Growing Up Without a Playground
Numerous studies have shown that there is really no substitute for the childhood games that our forefathers have played before the invention of video games. Regardless of how mothers across generations reprimand their kids for getting down and dirty and muddied and grimy, at the back of their minds, they know it’s almost a necessary part of growing up, much like going to the dentist and having that first crush.
As such, it’s baffling how the bare and pure pleasure of playground fun is lost among today’s youth. Instead of battling for the latest version of a jungle gym, they ask their parents for the latest handheld gadget to hit the market. I don’t even need to tell you the effect of this paradigm shift in play on the fitness of your kid. It’s very much like comparing a conventional book and an e-book. The e-book will not only tire your eyes in an instant, really, there is just no replacing the musky smell of a freshly opened literary purchase.
As playgrounds go, growing up without one is missing out on a vital component of childhood. It’s interesting to note that regardless of culture and race and nationality, every kid in the world has a faint idea of how to use a swing or monkey bars despite seeing it for the first time. It’s almost safe to assume that a kid’s brain is wired to automatically recognize the simple mechanics of a playground tool. And that, simply, is wonderful.
Going back to the first point, as safety is most parents’ concern in refusing their kids to get “down and dirty” in the playground, as it were, there have been technological advances to make sure that playground play is as safe as possible. One such step is the introduction of rubber mulch to the market, to preserve the nature in the playground but providing utmost security to kids.
