Posted on 09/29/2012 3:07:37 PM PDT by varyouga
Recently it was banned from a playground in England, the topic of a sex convict’s confession in New Zealand, the subject of a child’s funeral here in the United States and the reason for a 911 call in my own back yard.
Can you guess what it is?
Hide and Seek. Yes, hide and seek.
In our era of parenting, there are two philosophies regarding children’s interactions with the world that have seemingly emerged. Philosophy one views the world as a mostly safe place that we need to allow our children to freely experience and explore, and philosophy two views the world as a mostly dangerous place that we need to protect and shelter our children from. Then there are those who fall somewhere in the middle, parents who are aware of the dangers of the world but not fearful, and are concerned about their child’s safety but not obsessed. I think those are the type of parents we should strive to be.
So whether you subscribe to philosophy one or two, whether your agree or disagree that games like hide and seek should be banned from school yard, or whether you see bad things as happening to children all the time or as a rarity, it’s important to try to reach middle ground and address serious dangers around seemingly harmless things.
Like hide and seek.
Whether you advocate for playing hide and seek or not, there are principles of the game worth considering: • Hide and seek promotes secretive play. The nature of the game is to not tell anyone where you are and what you are doing. • Hide and seek asks children to hide and not come out. The nature of the game is to ask children to hide so they can’t be found. • Hide and seek sends mixed messages. The nature of the game asks children to do what we’ve always told them not to. • Hide and seek requires mind skills young children may not have. The nature of the game requires you to differentiate between hiding for real and hiding for pretend play.
When it comes to hide and seek, what you choose to do it up to you. What’s important is that you’ve come to your decision from an educated and informed place.
"This article is a joke? Right?"
"Talk about the dumbing down of kids."
"'promotes secretive play'. My god!!!"
"aha, all I can think of is that the last time all of my grown children were home, they regaled the family with tales of their secret hiding places...around the house, the yard, the barn, etc. What a sad and empty childhood this author must offer her children."
In the section of our local paper that lists calls police and fire department go on, I see the police responded to a call about two children left unattended in their own yard.
Earlier this summer I saw one about police responding to a call about a 12 year old left unattended in a car at her own home.
Planned Parenthood and their pro-teen sex organization SIECUS already do this. They indoctrinate kids to circumvent their parents' teachings and morals.
Next up - no more imaginary friends. And, any child moving faster than their aged disabled grandparents will be taken aside and talked to.
Children’s stories and games are supposed to be about the dangers and challenges of the real world, which is exactly why hide-and-seek appeals to children. “Fight or flight” also includes the option of hiding, and it good for kids to have played at that skill, so they know intuitively what works. Besides, it’s fun, and kids should enjoy life.
You must show your papers...
It is finished.
As a young mother in the 60’s, I allowed my children a lot of freedom and admit to not always knowing precisely where they were. They were allowed to ride bikes to school and a nearby playground. However, the news was not full of abductions, abuse and murders.
This change in fear and vigilance, I believe, is a reflection of our modern amoral society.
I am a neurotic about security and safe behavior for my grandchildren and during a game of Hide & Seek - I too contemplated the stupidity of teaching the kids how to run away and hide from Grandma . It’s horrible - I wish it were not so.
It gives us great memories to talk about with old lifelong friends as well. Just today an old friend and I were talking about the day his sister broke his nose with a bat while we were playing ball as kids.
Do you remember playgrounds long ago, when they were fun? Today’s play equipment is, except for the swings, dramatically less interesting, challenging, and fun than the old stuff.
I liked the monkey bars. Do they exist anymore?
You haven’t lived until you have a scar on or under your chin.
I have one just under my lower lip that goes all the way through. I have another small one over my eyebrow that I don’t even remember where it came from.
No! They’ve been deemed racist.
I was shocked when a friend told me recently that her 12yo son was too young for her to leave him without a babysitter for an evening.
That’s the age at which we used to be the babysitter! Whatever happened to our grit in the last few decades?
I was shocked when a friend told me recently that her 12yo son was too young for her to leave him without a babysitter for an evening.
That’s the age at which we used to be the babysitter! Whatever happened to our grit in the last few decades? Oh, and she’s in an incredibly safe, wealthy town in CT.
Tree climbing still exists. Otherwise, there aren’t many good playgrounds.
You have lived. Getting injured is part of growing up.
Haha. Are there Caucasian bars?
I loved climbing trees as a kid.
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