Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us

by Christine Gross-Loh

Researchers worry more about25 what they dub “surplus safety”—a situation in which we’re so concerned about protecting kids from perceived risks (such as minor injuries) that we actually put them at risk of other risks (for instance, the very real risk of obesity from sedentary indoor play). There is growing evidence26 that, far from protecting children from injuries, children are at increased risk of more broken limbs on our modern, safety-first playgrounds. When an environment is too sterile and safe, children may be driven to truly unsafe behavior. The greatest risk factor27 for playground accidents is that children will become bored by the limits of the playground and try to increase the challenges they crave by, say, twisting the chains of a swing, standing on that swing, or walking on top of a climbing structure. Another danger is that they will become complacent and unaware28 of their own movements, because everything is so standardized (like rungs of a ladder spaced the same distance apart).