Has "all in the name of safety" on the schoolyard for our kids gone too far?

Question

Now people are starting to ban everything in school to make kids "safer". Tackle football, dodgeball, tag, any sport you name it--someone will decide it's "unsafe" and ban it.

http://zerointelligence.net/archives/000430.php

Some kids are even required to write the rules to their games down to even be allowed to play them! Since when is tag that hard of a concept to grasp that you need the rules written...?

I'm all for keeping kids safe, but this isn't safety. It's making kids weak and it's taking away their fun! When I was a kid, we got knocked down and scraped knees without crying or freaking out if someone doesn't have Neosporin handy on the spot. When you're a kid, things happen...it's how we learn to be tough and interact with others. It's part of being a kid.

What do you think?

Answer 1

I think that we are going to 'protect' our children into being fat, lazy, disrespectful creeps.  They can't play, they can't pretend, they can't have individual tastes.  The list goes on and on.  But they can have video games to play all day long and start having s*x and babies when they're 12.  What is going on here?  We're going to end up with a bunch of scared kids that are all the same because they weren't allowed to develop their own individual personality and style.  And I thought they were being ridiculous when I was in school, c**p I had it easy.

Answer 2

My brother recently got a call from his sons school.  They had given his 7 year old "discplinary action" due to the fact that his 7 year old was running during recess with another little boy.  Apparently they were running too fast or something.  Sheer stupidity.

Answer 3

it is ruining the creativity of our children....

what happened to the days when little girls would run around pretending to be ponies? They would have to run around a certain tree to get stronger, and of course all these "rules" would come along as they continued to play...

with rules having to be written before a game can be played, it takes away the creativity from our children.

This world has become a world that fears lawsuits; and, i don't know...maybe it should, because this world has also become a world of - if something bad/ different happens, they feel the need to sue anyone and everyone in sight!

Answer 4

I know it's paranoid. My school banned tag. FREAKING TAG. And then what they replace all the activities in gym in with? Cup stacking. No wonder why kids are so fat.

Answer 5

You have the sue happy mentality of the get rich quick greedy people to thank for all these stuid idocies.

Answer 6

i think thats a little too much... how are kids supposed to learn if they are wrapped a plastic bubble and strapped to a chair... they can't learn to not do things if they don't see the consequences.... tag... are kids dying because they are tagged too hard?? i remember playing tag all the time... no one ever got hurt

what is going on in todays world... they should make them use plastic sporks and only have the adults use the safety scissors too

wooow

Answer 7

Its about lawsuits.

If you can afford to homeschool, you can afford to volunteer and make the schools better.  You'll be teaching your children far more by being a postitve role model then by homeschooling them.

Answer 8

Yeah...my daughter -- who has also been chastised for not contributing enough to class discussions in her advanced reading class -- was in trouble at school for being too boisterous at lunch  -- laughing with her friends.

5th and 6th grade students at her school who did not wish to play outside were allowed to stay in the classroom reading. Her friend who is a bit fearful and high maintenance wanted to stay in and the teacher ASSIGNED my daughter to stay in and be this girl`s companion.

I do not have a problem with the girl or with C wanting to stay in with her if it was her idea but for her to be assigned.

``Well C likes to read anyway.``

``Yeah -- and I think she can use the break to socialize outside.``

``Well she won`t get a recess next year in 7th grade so it really doesn`t matter.``

That is my freaking point. She is (was this past school year) NOW a 6th grader still in elementary school! All the kids should be kicked outside in nice weather IMHO.

I weep for the future with rules like this.