Where's The Fun?

Remember going to school as a little kid and climbing trees with your mates? Well there's a whole generation of Aussie kids who who won't. Apparently tree-climbing has joined the ever-growing blacklist of things we're not supposed to do anymore. Tree climbing in schools is being outlawed across the nation as school boards and principals living in fear of a crippling lawsuit try to avoid injuries. The rationale behind this measure is of course the safety of young kids, but isn't it going a bit far?

I always thought the best part of being a kid was doing all the fun kid things. If it rained; "Fuck It, lets slide in the mud. Mum can wash my clothes later!". Cut yourself on some rusty metal while building a fort; "Chuck a band aid on it and pass me that hammer!" Childhood is great because kids dont understand the ramifactions of those actions, and live fearless lives because of it. Kids dont worry about getting sick in the rain, because puddles are awesome! Kids never worry about blood-poisoning because the concept is about as foreign to them as a Casey Donovan hit single is to the rest of us. It's not gonna happen so you just dont think of it.

Many people these days are decrying the amount of time kids spend playing violent video games, but these same people send the kids outside with strict instructions not to do anything remotely fun, lest they get hurt. Kids these days walk outside feeling about as nervous as a girlscout selling cookies who accidentally knocks on Bernie Finnigans frontdoor.

I spent a lot of my childhood on a small farm, and my parents were much happier if i was out climbing trees than sitting in the front of the telly. Every now and then me or a mate might take a bit of a tumble, but as long as we didnt end up looking like Rihanna after Chris Brown was finished with her, things were ok! We quickly learned that we shouldnt be afraid of falling down, and that taking risks was part of life. I sincerely hope we dont end up with an entire generation of little lads and lasses who are scared of doing adventurous things, not because of past-experiences, but because they have learned from their parents and their schools that they can be dangerous.

So parents, unless your last name is Winehouse, let your kids run wild! Allow them to do the things that you did when you were younger, allow them to make mistakes, to get hurt, to discover new things. Allow your kids to learn from these experiences, and watch them rediscover fun!