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Can a Playground Be Too Safe?
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."
is far broader than our playgrounds.
Fear of lawsuits isn't stupid. It's quite sensible.
Lawsuits are stupid.
Generations are being deprived of the chance to learn to deal with the process of overcoming their fears?
In a society whose political and media culture centers around obscuring debate by preying on fear?
Whodathunk?
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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.
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.
Why not?
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 problems later.
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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
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
A society's advance is measured by risk reduction, so exponentially more awesome stuff can be achieved with the same proportion of people being harmed in the process.
FTFY, you milquetoast pansy.
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.
Mind the frickin' laser...
Too true. This is why I liked my college professor who describes parenthood as raising future adults, not children. I want my kids to keep growing up. They get better as they get more mature. Sure, babies, toddlers and on down the line are fun, but seeing kids grow up is much more fun than treating them as younger than they are. They're people, not my personal toys.
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!".