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Posted on: Tuesday, 5 September 2006, 06:00 CDT
By Patricia Pearson
"Summertime," goes that wonderful old song by the Gershwins, "and the livin' is easy."
Well, it used to be, anyway. This past one seemed fraught with peril, as they usually do, these days, for parents. Allergies, skin cancer, air pollution, injuries, drownings, heat stroke, West Nile virus ... oh my.
Gone are the golden afternoons of my own childhood, when I left the house without a hat, or sun screen, to noodle about on my bike (without a helmet) and play hide-and-seek in the bushes (without benefit of mosquito repellant or pedophile spray) and invariably stayed out until supper (which consisted of fattening foods).
Now, my children cannot exit my home from May through October unless they are dressed in the equivalent of a hazmat suit.
"Don't forget your sun block!" I find myself having to singsong each morning. "Have you removed the life-threatening peanuts (they can cause allergic reactions) from your knapsack? Did you remember your antibacterial soap? Your school meds?"
My out-the-door check list is required by camp counselors and school administrators, not by me. I'm a mom playing along. I even had an argument with my 6-year-old son about it, when he brought his bike to the park but forgot his helmet. "I can't ride, then," he announced regretfully.
"Of course you can ride," I said. "You're hardly going to fracture your skull peddling at 2 miles per hour over the grass."
But he has heard otherwise. So, fine. Scary grass. Perhaps we can kick around a soccer ball and hope that he doesn't break his toe.
Leave the anxiety at home I'm a rebel. I'm sorry. I don't think it's right to be conveying to my bright, robust children that they need to be anxious, at all times, and never take risks. http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/644836/fear_is_shaping_our_children
Love this article.......... man....we are raising a lot of wussified kids toady. Nobody loses.....everybody gets a ribbon. No dodge ball. Where are our next heroes gonna come from??
Now I hear that they are trying to soften the military by giving medals for "restraint???
You know, you're right. Can I quote you on that later?
Absolutely.
I have never voted for a democrat or republican in my life. I have a great deal of disdain for partisan politics. I would have said the same if you ranted against liberals.
Always looking for an excuse to put the other party down is one of the most un-intellectual ways a person can approach politics.
I have never voted for a democrat or republican in my life. I have a great deal of disdain for partisan politics. I would have said the same if you ranted against liberals.
Always looking for an excuse to put the other party down is one of the most un-intellectual ways a person can approach politics.
Go ahead and quote that too.
While I agree with your sentiment, I must point out that by replying you too have perpetuated that line of discussion. Darn, I went and did it too!
Love this article.......... man....we are raising a lot of wussified kids toady. Nobody loses.....everybody gets a ribbon. No dodge ball. Where are our next heroes gonna come from??
[b]Now I hear that they are trying to soften the military by giving medals for "restraint???
Agreed. This current generation and the next are bred to be fearful whiners. Why drive to do your best and compete when even the loser is a winner. I do think society becoming more latigious contributes to the problem. We have parents looking for a scraped knee to sue a school and make a fast buck and the whiners looking for an opportunity to be offended for a fast buck.
Not my kids. Once my neighbor actually lectured me for letting my kids play outside barefoot (while I was outside barefoot myself, actually). It didn't end very well... but my kids are still allowed to play outside without their shoes on.
But on the other hand, we don't let them get on a bike without a helmet, or sit in a car without a seatbelt on.
The moral of the story is moderation in all things. There is such a thing as being too safe, but such a thing as being not safe enough.
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Scaring Our Kids to Death.....No Risk Takers
