50 Dangerous Things

There is a rather cute story in yesterday’s Huffington Post entitled 11 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do. It takes a short look at eleven of the suggestions in the book 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do) by Gene Tulley and Julie Spiegler.

The idea behind the book seems to the recollection that when we were kids we did all sorts of things that these days are seen as too dangerous. We rode our bikes everywhere; we had the freedom to be kids. These days so much of kids’ times seems to be structured: play dates, camps, that sort of thing.

What the book does is recognize that there are some sorts of things that really let kids explore and learn things, and that little boo-boos, while “dangerous”, really aren’t all that dangerous. A cut or a scrape is not the end of the world. For many items on the list, they are activities that might seem dangerous, but really aren’t (like licking a 9-volt battery), but there are others that really require a fair bit of adult supervision (like standing on the roof).

The story also has a link to the results of some kids trying things on the list. The book itself has a site to share your story, and also links to a blog Jack and Sam’s Fifty Dangerous Things, which chronicles two boys’ attempt to do them all.

Going barefoot is not on the list. I’m not sure if I like that or not. For one thing, it’s not particularly “dangerous”. On the other hand, neither are many of the other items on the list. However, going barefoot definitely falls into the category of things that we used to do as kids that these days seem to cause apoplectic fits of fear in so many people.

One thing I was happy to see in the book was part of their discussion regarding “Climb a Tree.” Each of their items contains a section on what the task requires, and for that one, the requirement is “Good Shoes or Bare Feet.” It is nice to see that they recognize that bare feet are really, really nice for climbing trees. As for so many other things, bare feet let you feel the texture of the tree. They also make it safer, because you can feel just how good of a grip you have on the bark. (I have to admit that at my advanced age I still have fun climbing trees.)

Finally, even though “Going Barefoot” is not on the list, I am encouraged that Jack and Sam don’t seem to need the prompting. Here are a few pictures from their blog:

Stand on a Roof

Dam Up A Creek