Isn't It Dangerous?

 

With a great whoop, the boys race up the hill in search of adventure.  They run, dodge, duck and hide.  They thrive on the undertaking of brave exploits and flirt with any activity including an element of potential danger.

 

  As my little caped crusaders traipse about our bit of neighborhood 'desert' one suddenly goes sliding down.  Shrieks of laughter and joy soon give way to howls of pain.

 

It isn't a 'dying' kind of cry, so I merely meander over to take a peek.  There is a nice bit of gravel and dirt embedded into torn skin.  Crocodile tears pour down his cheeks as we talk about the 'war wound' and assess the situation.  For all of my brave talk, I'm a softie inside and agree to carry him home. 

Our adventure for the evening is over for now...

{photo credit - oldest son who was charged with carrying the camera home.}

 

With increased time outdoors, comes the occasional injury.  Parent's often worry about the dangers associated with playing out in nature.

 

But merely staying indoors placidly seated in front of a television doesn't guarantee safety...  Electronically drugged, yes.  Assuredly 'safe', not necessarily.

 

Did you you know that over 8,000 American kids are injured (or even die) each year when flat-screen TV's fall on them? 

 

A few weeks ago, I posted an interesting article on my facebook page about the benefits and risks of outdoor play.

 

It mentioned our children's need for risk.  Risks are a permanent aspect of our lives.  Try as we might there is no way to insulate our children 100% from danger.  Instead as parents we should seek to manage them in order to limit – but not eliminate – their dangers. {for instance, we wear bike helmets, use car seats, discuss 'tricky-people', etc}  

 

Why? According to this article, "Children need risk. It is a powerful catalyst for growth that helps them develop good judgment, persistence, courage, resiliency, and self-confidence."

 

As a mother of boys, one of my goals in parenting is to raise them to be calculated risk takers - balancing initiative with wisdom. It is interesting to think of their outdoor explorations in terms of honing this balance.

 

I would encourage you to read the article.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.  What does embracing the benefits of 'risk' look like in your family? Of course it will look differently for our kids depending on their age, personality, family dynamics, and where you live.  But it has caused me to stop and ponder the benefits of risk and helping my boys to navigate embracing the challenges in order to develop the discernment necessary to wade into this 'dangerous' world we live in.