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23 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do

KevinKohler said:
Never built a fire? How the hell have done so much on that list, and NOT at least one fire?

OK, here's what you're gonna do. Do some laundry, gather a nice wad of dryer lent, ball it up, set it in your back yard.

Piles some small sticks on it. Light.

Add #22 to your list.
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What are you doing, trying to create a feminist uprising!? You're putting us all at risk.

There's already something for girls to do on the list, #6. They should stick to that and let us males worry about the art of manliness.
 
vesper said:
There are a number of moms who feel that way. I am not one of them. All I can say is thank G-d for dads. If it were up to moms there would be a number of kids who would never see the inside of a hockey rink or a football field.
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That was a rule with us kids. Dad found out first when something went awry. If you told Mom first odds were you'd never get to do it again!
 
Lutherf said:
I had that list plus done before Kindergarten.

The other stuff that kids need is an appreciation for hand tools. Pump actions screw drivers, hand augers, block planes, etc. Kids need to know how to use that stuff before you hand them an iPhone.
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I've had kids lose limbs to those farm augers; with the great weather we have right now, kids should be out until the penumbra, then play iPhone; I'm still outside listening to LAD/AZ on XM Sirius;

hope the teachers get a bundle of safety glasses at like Wal-Mart for the eclipse on 8/21; it will be back in 7 years more north towards me, we'll be in far southern IL for the total eclipse, SIU Carbondale is renting out dorm rooms; goes right through the center of Nashville ;
 
Lutherf said:
That was a rule with us kids. Dad found out first when something went awry. If you told Mom first odds were you'd never get to do it again!
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LOL, same here. Mom was a stay at home mom before we hit our teen years. During the Summer months we played hard. One year we built a treehouse in the woods. That required a lot of tools, wood etc. And our only means of transporting everything was on our bikes. We would spend the entire day there and we knew if we got hurt, you didn't run home so we had our own first aid kit on the job site. Once you went home hurt that was the end of a very good day. Mom made you stay in.
 
vesper said:
Today I read an article where there are some in our society claiming allowing your child to play football is child abuse.
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Well, claiming child abuse is a bit too far, but I also don't want to go back to the days where a concussed 15 year old is just given some smelling salts and sent back out to the field 10 minutes later.
 
Lutherf said:
23 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do | The Art of Manliness

Here's the "Cliff's Notes" version

1. Play With Fireworks
2. Hammer a Nail
3. Stick Your Arm Out a Car Window
4. Jump Off a Cliff
5. Use a Bow and Arrow
6. Cook a Meal
7. Climb a Tree
8. Roughhouse
9. Go Sledding
10. Drive a Car
11. Burn Things With a Magnifying Glass
12. Walk or Ride a Bike to School
13. Shoot a Gun
14. Stand on the Roof
15. Squash a Penny on a Railroad Track
16. Sword Fight With Sticks
17. Shoot a Slingshot
18. Explore a Construction Site
19. Use a Pocket Knife
20. Climb a Rope
21. Ride Your Bike Off a Ramp
22. Make a Fire
23. Explore a Tunnel

I'm going to add a few

24. Make a tennis ball cannon
25. Roll down a hill in a tire
26. Jump off a swing
27. Get in a fight
28. Catch a snake

Also, WRT #21, jumping your bike over a ramp is fun. Jumping your bike over your buddy who is laying in the road in front of the ramp is better. Being the kid laying in the road while your buddies jump their bikes over you is totally bad ass!
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Did a lot of sledding in Tucson, didja? :mrgreen:

We actually have a home movie from when I was three or four and it snowed enough to make a snowman and have a snowball fight.
 
Geoist said:
Well, claiming child abuse is a bit too far, but I also don't want to go back to the days where a concussed 15 year old is just given some smelling salts and sent back out to the field 10 minutes later.
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Playing little league (Pop Warner), around 11 years old (elementary school, somewhere from 4th to 6th grade), I was a linebacker...

A pass sails past me, I turn to look and see it intercepted. As we were taught, I yell, "interception" and begin to turn to block for the return. Next thing I know I'm sitting on the bench. Coach asks if I'm ok, I say yes. The practice/game ends and we all go to the bleachers near the parking lot to wait for our parents. I wonder what my parents look like. I wonder if they're nice. I wonder if they're gonna pick me up. Most of the kids have been picked up, but I'm still waiting. Maybe I don't have parents. Maybe I'm supposed go somewhere. I hope someone comes to pick me up. A woman arrives and is all "hello! I've been waiting in the car!". I figure she's gotta be my mom, so I get in the car. She mentions my sister and brother doing something. I figure, ok, well, apparently I have a sister and brother, I guess that's cool. We get to the house, I don't really recognize it. I find my way to my room. The next morning, I remembered pretty much everything about my life. There were some foggy details, but I was sure this was actually my family and I had memories.

I didn't tell anyone anything about it until I was an adult.




ps. Go ahead, make jokes... like "you're still dizzy". But I was a tough guy even back then :)
 
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ecofarm said:
Playing little league (Pop Warner), around 11 years old (elementary school, somewhere from 4th to 6th grade), I was a linebacker...

A pass sails past me, I turn to look and see it intercepted. As we were taught, I yell, "interception" and begin to turn to block for the return. Next thing I know I'm sitting on the bench. Coach asks if I'm ok, I say yes. The practice/game ends and we all go to the bleachers near the parking lot to wait for our parents. I wonder what my parents look like. I wonder if they're nice. I wonder if they're gonna pick me up. Most of the kids have been picked up, but I'm still waiting. Maybe I don't have parents. Maybe I'm supposed go somewhere. I hope someone comes to pick me up. A woman arrives and is all "hello, I've been waiting in the car". I figure she's gotta be my mom, so I get in the car. She mentions my sister and brother doing something. I figure, ok, well, apparently I have a sister and brother, I guess that's cool. We get to the house, I don't really recognize it. I find my way to my room. The next morning, I remembered pretty much everything about my life. There were some foggy details, but I was sure this was actually my family and I had memories.

I didn't tell anyone anything about it until I was an adult.
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:shock:

Yikes!

I played receiver and kick returner in 8th grade. One day I got speared in the back on a return. I did not really feel any pain from it until the next day when I tried to get out of bed. I tried to just play through it. I did not want to disappoint my coach and teammates. Eventually, the pain was so great that I had to stop playing and see a doctor. The doctor said I broke my L5. I played three games and several practices with a broken vertebrae.
 
countryboy said:
Did a lot of sledding in Tucson, didja? :mrgreen:

We actually have a home movie from when I was three or four and it snowed enough to make a snowman and have a snowball fight.
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I grew up in upstate NY. Snow was not a problem. Getting Mom to take us sledding, however, was a problem. She HATED cold which, I suppose, is why she ended up in Tucson.
 
Geoist said:
:shock:

Yikes!

I played receiver and kick returner in 8th grade. One day I got speared in the back on a return. I did not really feel any pain from it until the next day when I tried to get out of bed. I tried to just play through it. I did not want to disappoint my coach and teammates. Eventually, the pain was so great that I had to stop playing and see a doctor. The doctor said I broke my L5. I played three games and several practices with a broken vertebrae.
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Earned your tough-guy card at an early age as well. :)
 
vesper said:
LOL, same here. Mom was a stay at home mom before we hit our teen years. During the Summer months we played hard. One year we built a treehouse in the woods. That required a lot of tools, wood etc. And our only means of transporting everything was on our bikes. We would spend the entire day there and we knew if we got hurt, you didn't run home so we had our own first aid kit on the job site. Once you went home hurt that was the end of a very good day. Mom made you stay in.
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Boy's Life magazine had all the information we needed on how to splint a broken bone and most of us had snake bite kits. We'd all seen someone do a tracheotomy on TV with a pocket knife and a stick pen so we were pretty much set.:lol:
 
Lutherf said:
I grew up in upstate NY. Snow was not a problem. Getting Mom to take us sledding, however, was a problem. She HATED cold which, I suppose, is why she ended up in Tucson.
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In my best Ed McMahon, I did not know that.

I was born in Tucson, grew up in San Diego, so, no sledding for me as a kid. But I did just about everything else on the list. Though, I don't think my parents necessarily "let" me. :D We did ride in the back of my dad's pick up, on San Diego freeways. It was a different time, that's for sure. ;)
 
Lutherf said:
23 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do | The Art of Manliness

Here's the "Cliff's Notes" version

1. Play With Fireworks
2. Hammer a Nail
3. Stick Your Arm Out a Car Window
4. Jump Off a Cliff
5. Use a Bow and Arrow
6. Cook a Meal
7. Climb a Tree
8. Roughhouse
9. Go Sledding
10. Drive a Car
11. Burn Things With a Magnifying Glass
12. Walk or Ride a Bike to School
13. Shoot a Gun
14. Stand on the Roof
15. Squash a Penny on a Railroad Track
16. Sword Fight With Sticks
17. Shoot a Slingshot
18. Explore a Construction Site
19. Use a Pocket Knife
20. Climb a Rope
21. Ride Your Bike Off a Ramp
22. Make a Fire
23. Explore a Tunnel

I'm going to add a few

24. Make a tennis ball cannon
25. Roll down a hill in a tire
26. Jump off a swing
27. Get in a fight
28. Catch a snake

Also, WRT #21, jumping your bike over a ramp is fun. Jumping your bike over your buddy who is laying in the road in front of the ramp is better. Being the kid laying in the road while your buddies jump their bikes over you is totally bad ass!
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Where is everyones sense of adventure? We should combine some of these!

1) .9 Go sledding + .4 Jump off a cliff

2) 10. Drive a car + 3. Stick Your Arm Out a Car Window + 13. Shoot a Gun

3) 18. Explore a Construction Site + 2. Hammer a Nail + 11. Burn Things With a Magnifying Glass + 22. Make a Fire

4) 27. Get in a fight + 19. Use a Pocket Knife

:mrgreen:
 
I dont know about the fireworks thing. Over here the stuff they make is akin to sticks of dynamite and Ive heard of kids (and adults) having their hands blown off.
 
Lutherf said:
23 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do | The Art of Manliness

Here's the "Cliff's Notes" version

1. Play With Fireworks
2. Hammer a Nail
3. Stick Your Arm Out a Car Window
4. Jump Off a Cliff
5. Use a Bow and Arrow
6. Cook a Meal
7. Climb a Tree
8. Roughhouse
9. Go Sledding
10. Drive a Car
11. Burn Things With a Magnifying Glass
12. Walk or Ride a Bike to School
13. Shoot a Gun
14. Stand on the Roof
15. Squash a Penny on a Railroad Track
16. Sword Fight With Sticks
17. Shoot a Slingshot
18. Explore a Construction Site
19. Use a Pocket Knife
20. Climb a Rope
21. Ride Your Bike Off a Ramp
22. Make a Fire
23. Explore a Tunnel

I'm going to add a few

24. Make a tennis ball cannon
25. Roll down a hill in a tire
26. Jump off a swing
27. Get in a fight
28. Catch a snake

Also, WRT #21, jumping your bike over a ramp is fun. Jumping your bike over your buddy who is laying in the road in front of the ramp is better. Being the kid laying in the road while your buddies jump their bikes over you is totally bad ass!
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#4 should be in a tightly controlled situation, but the rest I thought were standard for growing up. :shrug:
 
Lutherf said:
Well, someone should check the tire to make sure it doesn't have rainwater in it first. Of course, kids do pick up on that after the first incident.

Speaking of incidents, your reply leads me to believe you might have a story to tell us!
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How about riding on the handlebars of a bicycle down a steep hill and then navigate over a ramp to jump a narrow creek bed with no water in it? :mrgreen:
 
PoS said:
I dont know about the fireworks thing. Over here the stuff they make is akin to sticks of dynamite and Ive heard of kids (and adults) having their hands blown off.
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Ahhhh! Something like "Cherry Bombs"?
 
Removable Mind said:
How about riding on the handlebars of a bicycle down a steep hill and then navigate over a ramp to jump a narrow creek bed with no water in it? :mrgreen:
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The basics of that sound familiar.

I know some people don't think about it in such terms but we learned a lot about engineering and kinetic energy before we knew what the words meant by doing such things. We'd experiment with weight distribution by adjusting the seats on our bikes to get better wheelies and played around with friction to effect ever more spectacular burnouts. The tennis ball cannons we made taught us about combustion and ballistics and we'd constantly experiment with ways to improve both. We'd never think of it as "science" but it gave us a great head start when it came time for school.
 
I have done every single thing listed in the OP, including jumping off a cliff.

Parenting is an art. And there is a whole host of stances you can take to a particular action that falls somewhere between "forbidding" and "requiring". If my son comes to me and asks permission to role down a hill in a tire I am going to say "no". Why? Because it is very dangerous. But at the same time, if he comes to me afterward or I catch him in the act, I am not going to freak out. I'll ask him what it was like and if it was fun. Then I'll tell him I'm glad he had fun but not to do it again because it is dangerous and the more he does it the more likely he will eventually get hurt.

And sometimes it is just a balancing act between letting them get at least some of the experience without going too far. Every parent, particularly those with multiple sons, knows how roughhousing goes. You don't exactly allow it, you just kind of pretend to ignore it until it starts to get a little out of hand, at which point you say something like "Hey guys, take it easy." and then when one of them, usually the younger one, sounds more like he is crying than laughing, you shut it down. And that cycle continues for years and years.

Here is the thing. Many of the things on that list I just can't in good conscience stand there and watch my kid do. But I also know he is likely going to do them at some point when he is unsupervised. And I do let my 11 year-old go play with his friends unsupervised. And I think that is how most parents handle these kinds of things. We don't punish our kids when they try something like that but we tell them, after the fact, that it is dangerous and not to do it again. And secretly we are happy for them that they managed to squeeze in such an experience without serious injury.
 
Geoist said:
I've got a simple one for toddlers: Let them get dirty. Seen so many parents freak out about their baby putting dirt in their mouth or just getting their hands muddy.
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Like I told my wife's sister, dirt is all natural, AND organic.
 
countryboy said:
In my best Ed McMahon, I did not know that.

I was born in Tucson, grew up in San Diego, so, no sledding for me as a kid. But I did just about everything else on the list. Though, I don't think my parents necessarily "let" me. :D We did ride in the back of my dad's pick up, on San Diego freeways. It was a different time, that's for sure. ;)
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I miss riding in the back of my dads pick up. He would take us to baseball games, minor league, the Greenville Braves. Us kids would fall asleep on the way home, in the pick. He had a bed cover over it with Windows, and he had those old egg shell foam mattress toppers over the bed itself. Fine way to travel. Just don't get in a wreck.
 
In my experience, the most dangerous thing you can let your kid do, is to leave him/her alone for a while. Take away their electronics, send them outside and bite your fingernails for an hour or two. And when he/she shows up again, feed them, clean them and LOVE the fact that they are back.
 
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