tag ban

[HawkeyeMD]

This is crazy. What happened to 'fun'? If safety is all that matters, might as well sit the kid in front of a tv all day. Sure, the kid might get unfit, but at least he'll be safe.

It's amazing what they'll do in the name of safety.

Most adults kind of make fun of bike helmets. I guess they're a good idea, although I have also recently been told that there are more deadly injuries now from bikes than ever before (the person who told me this was a pediatric neurologist, so presumably he sees the injuries, but I can't vouch for it). He put it down to increased recklessness (because now they're 'safe' by wearing helmets), but I also think it probably has to do with more kids having fancier, faster bikes. And watching the X-Games.

In any event, it still makes something in my head snap when I go for a walk where I live and see these tiny kids on toddle-bikes--you know, the kind that don't even have PEDALS, usually? They're propelled by the kid's feet on the ground?--and they're wearing helmets. I saw a kid in a stroller in a helmet a few days ago.

Maybe she was on her way to her BMX competition or something.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Every time I see this thread title in the list, I think it's talking about that horrible smelling body spray for young men too stupid to know better. Ugh. I hate that stuff. When I went back to school a few years ago, the classrooms reeked of it because there were a lot of nineteen-year-olds in there. Although some of them stopped when a nice young lady told them she always thought the scent should be named "Desperation".

 

[robinson]

"Tag" Banned In Schools
6th March 2006,

The childhood game of tag has been banned by a school in Washington state, as well as some other schools around the country. Link to video, can't find a text version...

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player05.html?022006/022006_springer_tag&FNL&Tag%20Ban&acc&Only%20on%20FOX&-1

A 3rd grade student made a petition, got 48 signatures from students and submitted it to the principal. The petition stated that perhaps any students playing too rough should be disciplined, rather than banning the game altogether. He should join the JREF. The principal said no.

Also, according to this report, football is allowed to be played, but students are not allowed to run! They may, however, throw the ball.

Wow. Gawd I wanna slap someone so bad. AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!

School Bans Tag, Other Chase Games
8th October 2006,

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/18/no.tag.ap/index.html



We have our first nominee for idiot of the year.

 

[Modified]

I was actually just thinking today that I wish they made adult playgrounds. I would totally love to climb on monkeybars, and swingsets are completely awesome. Only the ones for kids are too close to the ground, I can't swing my legs around. I used to get pretty good speed and height going when I was a kid.

If you try swings as an adult you may be surprised at the motion sickness that results. I was.

 

[TragicMonkey]

If you try swings as an adult you may be surprised at the motion sickness that results. I was.

Sounds like some wild party!

 

[Elizabeth I]

I'm not sure that many adults play on the monkeybars. Probably nothing to worry about.

I was actually just thinking today that I wish they made adult playgrounds. I would totally love to climb on monkeybars, and swingsets are completely awesome. Only the ones for kids are too close to the ground, I can't swing my legs around. I used to get pretty good speed and height going when I was a kid.

We have a park by our house that used to have swings and seesaws and a merry-go-round and a slide and monkey bars. I used to walk my dogs over there and let them run around while I climbed on the monkey bars.

Unfortunately, it's a city park and over the past couple of years the city took out all the cool stuff and put in a plastic play pavilion, which they installed over some kind of rubber stuff that sort of bounces.

 

[joobie]

we used to play 'freeze tag.'

the kid no one liked always got frozen, and left that way for the rest of recess. luckily though, he killed himself in the fourth grade, so we didn't have to deal with having to freeze him anymore.

good thing we were allowed to do whatever we wanted. good clean fun it was.

yeah, there's a little bit of sarcasm and guilt there.

 

[Elizabeth I]

we used to play 'freeze tag.'

the kid no one liked always got frozen, and left that way for the rest of recess. luckily though, he killed himself in the fourth grade, so we didn't have to deal with having to freeze him anymore.

good thing we were allowed to do whatever we wanted. good clean fun it was.

yeah, there's a little bit of sarcasm and guilt there.

And with "tag" banned from the playground, certainly no one will think of another way to tease and torment the "kid nobody likes." God forbid maybe we should just attempt to teach children how to play without physically wounding each other, and how to treat other people with courtesy and consideration.

 

[joobie]

i am not saying this is an either/or situation.

what i am saying is that children, particularly young ones who do not understand the consequences of their actions, need more supervision.

i was using a bit of hyperbole (while an entirely true story) to illustrate a point - which is that (it seems to me particularly) my generation of 25 - 34 year olds is quick to say 'holy crapola nothing bad ever happened to any kid when i was young' when it's exactly the opposite.

then again, the OP probably thinks i am a 'pussy.'

 

[Modified]

i am not saying this is an either/or situation.

what i am saying is that children, particularly young ones who do not understand the consequences of their actions, need more supervision.

i was using a bit of hyperbole (while an entirely true story) to illustrate a point - which is that (it seems to me particularly) my generation of 25 - 34 year olds is quick to say 'holy crapola nothing bad ever happened to any kid when i was young' when it's exactly the opposite.

The trouble is that the occasional kid committing suicide or being injured or killed on playground equipment is a very obvious and shocking sort of harm. The harm done by turning the majority of kids into coddled crybabies is more subtle, and not given the weight it deserves when deciding how much to supervise or whether or not to install monkey bars.

 

[shemp]

The change in the culture in the last thirty years is amazing. I went to a grade school where the swings, slides, and monkey bars were set directly into asphalt. No one objected to kids climbing the 15 ft high swing supports, twisting a kid up in a swing and then releasing, playing various tackle games on the asphalt, etc. In our version of dodgeball, one person had the ball and the others were lined up against a brick wall. A shot to the head would have the added effect of slamming your head into that wall. Recess was usually unchaperoned. Some kids got stitches every few weeks, and the teachers and administrators would say "He's a tough kid, he didn't even cry."

I guess my point is, kids today are pussies.

What a bunch of pussies YOUR generation was! When I was a lad, we used to whack each other with lead pipes until all but one were knocked unconscious! The last one standing won! Then some pussy parent complained, just because their little darling got killed, they took away our beloved lead pipes and that was the end of our fun, and as far as I'm concerned, my childhood too! It was never the same again, having to use a baseball bat to beat some little spaz cold! To this day, I like to go down to the tracks and beat some hobo with a lead pipe, just to hear the ring of it against his skull, that glorious sound really brings back my childhood! You youngsters can take your fancy-pants baseball bats and do you-know-what with them! Those were the days, by cracky! Now get off my lawn or else!

 

[TragicMonkey]

What a bunch of pussies YOUR generation was! When I was a lad, we used to whack each other with lead pipes until all but one were knocked unconscious! The last one standing won! Then some pussy parent complained, just because their little darling got killed, they took away our beloved lead pipes and that was the end of our fun, and as far as I'm concerned, my childhood too! It was never the same again, having to use a baseball bat to beat some little spaz cold! To this day, I like to go down to the tracks and beat some hobo with a lead pipe, just to hear the ring of it against his skull, that glorious sound really brings back my childhood! You youngsters can take your fancy-pants baseball bats and do you-know-what with them! Those were the days, by cracky! Now get off my lawn or else!

Back in my day, children were too busy working in the coal mines to play any sort of games at all. A child making two cents a week working nineteen hour shifts as a coal bucket hauler could never afford fancy lead pipes like you spoiled rotten kids. And even if they did find some pipes, there's no way they'd have the strength left to swing them, after an honest days' slaving.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

There are some great playgrounds near me, with sections for older kids that have flying foxes (which you often see adults having a sneaky go on...) and some really scary looking equipment that I would think twice about before trying it! We are lucky that the council knows the value of letting kids learn how to handle risk and not wrapping them up in cotton wool.

 

[a_unique_person]

We don't allow tag at the school where I work. At first, it was only banned on the playground equipment after a student fell off the equipment and broke his arm. Later tag was banned completely when the taggers were tagging the taggees rather forcefully. There's only two of us to watch more than a 100 kids at a time. It may seem silly, but banning tag has cut down on the number of injuries we have to deal with.

I guess that also means no British Bulldog or Hoppo Bumpo?

 

[rjh01]

One issue that has not been mentioned yet is the value of children. In the old days you had many children. Several would get killed for one reason or another, but that would still leave you with several children that grow up as adults. Most would be in the workforce at 15 years or shortly after.

Today we have 1, 2 or 3 children per couple (not many have more). From conception a massive amount of time, money and emotion is put into each one. Children cannot be easily replaced as they used to be. So if one is killed then that is a massive loss.

 

[a_unique_person]

The trouble is that the occasional kid committing suicide or being injured or killed on playground equipment is a very obvious and shocking sort of harm. The harm done by turning the majority of kids into coddled crybabies is more subtle, and not given the weight it deserves when deciding how much to supervise or whether or not to install monkey bars.

When you consider the rampant obesity these days, the health effects are much worse not taking the risks. Flying foxes, though, are just trouble. Children are constantly breaking wrists and arms. There are better ways to get exercise.

 

[Modified]

When you consider the rampant obesity these days, the health effects are much worse not taking the risks.

I've been amazed to find out how many people in my neighborhood have children. Apparently, 90% of them never go outside. Apart from playing outside, they don't seem to do any yard work either. There are people with two or three teenage kids who do their own yard work, walk their dogs, go for walks and bike rides, yet the kids never show their faces.

 

[EGarrett]

Kids don't play the games they play at random. As with everything else, evolution is smarter than we are and programmed us to desire certain "fun" when we are kids.

Learning to hang and swing and fall, as has been pointed out, is a valuable skill. But even more valuable is learning to run away from someone who is trying to grab you. Especially when you are small and weak and in a world full of predators (animal, sexual, murderous etc.) Tag teaches kids this.

If you want to make sure the kids aren't hurting each other, fine. But you have to let the kids, chase, climb, run and swing around...it's key to their development. Tag stays.

 

[geni]

I'm not sure that many adults play on the monkeybars. Probably nothing to worry about.

Was there a memo I missed?

 

[baron]

Look on the bright side; in 10 years' time kids will be too fat to move faster than a waddle. Forget monkey bars, they'll need rails on the cubicle wall to take a crap.