Why kids need to take more risks: science reveals the benefits of wild, free play
Why kids need to take more risks: science reveals the benefits of wild, free play
Studies reveal how risky play can benefit child development. But encouraging it can be a challenge for parents.
cross-posted from: https://feddit.dk/post/9969468
From the article:
Risky play is associated with greater resilience, self-confidence, problem-solving and social skills such as cooperation, negotiation and empathy, according to studies by Sandseter and others. When a study in Leuven, Belgium, gave four- and six-year-olds just two hours a week of opportunities for risky play over the course of three months, their risk-assessment skills improved compared with those of children in a control group2. In this study, the risky play took place at school, in a gym class and in the classroom.
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Between the school system, parents and social media, GenZ is the wussiest, lock stepping, conformist, risk-adverse generation of all time.
"Gosh! What if I get in trouble?"
"Heavens me! What if I'm criticized on social media?"
"What if I'm told no?!"
Fuck me, asked one of my best friends (22) to do a thing with me. "What if we get in trouble?" "Uh, worst possible case? Someone says 'Stop that.'" Like being told "no" might involve cops.
There was an eye-opening reddit post about the whole thing. 12-years on reddit, that post still sticks with me. Read it. It's all honest discussion. (Yes, it starts about social skills, read on, you'll see what I'm getting at.)
TWO college professors chimed in saying their students would sit in the dark before class because no one had the guts to turn the lights on. "Uh, we didn't want to stand out or get in trouble."
You weren't allowed to take risks. Y'all have had the world stolen from you in 1,000 ways, ways you'll never know about.
EDIT: Reading those comments again right now. I'm 54, but my kids are 10 and 12, I weep for the youth. You've been fucked and think it's just normal life.
i'm not going to reddit, just copy it for us.
College professor here: we've all seen a major decline in social skills over the last 4+ years, rather sudden and precipitous, so clearly not just the "normal" changes we'd been seeing over the previous two decades. Loss of basic functionality is the most glaring, like students who simply cannot bring themselves to talk to a professor face-to-face, or speak in class, or make a phone call, or make a decision about their own education, etc. etc.
The most glaring last fall was an entire class of mine that would arrive early and sit in the dark...despite my explaining how to turn on the lights (i.e. the wall switch by the door). When pressed they collectively said they were "afraid they'd get in trouble" for turning on the lights (despite my telling them to do so) and were afraid to "do anything that would draw attention to them" like being the one person to turned on the lights. So next month with my next group of freshmen we're going to have a talk about basic life skills on day one, starting with turning on the classroom lights when they arrive.
Tbf, the kids aren't wrong here, some "authority" needs you to walk on eggshells like this or else they'll authoritize all over you like they've been waiting for some idiot to stick out their necks and do something innocuous they deem a crime just so they can lop your head off.
I got in trouble for laughing at work on wednesday, boss said he heard us across the warehouse, even though that's because we were all at our desks working while talking a little loud so as to hear each other from our desks over the din of the air compressor. Evidentially "no other departments are like that" except that they are, about 15min later a similar cacophony arose from shipping, but what do I know I'm just out on the floor more often than that manager who is always too busy sucking up to his boss in the head office.
So yeah I'm not doing a goddamn thing beyond my "duties." If my job wants people to do that they need to treat us like humans, nit get mad over every little thing. The problem isn't the kids walking on eggshells after the abuse they endure, the problem is those in power abuse their authority in ways that make the kids walk on eggshells. And it is much the same mechanisms at work here as an emotionally abusive partner, btw, and produces similar results.
You reminded me I wanted a PDF so I never lose it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q4wY8zPmSHK6Vx4JhfZ53E8t9JXDiO4b/view?usp=sharing
Is this a virus?
I had so many neat adventures growing up, in part because we just got out and explored the woods behind my parents house and the neighborhood. Kinda glad I got to have a Goonies / Stranger Things existence.
This seems like a really dated take, overall.
You grew up in a time when you could make mistakes because your mistakes would be forgotten. That is no longer the case. Everything they do and say is recorded and distributed for later scrutinization.
It's not 2004, being criticized on social media can be career ending. They constantly watch beloved celebrities get raked over the coals overnight because they said or did something 20 years ago that society has since decided is wrong. Who knows what society will retroactively demonize in 20 years?
The job market is competitive, good luck getting a corporate data entry job without a Bachelor's, and college is competitive. The wrong mistake can snowball into life changing inconvenience. Or life ending, police absolutely do get called for minor things, and if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time that can be the end for you.
They're living in 21st century reality, not an 80s comedy. There are more consequences than a curmudgeonly principal shaking his fist. Everything is being watched, recorded, and scrutinized, by everyone, all the time. A few laughs are not worth the possible consequences. Why stand out? The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
Uh, all of that is addressed, in depth, in the post I linked. Hell, I pretty much said it in this post:
You weren't allowed to take risks.
The post you linked was primarily about the direct fallout of COVID. They very directly said what they were talking about was a basically overnight charge.
My point is about societal change. The kids aren't "wusses", they're reacting rationally to a changing world. You grew up with much lesser consequences for the risks you took. Those are no longer justifiable risks. Even flipping a lightswitch can trigger a devastating chain of consequence if you have a crazy power tripping teacher, so why bother? Phone screens are backlit anyway.
I take opposition to the way you're framing this. Are you a wuss because you didn't work 16 hours a day in a coalmine as a kid? Every generation thinks the next is too soft. The world changes, and the skills and techniques to successfully navigate it change.
I am a late 90s Gen Z and I am so glad that social media didn’t exist like it does now in the 00s. I am probably the last generation of kids that had the more traditional childhood where I was able to be left alone and do my own thing. My parents always encouraged me to be outside and hangout with friends. That’s what I did. My neighborhood friends and I were dicks though. We ding dong ditch houses and shit.
I am Gen Z and I don't really know what you are talking about but generally most parents are pretty strict and most kids have helicopter parents. I wasn't allowed to play outside as a kid beyond the porch until I inevitably started sneaking out on my bike. Parents generally try to monitor everything and are scared of anything mildly independent. Walk to the store? Get yelled at. Get to school by yourself by walking or cycling? Get yelled at. Take the city bus home? Get yelled at. I generally just ignore them but its tiring when I am just trying to live a normal life. Granted I don't have it as bad as some. I know kids whose entire internet usage is heavily monitored and restricted as well as the usual physical restrictions.