Kubo wrote:

Nobody's talking about looking macho. The main gist is that a very important piece of development is lost when we wrap kids in foam to protect them from being hurt. The playground issue is a single symptom of a much bigger problem- that parents who hover over their children for their "well being" are robbing them of the opportunity to take care of themselves, solve their own problems, and learn boundaries of acceptable social and personal behavior. And on a much simpler note, in my opinion, old playground equipment was just more fun.

Right, and you can teach them these lessons without having to put them in danger of causing serious injury. What's so wrong with a plastic piece of equipment as opposed to a metal one? Besides the chance of safer for the chlidren, the plastic one won't rust, won't burn from sitting in the sun, and is cheaper to maintain.

Causing pain may be a helpful experience for a child. To hide them from the truth of the world for the sake of saving a little pain is doing them no favor, but letting them use equipment that has been fatal in some situations just for the sake of being nostalgiac is asinine and irresponsible.

Kubo wrote:

Greg the White wrote: Right, and you can teach them these lessons without having to put them in danger of causing serious injury. What's so wrong with a plastic piece of equipment as opposed to a metal one? Besides the chance of safer for the chlidren, the plastic one won't rust, won't burn from sitting in the sun, and is cheaper to maintain. The plastic-metal argument isn't my point... my point is the general makeup of playground equipment back when I was young. The old playgrounds provided kids their own opportunities to be adventurous. Want to try going a little higher without a bar to hold on? Old playgrounds provided that opportunity. I don't see that as much anymore. Old playgrounds provided kids with a place to play where yes, potential for injury was higher, but not exponentially so. My point is that this is a slippery slope- one in which we can keep piling on pads, handrails, and plastic coverings until kids are so protected, they'll be amazed and completely unprepared when they DO get hurt for the first time, physically, emotionally, or mentally.

I understand what you're saying, but where do we draw the line for safety equipment? Car safety belts and car safety seats are a definite yes, but I hear people screaming about bike helmets being "unpure" or some bullshit. I think they ought to be mandatory for certain ages, as child bodies are less tolerant to injuries as others. It's hard to draw the line. I feel pretty damned bad about myself if I look at some rusty, decrepit old swingset with children playing about, but I don't do anything because it's somehow less "pussified" to replace it with new, sturdy one with safety measures.

Yes, pain can shape our minds for the better, but we've really got to prioritize it. Scrapes and bruises due to hurting themselves on a safety-approved playground? Fine. Those are learning experiences; the child will learn to use the equipment correctly later. Broken bones and gashes due to crappy park equipment that could have been easily replaced? I draw the line there because a kid can't really learn from that. The injury could have been lessened if the playground had been better maintained.

And about lawsuits, there's bullshit and there's not. It depends on the responsibilities of the parties. If the injured was not using equipment or facilities correctly, then no suing should be allowed. If the people in charge of maintaining the facilities did not perform necessary duties to prevent the injury, then I'd be inclined to hear the story out.

Oh, and the mulch>sand choice isn't really a safety thing. It's just cheaper in certain instances.

Blackout wrote:

I never see kids riding bikes anymore, sometimes there might be one or two, but that's all I ever see and it's few and far between. When I was a kid I remember huge unruly flocks of kids all ages riding around the neighborhood on bikes, it was the best part of the summer. What happened?

Maybe they're like our community. People complained about bikes taking up road space, so they were prohibited from riding on the roads, and were sent to the sidewalks. Old farts complained about bikes on the sidewalks, so they were banned on the sidewalks. I remember being around twelve on my bicycle when a cop yelled at me and told me to get on the sidewalk. The same cop circled the block and yelled at me to go on the road. My friends and I got sick of getting busted by macho-bullshit cops all the time, so we stopped riding our bikes altogether. That made hanging out in the summer worse because I live in one of these Pennsylvania valley towns where you're at least two miles from any friend (if he even lives in the same town), so it was a pain in the ass coordinating a time to be around each other. I don't know if that's the case with a lot of towns today or not, but that's why it kind of ruined it for me.