Are we hurting our kids by protecting them too much?
Feb 1, 2024
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Exploring the impact of overprotecting kids with bans on activities like tobogganing in Toronto. Discussing the importance of risky play for childhood development, teaching resilience and emotion management. Delving into the challenges parents face balancing safety and independence in a risk-averse society. Addressing children's anxiety, skill development, and the role of play in emotional growth.
Encouraging risky play builds resilience and teaches children crucial skills.
Excessive safety measures hinder children's development opportunities and autonomy.
Deep dives
The Importance of Risk-Taking in Children's Development
Encouraging kids to engage in risky play and take calculated risks is vital for their development. Society's focus on keeping children excessively safe has led to increased anxiety and fear in kids. Research suggests that facing challenges and engaging in slightly dangerous activities teaches children how to manage anxiety, build resilience, and develop crucial skills.
The Shift towards Intensive Parenting and Risk Avoidance
The late 80s marked a shift towards intensive parenting, where parents aimed to curate their children's lives for success. This trend stemmed from societal pressures due to increasing inequalities and a push for children to excel academically. Consequently, rules limiting risky play emerged, restricting children's freedom and hindering their developmental opportunities.
Challenges in Redefining Parental Perceptions of Risk
Parents' perceptions of risk have been influenced by societal norms and fear of criticism or judgment. While attempting to reset their risk assessments, parents face challenges in a society that prioritizes safety over autonomy. Tools exist to help parents reframe their views, promote gradual exposure to risks, and prioritize children's developmental needs over excessive safety measures.
Recently, in an effort to keep children from hurting themselves, the City of Toronto banned tobogganing at 45 parks it deemed too risky for kids. This is the latest example, but it's not a one-off. For decades now, parents, schools and governments have taken action on all sorts of things, to make things safer for kids. But is it really helping them?
New research shows that "risky play" is part of the building blocks of childhood, and teaches children how to process and redirect feelings like fear and anxiety into healthier places. As we've worked to make things "as safe as possible" for kids, have we been denying them the tools they need to handle adult life when they grow up?
GUEST: Dr. Marianna Brussoni, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership; professor at the University of British Columbia; leader of the Play Outside UBC Lab
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