Today's playgrounds may be too safe, critics warn

MSNBC ^ | July 19, 2011 | John Tierney

[NativeSon]

Awesome

[Texan]

Remember Red Rover, Red Rover? :-)

[NewHampshireDuo]

I remember when I mastered the monkey bars - I came home with blisters on both hands. I felt great. Another fun thing was rubbing the slide with wax paper: speed and skinned elbows, knees and backsides.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Here in a small town I got caught behind a school bus one time, no biggie, right? There was a stretch of 6 adjacent houses and the bus stopped 3 times to let a kid off at each of 3 houses.

These were relatively young kids, but not so young that they couldn’t walk the length of a yard or two.

I thought I was in the twilight zone.

[af_vet_rr]

Soon, playgrounds will be obsolete. Gone are the days when kids would hit the outside for hours on end. At one time, obesity was the exception, not the rule.

It's really bizarre seeing how many fat kids there are these days. When I was a kid, there was always one or two, but now it's ridiculous. Plus all of the medication that a lot of these kids take.

[BluH2o]

Strong tort reform measures would go a long way in allowing kids to enjoy play grounds again. Cities, towns, townships, school districts, park districts, all are concerned about lawsuits if a child is injured in a playground accident.
The British system prevents frivolous lawsuits ... if you initiate a lawsuit and lose you pay all costs including the legal costs incurred by the defendant.

[wolfman23601]

Yep, and we ate the same garbage, just actually used the energy we consumed.

[HollyB]

....’let Texan come over’. : )

[ken5050]

Remember “Johnny on the Pony”

[jagusafr]

“Remember Red Rover, Red Rover? :-)”

Hey, that’s racist! Uh...nevermind...

[Puppage]

Monkey bars ? That’s racist.

Only if they don't serve monkeys and make them come in the back door.

[jagusafr]

Remember “Johnny on the Pony”

Same game as buck-buck? Played that in high school in Venezuela. Of course, we got it from listening to Bill Cosby.

Colonel, USAFR

[Opinionated Blowhard]

This “wussification” of america is an on-going phenomenon..

Exactly right. We are raising a bunch of little wusses who won't have the courage or guts to defend the country and maintain its greatness. I've always been of the opinion that, before the age of 18, a boy needs to break a bone, get in at least one good fight and get taken home by the cops at least once.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

This “wussification” of america is an on-going phenomenon..

Exactly right. We are raising a bunch of little wusses who won't have the courage or guts to defend the country and maintain its greatness. I've always been of the opinion that, before the age of 18, a boy needs to break a bone, get in at least one good fight and get taken home by the cops at least once.

[dfwgator]

Remember Red Rover, Red Rover? :-)

Or "Smear the Queer."

[HerrBlucher]

Better yet, break a bone while in a fight with the cops trying to take you home.

[ken5050]

I don’t know “buck-bucK” JOTP involves two teams...jumping on each other...do you need MORE details?

[jagusafr]

That would be the one - first guy holds on to a tree or a phone pole, next guy onto first guy’s waist, other team jumps on them and tries to knock ‘em down. Today, they’d all be charged with assault.

[wolfman23601]

I always thought monkey bars were the bars in a jail cell.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Just this morning, a woman strode out from between two cars in the parking lot with giving me or my car the slightest glance. I could only stop for her because I spotted her head moving some time before I arrived where she was heading, but on another morning I might not have.