Safety vs. Resilience in Childhood

Is it possible that the cliched, yet often true, expression "too much of a good thing" could sometimes apply to protecting children? I am not, of course, talking about protecting children from predators—rather, of the tendency to enforce such strict boundaries around children that they do not learn how to be resilient, resourceful and risk-takers when appropriate.

A New York Times article highlighted this tension in regards to school play-yards. Outlining a new trend in England to create playgrounds that are a bit dangerous (think bricks catapulting into the air, forts made of tree branches and high grass that children wade through), this article begs the question "have we gone too far when it comes to keeping our kids safe?"

One recent study cited in the article compared these new riskier playgrounds with their safer American counterparts. The data showed that the British playgrounds had "55 percent more visitors over all, and children and teenagers were 16 to 18 percent more active. The features that held visitors' attention the longest—sand, grass, high swings and climbing structures-were elements American park managers use sparingly, because of high maintenance costs and the risk of falls."

The article did not neglect to mention that these more dangerous playgrounds were just that—more dangerous. There was a "statistically insignificant" chance of death and, undoubtedly, many more scraped knees and bruised elbows. But what of the gains? 

Are children missing the opportunity to navigate and practice responsibility? Should children stay off that slightly broken-down tree and never learn that the view at the top could be worth the trouble? Is building a bridge across a neighborhood stream just a project better left alone and replaced by more time on an Ipad?

These should not be easy questions to answer. It is our responsibility and our privilege as caring adults to keep children from harm, but it is also our role to show children that life is full of challenges and risks and that they are worth facing and overcoming. 
 

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