Tag: Health and Safety

I just read a story on the BBC News where the Chairman of the Independent Schools Association warns that children are living in a virtual prison, not being prepared enough for adult life. He cites many things – and I’ll actually agree with him, up to a point.

He points out that kids aren’t getting out enough. They’re not enjoying the traditional games and experiences that people my age an upwards did. These include, mending bike tyres (actually, I’ve never done this – eek), playing conkers and so forth. They’re not experiencing such things as disappointment when they lose at things.

Hmm.

I seem to recall that conkers has been banned in some schools on Health and Safety grounds. As have many other games (Rik will tell you of his experiences on this blog post). As for disappointment, don’t forget that newspapers around the country have in the past been ordered not to publish the results of children’s football matches if the scores are too “embarassing”.

Yes, the guy’s right – children are failing to experience a lot of things. But isn’t it our fault that this is so? Society as a whole? We’re protecting them far too much, from things that they shouldn’t be protected from.

However, I’d not blame schools. They’re covering their own arses due to ridiculous Health and Safety legislation and idiot parents who want to wrap their children in soft bubbles and release them into the real world when they’re eighteen.

Along with coating them in disinfectant every time they sneeze and dressing them in nothing but hypoallergenic crap, we’re destroying their immune systems, their emotional development and – courtesy of the ridiculous syllabuses – their intellectual skills.

No, I’m not a parent. But I have enough friends who are and enough cousins and the like of school age to know that these complaints are widespread.

Can’t we just let kids be kids?