Playgrounds and Children

Who remembers playgrounds from our youth?  They were tall and frightening at times, but most of all, they were fun.   We used to be able to climb to the top, albeit with a little trepidation, and get a good view from ten feet off the ground.  I remember I used to walk across a wooden beam that held swings ten feet off the ground, obviously when adults weren't watching, and then climb down the other side onto a platform.  I never fell from that beam, I did break a wrist at one point, but that was due to a risky maneuver requiring swinging as high as I could, leaping off the swing at its highest point, and grabbing onto a slick metal bar.  Stupid?  Yes, but when my broken wrist healed from that incident, I did it again.  I learned from my mistakes and moved on.  These days, it is difficult to find a playground with ready access to anything over eight feet off the ground and every platform seems to be enclosed to provide safety for children.  This concern with the safety of children seems to have become a little excessive, mostly due to fear of lawsuits, and is now thought to reduce the emotional and physical development of children.  Why is this the case?  Mainly because it does not allow children the chance to push the envelope, face their fears, and ultimately overcome them.  It has been found that if a child under the age of nine experiences a fall with an injury, contrary to popular belief, it does not instill in that child a fear of heights, but rather works to eliminate that fear.  In terms of physical development, as playgrounds have become safer, it has kept older children away because they are not as "fun" as the older, riskier playgrounds used to be. 

Playgrounds are the place where children learn to conquer fears, explore a wide range of physical endeavors, and ultimately have fun and succeed at different tasks.  If we reduce the amount of risks that children are able to take, some psychologists have indicated that they think it will lead to an increase in psychopathology later in life and ultimately, more fearful adults.  The same methods that children use to conquer their fears of heights on the playground are the same methods that psychologists use to help adults conquer their fears; progressive pushing of the envelope.  What this ultimately means is that we need to let children be children.  Parents, however fearful they may be that their child will get injured, need to allow exploration and risk taking in order for their children to become well formed adults.   Part of the problem, as I mentioned earlier, is the fear of lawsuits.  Parents today feel that they need to make someone else pay if their child is injured.  Children get hurt, it is fact of life.  If they cause their own injury, and even if they don't, what are we teaching them by making someone else responsible for their injury?  We are inevitably creating an generation of future adults who will adopt the same attitude and perpetuate this attitude of passing along responsibility.  What happens when a child who learns to pass on responsibility for their actions as an adult gets into a car accident?  I guarantee that the first thought that crosses their mind is, "OK, who do I sue for damages even though it was my fault. Why not the automaker?"  (Maybe that thought is a little excessive, but you get my point.)

What we need to do is move past this era of fear for our children and re-invigorate the past mores of letting children be children.  We must re-learn the ability to let children get hurt and endure the resulting pain from their injury.  We must allow children to take risks and explore the world on their own terms, not on ours.  If we want to form them into balanced, educated, and well-rounded adults, we need to take a step back and let them learn things on their own at their own speed.  By being over protective of our children, we will inevitably do damage in the end.   What is needed is to bring back the playgrounds of our youth, maybe not with the asphalt for a landing, but we need to bring back the heights and the risky environments so children are able to learn for themselves how to engage in difficult tasks and take on fears they might have.  Any parent now is probably thinking that I am crazy, but think back to your youth.  What kind of playground did you enjoy your time on?  It was probably covered in asphalt and had huge metal bars extending ten feet or higher into the air for you to climb.  Where have all the jungle gyms gone?  Most have been scrapped in favor of shorter, plastic, padded playgrounds that cater to the very young and attempt to be as safe as possible to reduce the risk of injury.  I say let the children get hurt if they will.  It is a part of life and the sooner they learn it, the sooner they will be able to conquer their fears and build themselves into well-rounded adults.