Ok, this topic is coming up so often, I’ve now deemed it an official category of this blog:
Adults Are Ruining Everything.
Not to be content with suffering the effects of Adultitis in their own life, we have an epidemic of stupid people trying to spread it to everyone. Childhood as we knew it is in danger. If this keeps up, an outbreak of Juvenile Adultitis is on the horizon.
Curt Rosengren of Motto Magazine points us to an article about an elementary school that has banned…tag.
Freaking TAG!!!
Why? Because “some children complained they were harassed or chased against their will.”
“It causes a lot of conflict on the playground,” said Cindy Fesgen, assistant principal of the Discovery Canyon Campus school. Running games are still allowed as long as students don’t chase each other, she said.
What’s next? Banning hide and seek because kids who weren’t immediately found felt a deep sense of loneliness? No more kick ball until we figure out a way to ensure that someone won’t get picked last?
What has led us to this point where we care more about not hurting people’s feelings than we do about using a little common sense? One person is offended by something (or these days, just the THREAT that someone MIGHT be offended by something) and we have to completely ban a childhood game, cancel a Christmas party, or shut down an entire holiday.
I’m not saying we should be disrespectful of other people’s rights and freedoms. I am saying that this childishness needs to end and people need to grow up.
[tags]banning tag, Adultitis, Discovery Canyon Campus school, Motto Magazine, Curt Rosengren[/tags]
This is one of the times I’m glad I don’t have kids. How do you teach children about being a good sport when the adults don’t even keep score?
How far will we go to make sure everyone feels good? Sometimes you work really hard and don’t get the promotion. Does that mean you stink or that the other candidate was just as good? Taking competition out of school won’t remove it from life.
Good point, Shirley. People spend so much time sheltering their kids, then when they get in the real world they can’t handle it. And then a bunch of pointy heads get together to try and figure out why…
They are continuing this entire stupid idea of banning all possible hits to self-esteem even in the corporate world. I work for a government agency and we do a lot of training. I’ve been told that I can no longer use red ink to correct my trainees’ work because it would “hurt their self-esteem”. I have to use green ink. I’ve gone ahead and done this like a good little girl but my first reaction was, “Life sometimes sucks. Get over it!”
Holy cow. That’s ridiculous. What happens when green becomes known as the “evil” ink?
Hmm. Maybe they should ban the “other running games” as well, since some kids don’t run as fast as others, and the other kids always leaving them in the dust will hurt their self-esteems. Haven’t these parents told their children it’s okay to say “No, I don’t want to play”? Or maybe to not stand in the middle of the game where it’s going to be assumed they are part of the game?
And what happens to the self esteem of those “some kids” (in reality, probably one or two over the course of three years) when the other kids find out Why their favorite game was banned? Yeah, that’ll make them feel good!
This story hurts my self esteem (not to mention my brain cells). I think school administrators should be banned.
Jason,
Don’t say “Holy Cow”. You *might* offend an athiest bovine.
That’s INSANE!! Whatever happened to letting kids be kids?! Maybe we should ban slides…those are more dangerous than kids chasing each other. People could fall! What about merry-go-rounds? Kids risk getting dizzy! Swings? Kids could theoretically be catapulted off them! Same issue with see-saws… I think we should ban playgrounds altogether! Better yet, let’s ban playing, period. Kids need to be serious adults who don’t risk their self esteem getting an owie, anyway. *sigh*