Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
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Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
1–10 of 52 posts
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#2I always thought "proper-safety" was uttered with bullshitty intentions.
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#3Let's say that a township little league wants to put its foot down and take the stance that there's no way they'll ban sliding into bases, as that's not baseball, and as a result it just isn't American.
The insurance company says that for the little league to get insurance it's going to cost twice as much if they allow sliding. Hence the little league has no choice but the pass on the cost of participation to the parents of the kids in the league. Or...the kids won't ever know what it's like to slide into a base. What an unfortunate situation.
The rising costs of insurance are preventing children from getting enough exercise, and hence leading to health problems in the future costing the insurance companies more money in health related payouts. If this is the case, then they should be able to offset any short term liability payouts by the long term gains of a healthier society.
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#4And thus, we have java?
(Well, and Haskell.)
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#5Let's say that a township little league wants to put its foot down and take the stance that there's no way they'll ban sliding into bases, as that's not baseball, and as a result it just isn't American. The insurance company says that for the little league to get insurance it's going to cost twice as much if they allow sliding. Hence the little league has no choice but the pass on the cost of participation to the par…
One of my friends was in a full body cast for about four months because when he was in sixth grade someone slid into him while playing baseball and broke one of his legs and his pelvis. My little brother also broke his leg when someone slid into him. Neither has any persisting problems, but a lot of kids do. I have a friend whose legs are different lengths because she stepped in a hole while playing soccer and fractured her growth plates.
Don't get me wrong, I agree with the article, but also realize that their argument is a straw man. Of course playground equipment that has the potential to give one a scrape or a bruise is good, assuming your kid is one of the ones who gets a scrape or a bruise. If your kid is one of the ones who dies or develops some lifelong problem then it's a different story.
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#6There is no such thing as being 100% safe. Gotta let them go out and do their thing.
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#7"... Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids ..."
There was another thread on a similar theme that is important ...
"... 'Risk-taking increases the resilience of children,' said one. 'It helps them make judgments,' said another. Some of those interviewed blamed the 'cotton wool' culture for the fact that today's children were playing it too safe ..." ~ http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=267048
I'd agree with that. One of the problems with not letting people try things is they have no real gauge on what is dangerous and what is not. So they tend to over react to things that are not dangerous and underestimate the danger when it really exists. I added more here ~ http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=268065
My conclusions still hold ... "There is a downside though. If you do make a mistake there is a pretty good chance you will get injured. If you don't, you will fail to build up the store of experiences that you can call on in the future" ~ http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/2730793708/
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#8Let's say that a township little league wants to put its foot down and take the stance that there's no way they'll ban sliding into bases, as that's not baseball, and as a result it just isn't American. The insurance company says that for the little league to get insurance it's going to cost twice as much if they allow sliding. Hence the little league has no choice but the pass on the cost of participation to the par…
"The rising costs of insurance are preventing children from getting enough exercise, and hence leading to health problems in the future costing the insurance companies more money in health related payouts. If this is the case, then they should be able to offset any short term liability payouts by the long term gains of a healthier society."
I think the insurance companies will simply adjust their prices upward to compensate.
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#9Let's say that a township little league wants to put its foot down and take the stance that there's no way they'll ban sliding into bases, as that's not baseball, and as a result it just isn't American. The insurance company says that for the little league to get insurance it's going to cost twice as much if they allow sliding. Hence the little league has no choice but the pass on the cost of participation to the par…
One of my friends was in a full body cast for about four months because when he was in sixth grade someone slid into him while playing baseball and broke one of his legs and his pelvis. My little brother also broke his leg when someone slid into him. Neither has any persisting problems, but a lot of kids do. I have a friend whose legs are different lengths because she stepped in a hole while playing soccer and fractu…
Perhaps a lifelong problem like heart disease, diabetes, or stroke?
Seriously. How far do we take it? I knew a kid once who broke his little finger playing "Speed Uno". Is that too dangerous? Maybe the kids should all walk while playing soccer. There is a point somewhere, before the absurdity of tort law forces us all into padded rooms, where it doesn't matter anyway. Our bodies are safe but we've all ceased to live.
Re: Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids
#10"... Why Safe Kids Are Becoming Fat Kids ..." There was another thread on a similar theme that is important ... "... 'Risk-taking increases the resilience of children,' said one. 'It helps them make judgments,' said another. Some of those interviewed blamed the 'cotton wool' culture for the fact that today's children were playing it too safe ..." ~ http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=267048 I'd agree with that. One o…
Having overprotective parents growing up in the burbs sucks. You grow up not feeling real. You grow up with this instinctive sense that you're missing something vital. I didn't know I was allowed by the universe to do anything that was messy, organic, or risky. I grew up with the idea that it wasn't for me: That I'd never dance so that someone would want to dance with me, or play music so someone would listen to me for a reason other than politeness, or kiss a girl, or do anything that couldn't be explained entirely in rational terms. I had to claim all that for myself, somehow in spite of my best judgment that it wasn't meant for me. It's a good thing that hormones make teenagers crazy. If I had been sane, I would've just quietly gone through all the motions, and accepted the overwhelming evidence that fate hadn't meant for me to really live.
Oh, wait, is this Hacker News or MySpace?