Oh this is stupid

[ses5909]

In Colorado, some school districts have banned the game of tag on the playground! I know that is my kids favorite game! Apparently kids complained of being chased. it's just crazy to me.

[pbradish]

Oh man, what's next? No playing king of the hill on snowbanks in the winter at recess?

If kids complain about being chased it sounds like they need to be roughed up a little bit :) (by other kids, that is).

[ses5909]

Well dodge ball is already outlawed too.

[pbradish]

That's right, it is isn't it. Some of my fondest memories from elementary school were whipping the dodge balls at other kid's faces. weird how things change, and this wasn't even that long ago really.

The public is so sensitive these days. Bring on the violence I say.

Is it like this in other countries as well, or just the USA?

[Glen Allsopp]

Feel sorry for the kids, I used to love it

[davemcnally]

As far as I'm aware (my mum was a primary school teacher) the schools near me haven't banned anything like tag. I don't know if any of them actually did dodge ball in the first place sadly - it does look fun!

[Jeremy]

It is truly a sad state of affairs when things like this happen. It is also part of the reason that kids are growing up today so "soft" and with such a sense of entitlement. Face it, sometimes you might be picked last, sometimes you get tagged on the playground, you may not always be the king of the mountain or you might take a dodge ball to the face.

If you spend your childhood being told life is like living on clouds of cotton candy and that everything will be OK and that you're the best, you're in for a rude awakening when you get to the real world. Life doesn't work that way, and if you spent your time growing up not realizing that, you're destined for failure (or turning to crime or needing psychotherapy).

[HAWK]

That is unbelievably ridiculous. What kind of kid complains about being chased in a game? Must have some screwy parents...

[jlee]

Wow.. how utterly ridiculous. If you are playing tag, you are EXPECTED to get chased. Unreal.

[ses5909]

Plus, if you are being chased...that means you are running. If you don't want to play you just don't run and walk away.

[Dan Schulz]

It's just one symptom of a larger problem. And that problem is the parents and the culture they were raised in.

But that's veering WAY too far into RW politics so I'll stop here before I start offending people.

[rodaniel]

I agree Dan. "Helicopter parenting" is the theme du jour these days and I'm convinced that kids raised that way are going to be completely unprepared to handle adulthood. Notice how the cellphone has replaced the need to plan ahead for anything?

Back on topic (sorta), there's an interesting theory called risk homeostasis (http://www.2dolphins.com/2007/01/risky-business.html) that suggests that when an area or activity is made "safer," kids simply find new ways to use it - so the rate of playground-induced injuries remains fairly constant. You can't (maybe shouldn't) protect kids from everything and doing so may actually be hampering their development. Aren't bumps, bruises, and embarassing little moments just natural byproducts of kids trying new stuff & learning new skills?

Okay, okay, soapbox away! :rolleyes:

[fatnewt]

Is this rule designed to produce fat children?

Tag is an awesome game.

[pbradish]

Is this rule designed to produce fat children?

Tag is an awesome game.

That's certainly a problem that more parents have to start doing something about, and our society in general I suppose.