Is it me or is there something seriously wrong with this? I heard something about how now in school children can no longer play 'original' tag which is what we all probably played. But schools now have 'compliment tag' which is when you tag someone you also have to compliment them. Also schools have banned dodge ball for fear of injury and targeting specific people. I can understand banning it on safety grounds but how injured can you get being hit by a ball. I say don't ban it but make it completely voluntary. The final thing that I think destroys kids is games without winners. I can see that they want sports to be fun for everyone but what kind of message do we send when we can't play games with winners and losers. If you think about it having winners and losers teaches kids that in their life they won't always be the best and that they should understand that. Is it me or are kids today no longer allowed to live as kids should. When I was a kid I played I got injured I turned out fine. Am I the only one who thinks that kids today can no longer live like kids should. Is it for the better do you all think.
Calihan I agree with you. Kids are no longer allowed to be kids anymore I'm almost 49 and I don't think I was harmed by being on a losing team or side at school. If kids aren't suppose to lose at activities does that mean all inter-school sports activities will end in a tie If kids don't learn that you can't win at everything you try your hand at what will happen to them when they get into the real world and find out that they lost a job to someone else. With not having any children I don't know whats banned in schools and whats safe for them to play. Not being able to play good old fashion tag come on people. Telling someone that they are "it" is offensive. Give me a break! I had heard that some schools boards had banned dodge ball. Another game that has been banned for years here in the Toronto area is Red Rover or as some countries may call it British Bulldog. It was deemed to aggressive.
red rover was kind of painful... Its because no one wants to be sued. Also parents think kids are made of china, and if they get hurt, they will have permanent mental damage.
Yeah I agree with you all! I was recently at my primary school and found that they banned the old childhood game Bullrush and also marbles. My ten year old sister goes to a private school and no one actually plays games. Also with school camps. My school no longer with allow the grade 8's to go to a water park, where they kayak and do diving etc. because someone broke their finger. Injuries happen so get off it. We only have one childhood use it.
When you think about it it's the insurance companies that are probably forcing the schools into these types of decision. Every time a child gets hurt while on school property or on a school function up go the insurance rates. It's just like in work if you have a worker injured while on the premises up go the worker compensation prices. I'm not saying this is right but it is probably the case. There has got to be away for kids to be allowed to be kids. I hope the schools board don't take Ring Around the Posy away next. I mean you could hurt yourself when you fall down
Wait a second...kids can't win games? What's the fun in that? Then it just seemes like "kids go play, no one wins, but we want you to use all your energy so you pass out." When I was in school I played dodgeball, and got hit in the face, infact, our gym teacher in Junior High would be like "Hit _____ and get extra points" half the time that blank was me, but well, I wasn't emotionally scared by it. I also played orignal tag and because no one compliemented me I didn't die. It was just tag...not compliement tag. What is the fun in compilimenting someone after you just tagged them? I personally think our society is really messed up today. Kids can't do anything? Next thing you know we will being told that kids can't walk outside because they might trip and fall. Kids really aren't kids anymore, just kind of over protective complementing no winning kids. Which sucks
yes i'm clearly still haunted by the fact that i once didn't win a running race at sports day, it's totally ruined my life :lol:, all this poltically correct and competeing things really annoys me, if you thought long and hard about stuff something will offend somebody one way or another things should just left to be, and can you imagine if kids were no longer aloud to compete how would that ever set them up for the real world. the working world is full of competition, taking custom etc from other companies, how are they going to be able to cope when all they've ever known is equal results life just isn't like that
i got hit the eye with a rounders ball once, carried on running and got all the way round :lol:, but i don't suffer flashbacks from all the times i was caught 'out' :lol:
i got the wind knocked out of my really badly in red rover once. and wtf?? 'compliment tag'?? *tag* i really like your shoes... *tag* that was a nice show and tell in class today... people are way too crazy about their kids these days, and sue crazy too. kids get hurt, it happens. with the obesity epidemic im surprised they would be limiting physical activities that are allowed at school. if no 'winner/loser' games are allowed whats next? no organized sports? they will win or lose and certainly get hurt. i think about 5 people on my schools girls rugby team broke bones in high school. and every other person without these restrictions has grown up fine. heck, my parents and their siblings played with lawn darts. sure, there were a few accidents but everyone made it out alive and with all appendages still intact.
Oh it's just plain stupid. I guess we are not that far yet (and I hope we never will even tho we've now got *BEEP* to TV shows - even that is silly) Oh dodgeball :lol: (we had bit different version) and god me and my cousins always threw ball as hard as we could when we were aiming at each other. As for winning and losing. In a certain stuff it may be useful - but sports and stuff - I think it's part of it. I've been so sad that in my town's track & field, summertimes when they have games for kids - they don't give out prizes or put them in order. It would teach kids a lot. What then when comes a time that there is competition and you lose? I was a bad loser, I admit it. (even tho it was rare ) But still - I never started a show because of that (unlike those, who couldn't handle the lose)
There are certainly other ways to teach kids about being good sports but I think they need to learn early that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I dislocated my thumb while playing volleyball in high school and it's still being played today. When we played dodge ball in school the ball couldn't be thrown above the waist. I don't recall anyone getting hit in the face. If rules like this are in place then it's a safe game. allmaple I agree with your comments about the obesity problems. The kids have to have some form of fun and running around especially at recess. They probably burn off more calories at recess than they do at gym. In the Toronto school district they took away old swings because they were deemed unsafe. I believe the schools then had to raise money so they could get safe swings and playground equipment.
Kids have to be kids and have to learn that life is not always nice or fair. There are consequences for your actions and not everyone is going to like you. We played tag all the time and I don't remember anyone having any problem with it. Dodgeball was good and I really learned how to move fast as the target was me for some of the time. Never really liked RedRover. As for saftey lets look at the sports and the emphasis put on the players to do well. There is more emotional strain on some of those kids than any minor injury could do. Winning is so important that some turn to drugs to enhance themselves. The world has gotten so worried about political correctness that we have lost sight of what makes us us. Trials and tribulations are character builders. You have to make mistakes and learn. Now obvisouly I say this in meaning that there is no obvious harm or excessive bullying and the sort going on but just kids being kids. And like magicmunchies said you only have one childhood.
If rules like this are placed in schools, people are being way too cautious. If kids don't understand that there's a possibility of getting hurt, they'll be less cautious when they're older, because they've never been exposed to it in the first place. Children aren't that fragile. If rules like this are put in place, then we shouldn't cross the road because there's the chance of getting hit by a car. We shouldn't use a saw because there's a chance we'll hurt someone. We shouldn't go to school, because there's a chance that a student brought a gun. We shouldn't use laptops because they can get really hot and catch fire. We shouldn't own dogs because they can possibly bite people. We shouldn't stay in homes because there could be an earthquake and the roof falls. I shouldn't sit in the very chair I am currently in, because it could give out. We shouldn't have carpets because you may possibly trip and fall. We shouldn't close doors because there's the possibility of getting our fingers stuck in them. We shouldn't stand next to trees because they might fall on us. We shouldn't go outside in a lightning storm because we could possibly get electricuted. We shouldn't eat food because we might possibly choke on it. .. get my point? lol
lol, WHAT? That is the most rediculous thing I've ever heard! :lol: At my old school we'd play this game (can't remember the name) and you would stand against the wall and someone would whip a ball at you and you'd hope they'd miss. Good times, good times. And yes, Red Rover is painful, it was still a kick ass game. Who wants to play compliment tag? :lol: I think that's just going to rise a bigger problem. No kid likes being told how to play a game. I can see this happening: "Billy Bob! You have to compliment Mary Sue because you tagged her!" "Ewww no! I don't want to compliment her!" *Mary Sue bursts out in tears* Or maybe that's just me.
Society is making things harder for kids to do anything. However, parents need to take some of the responsiblity. Giving in or leaving your kids to as they please isn't going to help them in the future. With school officials, telling kids to just deal with their problem by themselves or overreacting to a minor event makes things worse! Do people really think that a kid with nail clippers is going to kill someone? What's next, not allowing pencils or pens so they can't stab each other? Parents need to discipline and be allowed to discipline their kids without fear of being put into jail. Otherwise, we'll all be screwed.