Cynthetiq

Gever Tulley 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do | Video on TED.com

I was watching this and realized that I did all 5 of these dangerous things suggested. Did you do any of these 5?

1. Play with fire
   
2. Own a pocketknife
   
3. Throw a spear.
   
4. Deconstruct an appliance.
   
5. Break the DMCA and/or Drive a car.

All of these I did at a very early age, like cub scouts and younger. Some I did with parental supervision.

Playing with fire was an important thing for me to learn. I learned how to care for something very dangerous. The same thing for a pocket knife. Throwing a spear, well they were a bit difficult to come by but we did image them as we threw lengths of plastic piping and the now illegal and imfamous lawn darts.

Of course DMCA didn't exist, but I did tape radio shows and copy them amongst friends because getting Dr. Demento records were hard to find sometimes. I did not get to drive a car until I turned 15 when I got my learner's permit.

I think back to all of these things and I realized that they helped me in ways that are deep roots to how I function today.

Do you think that kids should do such things? Do you think they are valuable in some way?

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Slims

I believe that we cannot learn judgment if we are not allowed to take risks. You have to let your kids do dangerous things (and sometimes get hurt doing them) if you want them to develop into strong, confident, well rounded adults.

My daughter is still too young to do the things mentioned above.

However, I intend to let her really explore life when she is old enough to do so (walking, for instance).

Another item I think should be on that list:

Go on a solo backpacking trip.

There is nothing to describe the feeling of independence (and trepidation) that comes from your first real steps into the wilderness alone.

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Charlatan

I too did all the things on that list.

I also think that kids should be able to:

Travel across town, using public transit by themselves (to go to the museum or science centre, for example).
Ride a bike or walk to the park to play with the friends.
Go camping

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animosity

I had them all too. My parents encouraged most of these. By the time I was nine I could gather and start a bonfire with a single match.

My father had me on his lap, steering at age 5.

I am not sure what age I had my first knife, but I remember making wooden spears with a knife at age 6.

RogueGypsy

Doing those 6 thing comprised a large part of my youth. If I wasn't playing with fire, throwing homemade spears (usually whittled with my pocket knife from broom sticks), taking something apart, recording Dr. Demento or music off the radio or driving country roads. I was having dirt clod fights, riding my motorcycle/mini bike depending on age, shooting my sling shot (usually homemade, whittled from a forked tree branch and bike inner tube) or shooting my BB gun. OR I was in my room, in trouble for doing one of the above in an 'unacceptable way', probably recording something off of the radio.

Dirt clod fights, sling shots, bb guns and motorcycles should be added to that list.

Damn, what the hell are kids doing today anyway, if not what's listed?

Here you go Cyn, I came across this a few months ago, you can re-live part of your youth.

The Online Internet Site for Information on Dr. Demento music, songs, lyrics and chat.


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bagatelle

Cool video. You come to think, omg, there are people, who actually don't know you should do all this!

My grandparents let us practice knife carving, when we weren't yet in school. I climbed to trees, threw things - it was interesting to hear, this is something your brain wants you to do. As a kid we used to play baseball a lot, the Finnish version, but yet it was about throwing and catching, hitting the ball. Even today I enjoy throwing things. I throw bad apples underneath the tree to the field, I throw snowballs, stones, cones, anything...

Burning things with magnifying glass - that was so cool. My sons have the task in turn to take care of lighting up the fire in the boiler room daily.

However I admire the adults, who take time to teach kids to do these things safely enough, not just leave them to figure out everything on their own.

Kids tying explosives on the back of a cat and watching it blow up is a bit too cruel.

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Daniel_

I did all of these things, and I hope my daughter (soon to be 11) will have done all of them during her youth. She's done a few already, and her membership of the local Scout group will certainly take care of the rest.

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raptor9k

deleted

snuggy

Dangerous things are not just limited to the specified list. Any activity that harms the kid is dangerous. It is always better to supervise your kids all the time until they are safe.

Cynthetiq

really? how are the activities listed harming kids? I submit that they potentially harm a child if something goes wrong, but like anything many things are dangerous for example crossing the street, being a passenger in a car, etc.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

bum4evr

I only did #1 on that list - and my mom caught me once burning some sticks when I was 8 years old and I got in big trouble.

I think fire is just too fascinating to some kids.

The_Jazz

I'm not sure that you actually read the thread.

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snowy

If we avoid everything that could potentially harm a child, snuggy, we might as well put kids into plastic bubbles.

Crap, feeding a child could result in them choking...should children not be fed?

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