5 dangerous things all kids should do!!

[photoman]

I can't tie the 6 basic knots but I was never in Scouts.

I have already had my son try beer. He hated it. My parents did the same thing so drinking was never a big deal. If I wanted to drink something I just needed to ask my parents- no need to sneak off into the forest or desert to drink with friends. I am also of the belief that if my son wants to do something he just needs to come ask me. I would rather be there with him than have him trying things with a bunch of other kids.

My boy is 10. He will get to drive the Jeep Memorial weekend while out on some trails. If there are hazards that require some driving care he will sit on my lap. He will learn about picking a good line, going slow instead of romping, and tread lightly. When we are on one of the long roads to nowhere he will have full control. The Jeep will be in 1st gear to help limit the chance of an accident.


As mentioned before. The whole concept of the book is to let your kids do 'dangerous' things provided it is controlled as much as possible and supervised. Have your kids watch Myth Busters. They do very dangerous things but make a very conscious effort to show the safety and control factors being used. If you make the same effort and promote the concept of safety your kids will pickup on it.

 

[ginericLC]

Baseless fear the exact OPPOSITE of what this thread is about.



Uh, no, letting your kid sit on your lap is absolutely nothing at all like holding a gun to their head. It's not even close. Its like black and white, wet and dry, up and down. How in the world could you make that comparison?

In come the facts:



Translation: of the 261 chidren and infantswho have been killed by airbags in the last 20 years, most were unbelted. So over the last 20 years, 13 unbelted infants and children per year are killed by airbags. IN A COUNTRY OF 330 MILLION PEOPLE.

However. . .
More than 350 children die per year by drowning in swimming pools.
More than 115 children die per year by drowning in bathtubs, buckets and other containers.
Lightning kills 58 people per year.
Dogs kill 30 people per year.

Airbags? Almost statistically insignificant, even if you drive around with your unbelted infant in the front seat. And we're talking about (in my case) a 5, 8 or 10 year old sitting on my lap for a couple of trips up and down the cul-de-sac, not zooming down the freeway at 70mph.

Statistics mean nothing if you are the one person that it happens to. And if the kid is sitting on your lap driving most likely they are unbelted. And the are closer to the air bag than had they been in the passenger seat. Statistically the odds are low but I'm not willing to take that chance with my kids.

 

[Alchemyguy]

Statistics mean nothing if you are the one person that it happens to. And if the kid is sitting on your lap driving most likely they are unbelted. And the are closer to the air bag than had they been in the passenger seat. Statistically the odds are low but I'm not willing to take that chance with my kids.

Irrelevant comparison. Unbelted kid on your lap playing at driving does not mean they are of the same cohort as the 13/year that die from airbags.

That number doesn't even actually reflect the reality of each circumstance, but I'd be willing to bet that *none* of them involved the activity we're talking about here. You're looking at numbers from vehicles under normal travel with kids bouncing around the front seat (where they don't belong if you're on the road, doing road things!) with parents that think seatbelts are for **************. Statistically, the odds for our purposes are precisely zero.

Airbags in modern vehicles don't just deploy for no reason, and there would be absolutely no reason for them to deploy if you're letting your minion drive under controlled circumstances. What could *possibly* go wrong in a deserted parking lot, country road or field, with you at the command of the brake and gas pedals? Seriously!

Don't take me for a ********, I'm just pissy tonight and don't feel like pouring any sugar over my disagreement with this mindset. My inlaws are completely unable to judge real vs perceived risk, and thus everything imaginable is not only likely to occur, but is also instantly deadly.

 

[kjp1969]

Statistics mean nothing if you are the one person that it happens to. And if the kid is sitting on your lap driving most likely they are unbelted. And the are closer to the air bag than had they been in the passenger seat. Statistically the odds are low but I'm not willing to take that chance with my kids.

You're entirely correct, it is safer for them not to try out a drive up and down the cul de sac sitting on Dad's lap. If you're that risk averse, you should probably keep your kids home where its safe. I mean, what possible benefits could there be to pushing their comfort level in such a dangerous way?

 

[bugnout]

Ok beaten "Driving a Car" to death. (I let my son drive when he was 12)

The one that intrigues me is "Break the DMCA"

The speaker suggests that its a lesson that sometime you can accidentally break laws.

Another lesson it can teach is recognizing who is victimized when you break the law.

Lastly I think its a lesson that everyone breaks the law, sometimes on purpose, sometimes without knowing or realizing. The key is recognizing the risks of breaking the law and accepting the responsibility and consequences both from the law and your conscience.

 

[Alchemyguy]

Ok beaten "Driving a Car" to death. (I let my son drive when he was 12)

The one that intrigues me is "Break the DMCA"

The speaker suggests that its a lesson that sometime you can accidentally break laws.

Another lesson it can teach is recognizing who is victimized when you break the law.

Lastly I think its a lesson that everyone breaks the law, sometimes on purpose, sometimes without knowing or realizing. The key is recognizing the risks of breaking the law and accepting the responsibility and consequences both from the law and your conscience.

It also gives an opportunity to teach the difference between mala in se and mala prohibita; that which is bad in and of itself, and that which is bad because it is proscribed to be so. If you're of that kind of philosophical bent, that is. Probably better for older kids as exploration of why actions are declared bad and punishable and whether that is just and, more critically, who benefits is probably too much for younger ones.

 

[glnn313]

not too sheltered

my daughter got her 1st motorcycle at 18 months(pw50 w/ training wheels) at 5 she got her quad. at 7 she got her compound bow and knife. at age 9 she got to pick out her car(95 isuzu trooper 4x4) which she drives in my friends pasture and out in the desert.i sit in the back seat and hold the e-brake just in case.we are still only using low range for now. she got her bb gun and sling shots some where along the way. at 10 she took over my quad and always backs in the car trailer when we are camping and when we get home. at 11 she was doing top rope rock climbing but isn't a big fan. also started white water kayaking. now she is 12 and has driven my jeep a little but the clutch is too stiff for now. she now has a big polaris 4x4 quad with a 3k winch. if i do it then she does it or atleast has the option. i am proud of her and trust her judgement more than most adults. for her b-day she wanted survival gear so she now always carries her back pack when we go out.she has it loaded w/ her tent,fire starting eq of all sorts,water,m.r.e.'s,first aid supplies along w/ a 7 piece cook set,spork,knife etc. i try and give her tho opportunity to live a fun adventureous life but i always let her make the final decesion and never pressure her. i love it and her mother hates it but has comes to terms w/ it.
no point in sheltering kids. hell,this stuff is what made us into the people we are today. all we need to do is guide them along the way and brush the dirt off now and then when they fall.

 

[cowboy4x4]

well lets see....when I was a kid
1) I threw my lawn dart at my sisters hipity hop.... needless to say my mom and dad gave my hipity hop to her....... bummer
2) I got caught with a pile of sparrows that I shot with my BB gun and my my mom said if I shoot one more I was going to have to eat it.........wasnt feeling very hungry at the moment so I went back to shooting the target.
3) my friend and I were shooting our bb guns.....he was very adament that the bb wont hurt us if we got shot..... so I shot him in the foot through his sneaker.....he started dancing....... I was right he was wrong.

 

[Mamontof]

Well i do not have bless by daughter so far , but if i can i do not mine follow you .

My total Respect

 

[T.Low]

I am a firm believer that time outs dont work... being in the military, I go back to boot camp lessons when deciding on a punishment, push-ups are a favorite of mine and once in a while if the kids catch me doing something wrong or breaking a rule, i will get down and do them too. this teaches them that even daddy is not above the rules and gets them to think about the house rules more since they like to see daddy doing push-ups too. i will also let them decide on the number that i have to do.

I'm working on convincing my kids that if they are bad, I will send to bed without their push-ups! "No push-ups for you! Go straight to bed with out push-ups!


RRoc, won't you be my neighbor?!!



Edit: i think I've found a suitable role model for a daughter should I have a girl:

Lulu Puy. Of course i could be totally wrong as I've not met here, but I like her bio: International Six Days Enduro Champion and French Police Officer. And she rides for Team GasGas. Not positive about the role model part, but you get the general idea.

 

[BigAl]

When my daughter was 8-9, we built a "potatoe gun" together. It used a solenoid valve from a sprinklier system and a 125PSI holding tank. We shot a D-cell battery thru a 3/4" sheet of plywood. It left a big inpression on her. I also got her running the drill press to make guitar pics into necklaces. You could definety see the sense of accomplishment she got in doing something she thought she would never be allowed to do.

 

[Navman]

I just read the "TotTurf" article in the last issue of Overland Journal.. It made me laugh (and cry). It mentions "50 Dangerous Things..." and highlights licking a 9 volt battery and burning something with a magnifying glass.

Well, I was getting depressed reading the article until I got to this part. I was changing a 9 volt in one of the kids toys the other day and thought that my kids probably never did that. So, when my wife wasn't around, I had them lick it. As I was doing it I thought that I must be a terrible parent until the first one did it and started laughing.

I also saw my son trying to burn an ant with a cheap magnifying glass the other day - after he tried starting a fire with it.

So, even though my kids are growing up in the 'burbs unlike my country upbringing, I think things will be okay.

It's just too bad that none of the other kids in the neighborhood leave their house to go outside and play.

 

[drgnhrt1979]

I just read the "TotTurf" article in the last issue of Overland Journal.. It made me laugh (and cry). It mentions "50 Dangerous Things..." and highlights licking a 9 volt battery and burning something with a magnifying glass.

Well, I was getting depressed reading the article until I got to this part. I was changing a 9 volt in one of the kids toys the other day and thought that my kids probably never did that. So, when my wife wasn't around, I had them lick it. As I was doing it I thought that I must be a terrible parent until the first one did it and started laughing.

I also saw my son trying to burn an ant with a cheap magnifying glass the other day - after he tried starting a fire with it.

So, even though my kids are growing up in the 'burbs unlike my country upbringing, I think things will be okay.

It's just too bad that none of the other kids in the neighborhood leave their house to go outside and play.

its not where you grow up, it how... i had a friend that grew up in the city and he did all the same stuff i did growing up in the country cuz his parents let him get away with it in a responsible manner...

so i think the moral of this thread is that as long as your kids do dangerous things in a safe and responsible way, they will be better off in the long run and as future parents...

 

[Capt Eddie]

We just got back from a Canada fishing trip. Every day was survival day. The kids both had ditch bags with all kinds of survival stuff. We would have contest to see who could start a fire first, who could catch fish with a stick and string. Who could cook it and eat it. Every contest was won my my 6 year old daughter over her 8 year old brother. During this trip he ended up loosing his knife and fire starters. He wanted to PLAY with the fire and left his knife lay on the ground after clean up. It would have been lost for ever if mom had not picked it up. It seem like the girl has more focus.

 

[BlueBomber]

anyone who wants a good laugh can ask a 20 year old to tie one of the basic six knots. i've got even money they will come up short

Hey now, Im 22 and I think Im pretty good with knots. Dont make me whip out my old Boy Scout book!