Originally Posted by KidGrind:
No article is going to bring back a child.
No article would’ve spared me the almost certain rage & torture I would’ve suffered.
What saved me wasn’t my mother’s willingness to let me play without her watchful eye; it was her words of wisdom.
Most people think it would never happen to them or their child. They are probably right. There are thousands who were wrong.
I am sorry for what happened to you. There are always going to be bad people who try bad things. However, children who know how to take risks and have learned their limitations are safer kids. They have a confidence in their own abilities that helps them become stronger. These are the kids who are able to say no and mean it. The ones who feel that little prickly feeling on the back of their neck and listen to it. They have experienced things, and learned from them.
As to the playground itself, as a provider, I would not condone fire or even a lot of what is available to the kids, but as a mother, I LOVE the idea. My kids from the ages of 4 to 12 were ALWAYS doing such things, and they have become some of the most resourceful people I know. Their playground was the woods and river behind the house, and the massive amount of "garbage" and junk collected by the community residents twice a year that was supposed to be thrown away but became fodder for the neighborhood "clubhouses."
Not one of them would change it for the world. And just for the record, every one of them could safely start and manage a fire by age 7.