Wednesday, October 18, 2006

A Nation of Pansies

With more and more schools losing recess in favor of gym, this story is indicative of the future. Is it any wonder that Ridalin and other drugs for ADD and ADHD are fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry? When can kids be kids?

Now we find that the game of tag is outlawed. We are afraid that a child might get hurt. Give me a break! What are kids supposed to do? Are they that delicate? How are we going to raise a nation of entrepreneurs and risk-takers without giving children the chance to fail? We can't expect them to able to handle adversity without strength of character.

Am I alone in the wilderness?

6 comments:

Satan said...

You can't blame anyone but the parents. This particular incident happened in a town near me, so everyone is buzzing about it. And while 'everyone' says "Oh, this is so silly, just let the kids play tag", it's just too risky for the schools.
You couldn't pay me to be a teacher right now.

So Gone Over You said...

I think that kids NEED recess and time to just be kids, because they need to get their energy out so they are less disruptive during class and just plain feel better. People are just so goddamn sue-happy that you kind of can't blame the schools for taking precautions like this.

Lori said...

What is this world coming too......Some of the fondest memories I have is playing freeze tag...and King of the mountain....It does seem everybody is sue happy as ""so gone over you"" said.....I've been hearing about some crazy lawsuits!!

Have a great day!!!

aphron said...

satan, so gone over you, lori-
Our litigous society has handcuffed us in many ways. For instance, Sybil's curling iron has a warning about it not to used near the eyes. Duh! Lawsuits have made people become risk adverse. I'm not, necessarily, blaming the lawyers. Juries hand out ridiculous awards thinking that the insurance company will cover it. In the school's case, they are wanting to diminish their liability, so they are willing to throw the baby out with the bath water.

cmarie-
Our school district got rid of the soft drink and candy machines. However, my 7th grader gets one hour of P.E. per week. The reason our kids are obese and on Ridalin is the loss of recess, which is different than P.E. That free play is paramount to health and mental well-being. In our case, we supplement the schools' lack of physical activity by making our kids swim an hour and a half at least three times a week on a swim team.

Confused Husband said...

Classic case of the Pussification of America.
CH

aphron said...

CH-
I blame Oprah Winfrey.

Mr. Husbland-
I did not have a any protection while bike riding, either. However, I have always made sure to wear one now and make sure my kids do to. That may make me a pansy, too, but I have seen the effects of head trauma. On the other hand, I do encourage my children to run around with scissors.