snake-infested semi-jungle around the village, the monitor lizard infested nearby river and the limestone quarry lake where they were blasting rocks with explosives. We kids will form roaming bands of 10 or more and play soldiers and communists (it was only 1 year after the communist insurgents surrendered), make our own "hand grenades" (got scars to prove it) out of firecracker fillings and spark plugs as detonators, even our own bamboo cannon filled with carbide. We will climb trees, slingshot monkeys, take a swim in the river and fish for tilapia and catfish in the quarry lake all the while explosives were going off nearby. On Eid days and the Chinese New Year, we will go to war with the kids from the neighbouring village, launching firecracker raids and ambushing the counterattack which will sometimes end up as fist fights. Looking back, I couldn't believe I lived that life now that I am living in a modern suburb where everything is gated and sanitised. Firecrackers are now banned in Malaysia. I look at my own two kids and see them playing video games, and the only time they can play outside is when I am supervising them out of fear of speeding cars or kidnappers (this is a real problem).
Now, everything revolves around the nuclear family. I could do all those risky things in the village because all the adults in the village will keep an eye on you, regardless if you are their kid or not. All adults may scold or cane any child in the village if they cross the line. Complaining about this to your parents will result in another round of caning. You could drop in on your friends house and their parents will serve you food and treat you like you are their own. Now get off my lawn.
Yes they can (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Yes they can (Score:5, Interesting)
Think of the children! (Score:2)
I'm tired of these stupid arguments that our kiddies need to be overly protected.
If a kid learns that falling off a high place hurts, he'll be less likely to do so in the future. Its how people learn. Sure I'm not saying let kids play in a forest alone or something, but playing in a proper environment is how they learn skills (+social skills), and most importantly how they can become healthy instead of spending the day on the sofa in safety playing CoD or whatever.
Re:Think of the children! (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not?
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If you ask my older children (the ones who are adults now), they'd probably tell you the most fun they had growing up is the three of them plus the neighborhood kids romping around the forested sides of South Mountain, looking for unexploded ordinance*, catching crayfish in the creek, and lots of stuff they still won't tell me (because the statute of limitations isn't completely gone, I think.)
They have all their limbs, all their faculties, both their eyes (each), all their fingers and toes, and some good m
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Yeah, it could have gone spectacularly badly
And if it happened today, you would have had to cope not only with the loss of a child but with being hounded by the media and other parents for being so negligent. You might even face criminal charges. Look at Arlington's standards [arlingtonva.us] for when children can be unsupervised. And they think that is the minimum acceptable oversight.
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Re:Think of the children! (Score:4, Interesting)
How to Land Your Kid in Therapy (Score:5, Interesting)
On a similar note, the Atlantic recently ran this article about how
coddling children robs them of an important part of childhood. [theatlantic.com]
When a parent says something like that they want their child to "just be a kid for one more year," that's just selfishness on their part. It isn't about letting the kid enjoy childhood, its about the parent holding their child's development back in order for the parent to take pleasure in the kid's innocence.
Re:How to Land Your Kid in Therapy (Score:5, Funny)
Could someone hand that guy a "dammit, couldn't you have told my parents 30 years ago" insightful mod?
Re:How to Land Your Kid in Therapy (Score:4, Funny)
-Dad
P.S. Don't forget to call your mother this weekend. You know how she gets when you forget her birthday.
Re:How to Land Your Kid in Therapy (Score:4, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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Even if a single dose is sufficient to halt the reaction, they're still going to be spending at least the rest of the day at the hospital, even if just for observation (biphasic anaphylaxis).
Also, anaphylaxis can result in less obvious symptoms than the classic bronchoconstriction everyone knows about, which happens about 70% of the time. Possible symptoms include fainting and cardiac arrhythmia, which most people wouldn't associate with an allergic reaction.
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Because it's easier for parents to drop their kids in front of the idiot box babysitter and berate them if they "eat too much". Else they'd have to be parenting. Imagine that!
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Re:It's not just playgrounds. (Score:4, Insightful)
I just Google+ friended you for that statement. There are so many activities, such as the great examples you gave, that the author could rewrite this study substituting for the word 'playground.' One of the bees in my bonnet these days is how diving boards are being phased out at public swimming pools.
It started with phasing out high-dives. Now low-dives are also an endangered animal. New public pools are built shallow with water slides instead of diving boards. From the first to the 10,000th time a kid slides down a waterslide, they've developed exactly zero skills at doing anything. It's passive entertainment. There's no sense of performance or challenge. With a diving board, there are a whole host of dynamics a child can attempt to master. Our society is taking that structure away from children in so many areas.
If you watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics, you might have seen the Chinese divers dominate in all categories. American children might have seen that and said, "Mommy, I want to become a diver and win a gold medal at the Olympics." To which an honest parent would have to say, "Unfortunately, you live in America and aren't permitted to engage in that activity. Perhaps if we move to a dangerous country like China you'll have that option in life."
Seth
When parents complain about bruises ... (Score:5, Informative)
I work with children, and sometimes they get sent home with bruises and scraped knees just because they were playing so vigorously. Most of the children I've seen will cry for a little bit, accept a bandage, then will be eager to do the same thing again.
Parents though, well, some of them will assume that the supervisors were negligent or abusive. Not all of them, not even many of them, since they tend to know how their kids play. But it is the ones that wrap their child in a protective coccoon that you have to be petrified of. Even those parents aren't so bad once they get to know you, to trust you, but a lot of them don't even bother.
The unfortunate truth is that those overly protective parents count for a lot because the consequences are many. Lawsuits is the often cited one, but losing your job or your license is an even bigger and more real concern. So all of the children suffer.
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The unfortunate truth is that those overly protective parents count for a lot because the consequences are many.
This. And the fact that more and more we are entrusting our children to be constantly supervised by others instead of taking care of them ourselves. If it's not your kid, you're generally twice as worried about them getting hurt in your care because not only is the kid hurt, but you're also worried about the parent going off the deep-end.
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Social services folks are taught to look for specific types of bruises, not just a highly bruised kid. If a kid has bruises up and down their shins and scraped knees, that's an obvious active kid. Even a black eye by itself doesn't call for suspicion. The types of bruises they look for are the more subtle injuries—bruises on the insides of the arms, or fingerprint bruises (looks like—and is—the result of a digging grab.)
It's also the attitude of the kid. I gave myself a rather spectacular
In Canada (Score:5, Interesting)
My 3.5 year old broke her arm at the playground, and I was very proud of her. We made the whole thing, including the hospital trip all part of the fun.
It does seem that the playgrounds are becoming less fun, but I let my kid do all sorts of stupid things, so the way I see it, as an adult she'll be at an advantage over her peers.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:In Canada (Score:5, Informative)
Rope jungle gym in France(30ft): http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctirpak/2473242331/in/photostream/lightbox/ [flickr.com]
Rope jungle gym in the USA(12ft): http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinion345/2108323331/lightbox/ [flickr.com]
Safety is relative. (Score:2)
Interesting presentation on TED re: Child Safety (Score:4, Informative)
Came across this TED presentation last year:
http://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids.html [ted.com]
Definitely an interesting take on this whole issue of child safety regulations. The book (written by the presenter in the video above, Gever Tully) entitled "50 Dangerous Things (You should let your kids do)" is a really nice read.
jeff
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I've received that book for Christmas last year, most people saw it and were like, "why would you want that?" Then started flipping through the pages intrigued and almost immediately found something they did when they were a kid, be it chemistry or whatever.
I also have the book Free Range Kids which is also anti-coddling. Good stuff.
Stop pussyfying our youth (Score:5, Funny)
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The word "pussy" describes someone that acts like a scared cat and can be used as a word for female genitals. The "scared-y cat" connotation, however, does not derive from the reference to female genitals. The two connotations share the same origin but for different reasons.
now sure what they are talking about (Score:2)
Talk about risky behavior.... (Score:3, Funny)
Jungle Gyms (Score:2)
Playgrounds shouldn't be risk free, but to be honest, jungle gyms were death machines. Those things probably broke more bones in the 70's and 80's than the Japanese and Italian mafia combined did.
Yes. Yes it can. We're sadly a nation of wimps (Score:2)
IMHO (Score:2)
Try to prevent reduce any permanent damage (e.g. remove sharp edges or constructions in which you easily get caught), but give the children the possibility to fall down onto a safe ground (sand) so that they feel and learn to estimate whats going on. Its better that they learn gradually how painful something is than they learn this spontaneously at some point when they are too old.
In that sense, i would put up many things which have a more or less save falling height. Put some higher things but make the acc
This is why I often roll my eyes at (Score:2)
the supposed effects of Nanny-statism. It's the American culture of personal fear and litigiousness that produces some of the most severe anti-social effects on society. Keep the kids indoors hopped-up on gory, fear-mongering crap coming out of the TV.
It's all about the Lawyers (Score:2)
When I was a kid if some kid fell off the monkey bars and hurt him or her self no one even though of suing the city. It was accepted that the parents knew the risks and dangers of the playground equipment and as long as an accident didn't happen because of failure to maintain the playground legal action was the last thing anyone thought of. Today, you see so many legal sharks advertising on TV. We've been brainwashed that if we have an accident it's ALWAYS someone else's fault and we HAVE to sue them.
Wh
One thing I learned from kids ... (Score:4, Interesting)
I was on the swings one day with a bunch of children, then noticed that they were all swinging higher a few of them were flipping their heads back for the thrill of it. So I decided to try it, and it was scary. Especially the vertigo from flipping my head back.
It made me realise how safe I, as an adult tend to act and how it takes all of the thrills out of life.
Case in point - City Museum (Score:5, Interesting)
The musem's founder, Bob Cassilly, says that $1 of every $12 admission ticket goes to pay insurance, and he has posted a 'wall of shame' listing all the lawyers who have sued the museum.
There's an excellent and relevant article in the WSJ about it: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304159304575183463721620890.html?KEYWORDS=city+museum [wsj.com]
It isn't just playgrounds (Score:3)
At our park.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Our homeowner's association has a park across the street from my house. Some time back they pulled out the swing set and monkey bars and put in an attractive looking rubberized steel play structure with several platforms but kind of low to the ground and really nothing to climb on or hang from. The kids ignore it and climb the trees instead.
Life finds a way.
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Shitty thing is that this affected my son tremendously. I asked him why he
Not being overprotective (Score:5, Interesting)
As a horse owner, I see how various parents approach risk. Some parents hover, constantly watching their kids ride. (One barn in Silicon Valley caters to those parents. They have bleachers where the parents watch the kids take lessons.) The kids whose parents just drop them off do better with the horses. Kids do fall off, but it's better if they have their falls when they're 10 or 12 and on a pony.
An old friend of mine is the complete opposite of the overprotective mom. Her kids (one son, one daughter) grew up riding, and by their early teens, were competent to go off alone on horseback into the mountains. By their late teens, the kids were taking road trips of hundreds of miles on bicycles. Both kids are in their 20s now. The son is still in school, taking a year off for a startup right now. The daughter has graduated, and took a trip around the world alone, bicycling across whole countries, riding in a cattle roundup, surfing, kayaking, and coming home cheerful, uninjured, with hundreds of pictures. She works as a lifeguard (ocean rescue/climbing/EMT).
Interestingly, these kids are cautious. When encountering something new, they tend to hang back, carefully watch others, see how it's done and what goes wrong, then do it. They don't charge in blindly. It's not about being bold. It's about being competent.
Children of acrobats (Score:4, Interesting)
Last weekend I went to a local art festival and they had a giant picnic table that you could climb on. Perhaps 20 feet high? You needed a ladder to get up on it. It was installed on a grass median and had no fence. As I was on top with my 2 year old, an 8-year old kid ran by me, jumped off, and vanished over the side as he went down. For a moment I thought the kid was crazy! But shortly thereafter, 2 more boys joined in, only they flipped off of the top. It was quite impressive.
It turns out that they were 3 brothers with their dad. The father was a martial arts instructor and he was coaching his middle boy to use his ankles to cushion his landing, and telling his youngest how to roll if he falls too hard. They weren't crazy - they just saw this stuff growing up and learned to do it safely. The dad told the youngest one that he was only allowed to flip off if he could do one from a standing position. It isn't that they had no rules, they just weren't overly afraid. They had a coach, and they knew their own limitations and followed instructions.
Amazing what a trusting, confident parent can teach an 8-year old kid. I want to know what they are like in 15 years.
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It's not just the lawyers... (Score:3, Interesting)
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Unless the sap was sticky. I would not climb a tree with sticky sap.
Re:Umm...yeah no shit. I could have told you this. (Score:5, Insightful)
Common sense goes out the window when there's a gallon of hormones flooding your system telling you that this child in particular is the single most important thing in the universe. Everything from over childproofing to being against a public healthcare options to over prescribing antibiotics to giving up freedoms for perceived safety can be traced back to the psychological changes that occur when people become parents.
As a new parent myself I can feel the invasion of these lines of thinking, and it is only through conscious, concerned effort that I maintain my pre-parent sense of right and wrong.
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And this is exactly why parents should have no say in laws concerning children.
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Not every parent loses the ability to think clearly when confronted with the idea of "think of the children". Not all people are created the same, and as can be mathematically proven, half of the people are below the average intelligence. Maybe there should be instead an intelligence test given before being able to vote?
Re:Umm...yeah no shit. I could have told you this. (Score:4, Interesting)
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Could you repeat that? I read it too fast.
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Being somewhat cynical, I suspect that ou
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Intelligence as measured by IQ is defined as a normal distribution.
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being against a public healthcare options
I'm curious: How does having the choice to ensure that your kid gets health care using a government program rather than private insurance trigger the "protect my kid at all costs" response?
I mean, I understand all the rest of those, but the public healthcare thing just doesn't make any sense.
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I've noted quite the dynamic tension between my wife any myself when it comes to kids safety. I want them to have fun and I'm not worried about much of anything; she's a worrywort. I suspect this is essentially natural and that where we meet is a good place. But our laws and playgrounds are too much mommy-fear and not enough daddy-fun now.
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Common sense is not so common. In fact, its so uncommon to easily proclaim, it doesn't exist. Likewise, people who appeal to, "common sense", probably don't have any.
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I'd rather have playgrounds that let kids *PLAY* rather than tackle challenges that I don't yet approve of as a parent.
So, do some of that parent shit and don't let them. Don't fuck up the playground for the kids that need greater challenges.
Re:Each generation coddles the next (Score:5, Insightful)
What bothers me most is that if I want to raise my kid like that and let them have a real childhood with all the bumps and bruises and scares it entails, I'll be the evil parent and CPS will come take him/her away.