POLITICS: The sissification and fattening of American Kids..

[Old Ironsights]

Prepping them for Slaughter?

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Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
By PHILIP K. HOWARD
August 13, 2008; Page A15

Just when we thought playgrounds were accident-proof -- no more merry-go-rounds, high slides, jungle gyms, seesaws or pretty much anything that's fun -- it turns out that safety itself can be dangerous. A recent heat wave in New York exposed a new playground risk: The ubiquitous rubber safety matting gets hot, not as hot as McDonald's coffee, but hot enough to scald tender feet.

The outrage was immediate. "Playgrounds should be designed with canopies," one park- safety advocate declared. "How many burn cases will it take," Betsy Gotbaum, the city's public advocate asked, "before the city wakes up and acts?"

The headlong drive for safety has indeed created dangers, but not those identified by the safety zealots. Risk is important in child development. Allowing children to test their limits in unstructured play, according to the American Association of Pediatrics, "develop[s] their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength." Scrapes and bruises are how children learn their limits, and the need to take personal responsibility.

The harmful effects of our national safety obsession ripple outward into society. One in six children in America is obese, and many of them will face a lifetime of chronic illness. According to the Center for Disease Control, this problem would basically cure itself if children engaged in the informal outdoor activities that used to be normal. But how do we lure children off the sofa? One key attraction is risk.

Risk is fun, at least the moderate risks that were common in prior generations. An informal survey of children by the University of Toronto's Institute of Child Studies found that "merry-go-rounds . . . anecdotally the most hated piece of playground equipment in hospital emergency rooms -- topped the list of most desired bits of playground equipment." Those of us of a certain age can remember sprinting to get the contraption really moving. That was fun. And a lot of exercise.

America unfortunately is going in the opposite direction. There is nothing left in playgrounds that would attract the interest of a child over the age of four. Exercise in schools is carefully programmed, when it exists at all. Some schools have banned tag. Broward County, Fla., banned running at recess. (How else can we guard against a child falling down?) Little Leagues forbid sliding into base. Some towns ban sledding. High diving boards are history, and it's only a matter of time before all diving boards disappear.

Safety is meaningful only in the context of other benefits and risks. Safety always involves trade-offs -- of opportunities, of scarce resources and, especially in the case of children's play, of learning to manage risk. The question is whether the trade-off makes sense. Soft rubber matting will cushion any fall. This is probably a good thing, at least in situations where children may fall on their heads. But rubber matting also gets hot.

There's only one solution. Someone on behalf of society must be authorized to make these choices. Courts must honor those decisions. Otherwise, the pious accusations of safety fanatics, empowered by the nearly universal fear of being sued, will guarantee a cultural spiral downwards toward the lowest common denominator.

For America's children today, that means spending more than six hours per day staring at a screen. Is that the way we want our children to grow up?

"A little common sense goes a long way," observed Adrian Benepe, New York City's parks commissioner. "Children should wear shoes. They're foolproof protection against hot surfaces." Shoes have undeniable virtues in an urban setting -- a small but useful lesson for young children.

I have an additional idea as well. Why not replant a few of the trees that were cut down, or radically pruned, in an effort to create a controlled play environment? The shade from the trees would keep the rubber matting a little cooler. Who knows, maybe we would even allow children to climb them.

Mr. Howard, a lawyer and writer, is chairman of Common Good, a nonprofit, nonpartisan legal reform coalition.

See all of today's editorials and op-eds, plus video commentary, on Opinion Journal.

And add your comments to the Opinion Journal forum.

[El Mac]

Excellent find OI. One of my pet peeves...

[Ben_Rumson]

I had to laugh listening to the Olympics chatter on TV...China has the most bicycles & cyclists in the world..no one wears a helmet...

[Hobie]

When I was a kid I got hurt all the time. However, it was never the same way twice... At least I was trainable! My mom once got hurt climbing the tree outside her grandfather's house. Actually, she was hurt FALLING from said tree and was 8 years old at the time. Such things, and our surviving, were once family stories told with pride. Now, if you expose your child to such dangers you might be reported to social services and lose custody.

Our local communities put some money into skate parks for the skateboarders. AT first they had a number of users but that has fallen off. The parks were taken over by "gangs" and not for skateboarding! But the kids don't mind, they'd already left because the parks were repetitive and boring. Kids want new challenges in their interests all the time. It is just natural. Putting the lid on it does no good.

[donw]

yup...we need to train them to become victims and be afraid of 'chance taking' as early as possible...after all we dare not have them exposed to something as harmful as "dodge-ball", "you're it" or "hide 'n' seek"...

it is indeed strange that the very same culture that embraces the very changes to promote harmony and non-violence in children also teach them football, hockey, boxing, karate, la crosse, soccer, rugby...and they for the largest part abhor shooting and hunting as being "blood sport"...hmmmmmmmmm...do i detect ignorance, prejudice and downright arrogance in them?

[Blackhawk]

Not only that but in today society everyone is a winner. No one comes in second or third, they all get a trophy etc.... Blah! When I was kid you came in second or more it made me want to try harder to beat'em the next time. I started playing football and basketball in 4th grade. By the time I was in the 8th grade I weighted(sp) about 90lbs but the starting right tackle on defense. Why? Cause I was tough little knob that knew what it took to stop the guy with the ball, especially if he came around my side. I didn't take no or you're too little or anything else for an excuse. Not trying to be a martyr just give an example of what it used to be compared to what it is today.

Johnny

[spaceman spiff]

Gents,

What shocks me is that any of us on this forum ever made it to adulthood, with so many
pitfalls out there.


Regards,

Troy

[Blaine]

I did it all.. I just can't imagine growing up in todays PC, protected world. No wonder kids get in so much trouble, they need an outlet for all that devilment......

[RSY]

Here's a new book I've been wanting to read:

"A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting" by Marano. Appears to be a good one.

Scott

[Pete44ru]

Today's kids DO have an "outlet", and it's growing from their hand(s) - their personal cell phone/texting world. And, adults are definitely NOT invited.

Actually, they have multiple outlets, when you consider their personal, password-locked accounts on Youtube, Facebook, and Myspace, etc.

They are VERY social - but electronically, not FTF; and fantasy runs rampant, until (every once in a while) one runs smack into the brick wall of reality.

IF there's a chance, make it a point to watch Frontline's latest show (on PBS) about the Internet and How it's effecting this generation.
It's a documentary that'll open your eyes.

.

[Andrew]

Yep, fat kids love TV. I'm a fat kid at heart. I will second Pete44ru on the count of socialness being an electronic thing.

Sure I like being able to sit down and chat and BS with my buddies, but hanging out will always top the list. I had a conversation with a buddie that works with youth and he said the same thing. Especially, like most things, when it was something harder to say. Like the old rule of thumb that it's easier to say it over the phone, well it's even easierer with a text.

Kind of makes you wonder why when you get a phone/doohicky that they call you "connected".

[Bullard4075]

Along this line (and this directly impacts this issue) I'm getting real tired of everyone being "terrified" or being in a state of "terror" of some kind with every missevent in their lives.
Women and small children may plead terror , but men have a higher standard.

[GANJIRO]

When I was a kid the only video game was "Pong" a 2D game boring as you know what. I much rather go outside and plink with my BB gun. Now the video games are 3D and leave very little to imagination with very realistic graphics. You can challenge players online from other parts of the world 24-7. From these games they get a warped sense of morals and reality. They also get no exercise and so you wind up with kids with warped minds and bodies.

[RSY]

When I was a kid the only video game was "Pong" a 2D game boring as you know what.

Don't forget, you could push a button and also play "Hockey" on the same machine. Essentially, it was PONG with two synchronized paddles and a "goal."

Scott

[shawn_c992001]

Where I grew up we had 2 channels on TV 7 & 10 (Hobie should know the call letters) NBC & CBS on a clear day we could get 13 ABC. My brother and I were wicked with a BB gun we used to shoot Bumble bees off the tops of flowers for fun. (I wonder why we're so good a shots now?) We swang on wild grape vines, caught crawdads, killed snakes, dug stuff up, buried stuff, played paintball, fished, swam, threw knives, shot bows, climbed trees, built tree stands, and who knows what else. I think I turned out OK? 5'7" 145lbs. is that overweight for a 27 year old?

[awp101]

Not only that but in today society everyone is a winner. No one comes in second or third, they all get a trophy etc.... Blah!

Along those same lines, here's the new rules for the Dallas ISD:
Dallas public school students who flunk tests, blow off homework and miss assignment deadlines can make up the work without penalty, under new rules that have angered many teachers.

The new rules will be distributed when teachers return to their campuses next week. But many who have already seen the regulations say they are too lenient on slackers, and will come at the expense of kids who work hard.

For example, the new rules require teachers to accept late work and prevent them from penalizing students for missed deadlines. Homework grades that would drag down a student's overall average will be thrown out.

School officials said the new guidelines are needed to ensure that all district teachers operate under the same rules and to create a "fair system" for grading students.

"The purpose behind it is to ensure fair and credible evaluation of learning – from grade to grade and school to school," said Denise Collier, the district's chief academic officer.

Some teachers said the new rules offer kids too many loopholes.

"It's like we're sending the message to kids that deadlines don't matter, studying is optional, and no matter how little you do, you're still [going to] pass all your classes anyway," said Ray Cox, who teaches world languages at Franklin Middle School.

The intent may have been to create a uniform grading policy, but the result was to lower standards, said Dale Kaiser, president of the teachers' group NEA-Dallas.

The school board and superintendent "talk about elevating standards and holding high expectations for kids, but we're telling the kids that whether they do the work or not is irrelevant," he said.

The new guidelines were developed by district staff and did not require school board approval.

District records state that the changes are part of a switch to "effort-based" grading and are designed to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate that they've mastered class material. Requiring teachers to contact parents instead of awarding zeros is designed to increase home-school communications, according to district materials presented recently to principals. Retests and deadline extensions are meant to motivate students to do better after initial failure.

Some of the rules are similar to those in place in nearby districts, but many of the district's new rules appear to be unique.

For example, teachers in Allen ISD can give zeros at their discretion. In Richardson and Fort Worth ISDs, teachers grade homework without regard to whether it will lower a student's overall class average. In Grand Prairie, students automatically incur substantial penalties for turning in late work.

Last school year, Dallas' board of trustees reaffirmed a policy that prevented teachers from giving students a grade lower than a 50 in any one grading period. The reason given was that students who fall below 50 have no hope or motivation to bring up their grades and just give up.

During the discussion, trustees asked administrators to develop standardized grading rules for elementary, middle and high school teachers.

Those rules were finalized this summer and have been sent to principals. Copies of the new rules were posted on The Dallas Morning News' DISD blog Wednesday.

Teacher reaction was swift and overwhelmingly negative.

One recent DISD graduate commented that he thought the new rules would give students the wrong impression of how businesses operate.

"Babying the rules so that [students] have almost unlimited chances to pass, that's unreal," said Joshua Perry, a 2007 graduate of Skyline High School. "In the real world, you don't get a whole lot of chances or other ways to make something up."
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/n ... 95d34.html

[TomD]

My kids, girls, can all swing from monkee bar to monkee bar. Not many adults can do that...

When I was a kid, my parents let me go on a camping/rock climbing (the real thing) trip. I had a cotton rope from the hardware store, and a bunch of other gear I didn't know how to use. I eventually got pretty good at it. I just can't imagine people doing that today.

[CaptainFinn]

No running in Broward County...(shakes head)

I left Broward two years ago. It was just as redculous then. There was a town there called 'Tamarac', which consisted mainly of Retirement Communites.

Now, I swear I'm not making this up...the communites banded together and made it illegal for children to play outside in public.

I'm completely serious. The board of commissioners was composed almost if not entirely of retirees...and they decided that the risk of lawsuit ff a child was injured playing on public property was too great...so they passed an ordinance forbidden children from playing anywhere on public property.

The same community--a village called The Mainlands--passed a ordinance restricting homeowners from being under the age of 55. They didn't want anyone with children interfering with their retirement bliss, you see. Well, a gentleman who was fifty-five bought a house...and a year or so later his forty-something wife became pregnant. The head of the homeowner's asscoiation tried to sue the man to evict him and seize his home, saying in court "He and his wife didn't have to have a a baby...who do they think they are ?..they were just trying to show off..."

So the homeowners of the community lost in court, the judge sided with the man who had the baby. The homeowner's association was ordered to pay a seven-figure settlement, which they obstinately refused to do (Never tell a Florida retiree what to do ! They fought in the war, you know !).

After a year or so, the amount of the judgement fees and fines was so high that if they devided the fees amongst the homeowners, it came to something like a half-million dollars per homeowner. The city started to seize the homes of the non-paying homeowners association...

And all because a bunch of old fuddy-duddies were incensed that someone amongst them decided to 'show off' and have a child.

Litigation is destroying our society. Shakespeare was right..."the first thing we have to do is kill all the lawyers..."

[FWiedner]

An image popped into my head that the modern rearing of children parallels the industrial method of raising chickens.

Put 'em in a box with no sharp edges, remove their natural tools of defense or aggression, add more chickens, dump some food in every now and again, and ignore 'em until it's time for the slaughter.

[AJMD429]

Yep - as a 5th grader, my mother let me walk 6 miles into town with my .22 rifle and usually a few hundred rounds of ammunition. Most other kids had the same freedom, and if I saw a sherrif's deputy en route, they'd just waive and drive on; no big deal. Caught copperhead snakes and made a special cage with a divider panel so you could keep the cage clean by securing the snake in the other half.

The good news, as I see by some of the posts, is that there are younger people being raised the same way, so there is still a kernel of 'manliness' in this nation.

In fact, if you read essays from a hundred years ago, they were even then decrying the decay of our moral and physical fiber among the youth, so at least SOME of the situation is chronic and probably therefore stable and harmless.

Still - young people of today too often take it for granted that you can't have a knife in your pocket at school, which in itself is no big deal (you don't NEED that knife for much very often while at school), but in PRINCIPLE should have them starting their own revolution, refusing to go to school, having peaceful protests, or ALL carrying the biggest otherwise-legal knives they can on the same day, and challenging the school to expell them all. Realistically, though, 'in my day' we probably wouldn't have done those things either, we'd just have carried them more discreetly, and rolled our eyes at 'one more stupid rule'.

One bad thing is that if you create enough 'stupid rules' you create a nation of scofflaws, and you set up a situation where anyone you want to 'target' can be found to have broken some law or another. This sets the stage for an unstable society, and we're already seeing that. We've set up welfare so the loser-types can just sit through their high school classes defiantly ignoring the teacher or getting pregnant, and given them 'job security' by prohibiting behaviors and drugs that millions of individuals regularly do or use (such prohibitions give us warm fuzzies but don't reduce the behaviors we find objectionable), so there is instant income for the dropout loser kids who deal marijuana or whatever. They (and their customers) don't respect or obey the laws concerning drugs, and given time, this escalates to crimes with victims and crimes of violence; theft, robbery, and even rape and murder. We've set the stage for creating generation after generation of leeches and losers, funded by a welfare and jail system the rest of us as taxpayers work so hard for.

I don't think our forefathers intended government to REPLACE the church as arbiter of morality, and I'm disappointed at how many churches have ceded this authority so willingly, perhaps in return for a tax break, or in the hope the they could recruit believers via the force of government rather than good preaching and community outreach. I guess it is human nature for us all to want to boss each other around, whether it is about how to spend one's money, or what to eat, drink, and/or smoke.

Still, freedom is hard to kill; look at what people in other countries endure just for the hope of a few shreds of freedom.

[O.S.O.K.]

All of my kids are and have been involved in sports and other organizations like key club, band, etc. and my two boys are both scouts (the oldest is an Eagle and the youngest just finished his Eagle project). They all know how to shoot and the two boys are both hunters and own their own small gun collection. That last is a function of my own obsession (as my wife calls it).

In my opinion, it's the parent's responsibility to get their kids involved in such things and ensure a well rounded experience. It'll be different depending on where you live - the country folks have 4H and FFA, etc. - we've always been suburban/country and now live in a small town. Boy Scouting has been great for my sons.

I have also instructed my kids to understand what is "going on" with rules, etc. and have instructed both of my boys that if they are being bullied at school, they should look for an opportunity to give it back in spades when the teacher isn't looking. And that if they got caught, I would support them and they wouldn't be punished at home.

My oldest son did just that - the bully got punched in the stomache and that was the end of the harrasment. He was a late bloomer (now is almost 6') and got greif being a smallish kid.

Current school policies are BS and have actually increased the problems that they supposedly are designed to combat.

Bottom line: If you are parent, then you need to be enguaged with your kids and need to tell them how things really are.

So-called parents that ignore their kids and try to buy their love are the real problem. The kids are simply a product of their environment.

[WCF3030]

Recently we had an overnight camp out at our house with my wives's girl scout troop.
All where around 11-12 years old an all but my daughter where at least 35-40lbs over weight.
As a side note all but one where very well behaved and I brought the one that was not up to speed quickly on how to behave in my presence.
After the parents left I pulled my wife aside and suggested a slight twist in the activities for the next 18 hours.
Basically I kept them on there feet and moving for the first 6 hours. Setting up the tent, portaging water, moving the firewood, digging a pit, preparing food, ect. When asked earlier what they wanted for food all choose some form of junk food as a meal. I told my wife once I had got done with them they would eat whatever I made. So around an hour and half before dinner I had them prepare a chicken bake for the Dutch oven. Which included carrots, rice, chicken, broccoli, and cream of mushroom soup. They ate every last drop, and wanted more food only an hour later. Breakfast was no different the next morning with sausage, egg, fruit and potatoes after an 45 deg night and then over and hour of activities and chores, they devoured the breakfast as well.
All want to come back soon and do it all again.

[Paladin]

WCF3030, Congratulations on taking the time. The thing lacking in most kid’s life is involvement from adults to show interest in them and teach them something they don’t know. Your involvement and time may change the whole world of some of the kids.
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning, but without understanding." (Louis Brandeis)

[Bogie35]

Our society requires that all people are the same, regardless of effort or ability. If one child gets hurt, then nobody else is allowed to get hurt. If one child fails, then nobody else is allowed to fail. If one child or team wins, then everybody else gets to win too.

The ruling body is the MINORITY. Neither the individual nor the MAJORITY are allowed to make their own choices.

See where I'm going with this?

It's SOCIALISM/COMMUNISM/FASCISM. And like or not, it's HERE.

And as long as we tolerate it, expect more of the same. We threaten to "vote the bums out", only to re-elect the corrupt incumbents by record margins (see the elections of the 90's). When my small town in SC banned smoking, the smokers basically said, "ok, whatever you say". Smoking is bad for you and it makes sense that second hand smoke is bad as well. But, over exposure to the sun causes cancer more often than second hand smoke, yet sunbathing is still a legal choice. Heck, you can even choose to expose your children to sunbathing. However, if they banned it, sunbathers would simply say, "ok, whatever you say". That attitude is unAmerican! If we ever needed a "Tea Party", it's RIGHT NOW!! I'm willing!

But first...I'm going to bed and pretend nothing's wrong.

bogie

[Doc Hudson]

Gents,

What shocks me is that any of us on this forum ever made it to adulthood, with so many
pitfalls out there.


Regards,

Troy

When I think of some of my childhood stunts, and even things we took for granted, I am continually amazed that not only did I reach adulthood, but I did so with all my limbs and eyes intact!

[Old Ironsights]

We won't talk about how I used to play with Old Dynamite (nitroglycerine ooze) left in onld mineshafts up near South Pass (WY)...

[Paladin]

We won't talk about how I used to play with Old Dynamite (nitroglycerine ooze) left in onld mineshafts up near South Pass (WY)...

+1 or how I got the name NITRO SHOOTER for SASS.