Introduction
Parents can be overprotective over their children and in turn, prevent chances of these children growing up with the curiosity and adventure that childhood requires. There are some childhood behaviors and levels of freedom from a child that must be tolerated. Most parents become overprotective thinking that it will help keep their children safer. However, such moves hinder potential benefits that could come out of children. Additionally, some benefits that come from risks cannot be realized if parents take away all the risks from children.
Safety Standards and Social Goods
Every service provider must, at all times, consider the safety of the service to protect a potential consumer from harm. In cases where children are involved, service providers for children’s playgrounds must ensure that the playground is of safety standards and that children will not be harmed while playing (Hanna Rosin, 2014). States have over-regulated this area due to dark historical accounts of child accidents and unwanted deaths. The regulatory framework that has been imposed has forced playground owners to rubber surface their floors, reduce the heights of some climbing objects, and specific plane angles for slopes. As a consequence, children do not find an element of surprise in all field grounds they visit since all structures have been made the same. It becomes easy for children to lose interest since even new playing places are similar to those in their neighborhoods. This makes playing a less exciting experience for children consequently reducing the amount of time they can play.
Playing grounds are meant to be exciting open places where children go to play and explore their curiosities. Sadly, while attempting to regulate playground standards, the societal phobia of children getting harmed has rendered playing grounds distasteful and unenjoyable for children. There is a need to expose children to a certain level of risk to enable them to overcome some of the phobias that adults have (Hanna Rosin, 2014). Overcoming fears is a fundamental step in a child’s life as it helps one achieve some level of independence. While everyone is expected to appreciate the state’s efforts to regulate the safety standards for playgrounds, it is noteworthy to acknowledge that overemphasizing child safety regulations hinders child development. A child has to be exposed to some degree of risk while playing to enable the child to make the most out of playing.
Tolerated Behaviors’ Benefits
Children can be irrational with their actions behavior and modes of interaction. Modern parents continue to be restrictive about childhood curiosity and activeness. However, it is encouraged that despite their irrationality, some of their acts ought to be understood and allowed to occur as they would spark other indirect benefits. Modern parents are extremely cautious with children playing with fires and would stop them from playing with fire in an instant (Hanna Rosin, 2014). Ideally, parents should allow children to play in danger under the watch of playworkers. Such freedom enables a child to learn new things including how to socialize around fires and the heat, and finally, be able to test some properties of fire. What is more, parents would restrict children from using shortcuts to access places that they cannot. Letting children find new routes on their own gives children the pride of getting to places on their own (Hanna Rosin, 2014). Stopping children from playing with some degree of danger does not make it any safer, on the contrary, it limits their potential growth.
Children should be allowed to learn from the natural consequences of the different games they play. Hanna gives an example of how a child throwing a cardboard box in the fire will get to appreciate concepts such as no smoke without fire and the drastic effects of smoke (2014, pp3). While some parents would appreciate this learning process, most modern parents would not even entertain such a thought. Allowing children to play freely under minimal restrictions and supervision offers a child more health and development benefits. Additionally, it is the only way children can enjoy playing the same way their parents did in their childhood days.
It is therefore crucial to allow a child to play and develop freely and be allowed to appreciate the childhood learning process. Overprotecting and trying to prevent children from engaging in irrational and carefree activities limit the growth and development of a child but does not make their lives any safer.
Arguments Against Making Grounds Safer
Safety standard regulations can be overprotective resulting in other negative impacts. New playgrounds are too safe and that is why children no longer find thrill in using them (Hanna Rosin, 2014). Such an argument is supported by evidence of how the modern parent expects a child to be shielded from all impossible risks. Risks are inevitable and any attempt to shield children from risks denies them the ability to exercise their psychological instincts to take on risks. What is more, making a ground too safe for sires a breed of children that is too fearful and has psychopathology issues (Hanna Rosin, 2014). An example of a child between 5-9 who falls off a tree while playing is least likely to fear heights when grown up. There are far-reaching implications of making grounds too safe for children that need to be considered.
Parents often think that increasing the levels of caution taken when children play significantly reduces the risks of children being injured. Ironically, the number of injuries and deaths has not changed as more cases of injuries continue to be reported (Hanna Rosin, 2014). The increased numbers of injuries and child deaths are an indication that making grounds safe and free from risks is not a solution to the problem. Children have an irresistible urge to test danger and the excitement that comes with it. Exposing children to dangerous situations helps them identify what is dangerous. Parents and state regulations have taken the wrong position of identifying the danger for children and trying to keep them away from it. Other than denying the child the ability to learn about danger and risks from the environment, too-safe playgrounds also affect the minds of children psychologically. Playgrounds should not be too safe environments for children since they will deny children important learning processes.
Conclusion
Parents and states have made attempts to guarantee the standard safety of playgrounds for children. While that has helped reduce cases of liability, it has also greatly hampered a child’s learning process. A child needs to be allowed to play with fire for the child to appreciate the dangers of fire. Making playgrounds too safe to play in has watered down children’s excitement to play causing other psychological problems. Parents need to understand that danger and risks are inevitable and that children have to learn from those risks. Therefore, children must be allowed to feed their curiosity by allowing them to experience risks and dangers.
Reference
Rosin, H. (2014). The overprotected kid. The Atlantic. Web.