Have we gone toooooo far

[Guest Guest5035]

Came across this article, no i'm not that old, but it got me wondering have we taken things too far with our kids from what was the done thing years ago,

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393369/Those-innocent-days-Elf-n-Safety-took-fun-childhood.html

 

stevo

[Guest ozarsenal]

short answer - yes!

[Diane]

There was a thing on Talkback radio yesterday about how our kids are now so protected from any form of risk that they never really learn for themselves how to deal with it. They had some great old folk ringing up talking about jumping off swings, playing on wild roundabouts etc with no "cushioned" landings!

 

Mind you, I think here in Aus we wrap kids up in less cotton wool than they do in the UK. I remember reading posts on here from people horrified at their kids being given real nails and bits of wood and hammers to play with at kindy, rather than the plastic "Early Learning" type things!!

[coolerking]

There was a thing on Talkback radio yesterday about how our kids are now so protected from any form of risk that they never really learn for themselves how to deal with it. They had some great old folk ringing up talking about jumping off swings, playing on wild roundabouts etc with no "cushioned" landings!

 

Mind you, I think here in Aus we wrap kids up in less cotton wool than they do in the UK. I remember reading posts on here from people horrified at their kids being given real nails and bits of wood and hammers to play with at kindy, rather than the plastic "Early Learning" type things!!

 

Our youngest boy comes back from kindie with large pieces of wood and pretty large nails crudely hammered in. Have to admit that I was surprised, reckons he does the hammering himself. I think it's ok for him, but why he always comes back with largest things, I've not worked out yet:o

 

Cooler

[Guest Ryan T. Lion]

It's got less to do with the children getting harmed, and more to do with the school/scouts etc being SUED.

 

There was a program on in the UK a few months back about how local councils etc get sued so much, they actually have FULL TIME detectives employed to try and rebuke false claims.

 

There was a parent who tripped during a 3-legged race at a local school sport's day. They tried to blame the uneven ground of the school playing fields. The council detective found some camcorder footage that showed she genuinely just 'tripped', and the claim was thrown out. But the result..? No more sports days for the school, ever. Tragic, and silly.

 

I was at a family picnic this weekend, with some ladies that used to be Girl Guide leaders. The church that ran the group had got in touch with each of them, practically begging them to 'come out of retirement' because they couldn't find anyone willing to do it. The reason? Risk assessments. They were saying they literally couldn't step foot out of the guide hut without filling in a slack handful of H&S forms, each and every time.

 

Very, very, sad.

 

The "claim culture" is literally ruining childhood in the UK - and I mean that.

[Sallyh]

Mind you, I think here in Aus we wrap kids up in less cotton wool than they do in the UK. I remember reading posts on here from people horrified at their kids being given real nails and bits of wood and hammers to play with at kindy, rather than the plastic "Early Learning" type things!!

 

Definitely agree with that.

 

Am middle of the road on safety but haven't been impressed with joey scouts' ideas of safety in this country... especially where it came to water sports with kids who can't swim. I had a tantrum about that one and told DH there was no chance our kids are taking part. And that's not about modern day standards of safety, that's based on the experiences of my parents as teachers taking kids on school trips, mountaineering etc, over their long careers and what i think is basic common sense.

 

(And there's no way you'd get kids mountaineering the way dad was able to take school parties on (safely) 20 yrs ago now, either, neither here nor the UK!. Ok, maybe here!).

[Sallyh]

Oh and I don't have a problem per se with the playgroup nails and wood thing but I DO have a problem with the fact that at the one I went to where they had that out, there was no-one supervising the activity, there were some shockingly behaved children there, whose parents totally ignored them. (And they were English ).

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

Go away annoying SPAMMY person....grrrrr

Should point out this was directed at someone who has been deleted, not any real posters on this thread, just in case anyone mis-understands me

Cheers Snifter

[snifter]

Go away annoying SPAMMY person....grrrrr

 

And its gone I also removed the quoted post from your reply above so as to ensure all the links were removed totally.

[Guest thestewarts912]

Oh my that picture, i remember hanging on for dear life on the witches hat when i was little lol. Husband and i were only talking about this earlier on, we both grew up in villages me in england and himself in scotland by the coast, only returning home from a days adventures when stomachs needed filling. In comparison our 10yr old is only allowed around the block where we live

 

max

[Guest Guest5035]

there was no-one supervising the activity, there were some shockingly behaved children there, whose parents totally ignored them. (And they were English ).

 

Thats half the trouble today, its not the kids fault, its the PARENTS, they think its upto the carers/teachers,

 

stevo