Ten Things We Did As Children That Would Get You In Big Trouble Today

#7. PLAYING AT THE PLAYGROUND – UNSUPERVISED. ON EQUIPMENT MADE OF METAL. OH MY!

Are you kidding me? Today, there is a movement to ban trampolines, there is no way children would be able to climb a jungle gym. Good luck finding anyone who would take the risk in liability putting anything like this on a playground today. Unattended? The police would be called to take you away.

Yes, times have changed and in many ways, playground equipment have gotten more sensible. However, sometimes people take the idea of safety a bit too far, leaving little enticement to go to the playground anymore. The jungle gym has become a childhood relic along with the see-saw and merry-go-round, and other playground equipment they don’t make like they used to.

Ellen Sandseter, professor of psychology at Queen Maud University in Norway thinks that there is such a thing as playgrounds being too safe.

Children need to encounter risks and overcome fears on the playground. I think monkey bars and tall slides are great. As playgrounds become more and more boring, these are some of the few features that still can give children thrilling experiences with heights and high-speed.

She concludes by saying that “if you just think about danger you’re never going to get ahead in life.”