"The wall in the Head"
What risks are we actually denying to our kids?! Is risky even bad thing?
Listening to "Risks and Childhood" podcast where Amy Fusselman talks about childhood risks through the leans of playgrounds, I can't help myself on realizing I havent actually payed that much attention on nowadays playground. Although I am not THAT old, and taking consideration I come from a sub developed country, playgrounds still looks like this for me:
Probably not black and white image for me.. I can't see this picture and not make a bet on how how long is gonna take until someone falls down and hit their head in that ramp?!!?!?! What happened to me? or as the listener of the podcast added, I am also "regulating all the fun in the playground because I don't want a lawsuit"?! How much can we change our minds about what is safe and what is not, or what is risk and what is not. I really enjoy listening Amy talking about this argument of risky versus fun, and the fear of dying while playing in a play ground. Not to mention her observation about the lack of signs or the need of signs like this:
I believe that in past were stronger. Not only physically but also mentally stronger in result of the risk they took. As Wilson asked the reader to go back to our childhood and think about our most vivid childhood memories of play, and he says "chances are you were playing outside with no adults present" (pg. 10). I would add "... also in a very risky and memorable environment". Perhaps now we are creating a super secure playing environment but also all weak-natured from overly caring.
"I am not going to sit on the grass. There's dirt under there" (pg. 9)
Regardless of biophobia or this untouched child mentality. Is this really acceptable?
Is there any other way to play with not getting dirty and being outside? Having this type of thought make me a little bit more opened about the concept and the introduction of a "Playwork". I agreed with Wilson, "the playworker are aware that in an ideal world they should not need to exist" (pg. 8). Reading majority of his pages, I still struggled to accept the whole idea of playworker. Although, the author does a fantastic job describing and exampling what a playworker is and what role they have or can have in the society. I still did not believe this is necessary. Then I started researching pictures of modern playground and I saw this:
I know its a computer fake pic, and of course, probably trying to sell the idea of the playground. This pic, instead of making me feel safe and happy with the advance technology and the awareness of possible dangerous hidden in the old style playground, I look to it and make me want to leave?! Its like one of this things in life you would probably do it just because the rest of the world is doing as well (like watching Game of Thrones).
I don't feel excited looking at this. It could easily look fake just be like this legos here...
It sounds/seems/smells equally boring.
Perhaps, we do need to adjust to the difficulties globalization and civilizations brought to us, and this includes the way we guide our kids to play. I like the description Wilson made of playworker role "This means that playworkers do not try to educate, train, tame, or therapeutically treat children in their time and space of play", and they are there just to help the kids to have the best time that they can, maximizing the short time they have, and maybe squeeze a little bit from their raw creativity and their lack of imagination that unfortunately kids now have.
Excuse me, open your head and let me play.
This whole attitude towards what adolescent is suppose to act and/or how children suppose to play, almost telling kids that playing is wrong. Making kids more antisocial and extremely connected to their materialistic and static world. Wilson quotes Lindsey Hanley analyzing the "Mauer I'm Kopf" expression, and how this fear and this controlling system build walls of limits of what we believe is possible of and for ourselves, which the expression translates "the wall in the head". In my head, playing means freedom and freedom means flying (... who never?) in the playground.
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