5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do

This was written by Riley, one of our summer interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.

When I was eight, I was riding my younger brother’s horse while he watched from a raised balcony above the ring. My brother was supposed to be watching me in case the horse threw me off; instead, he was eating potato chips and made the choice to start throwing them at my head. Now a potato chip hitting a person’s head would not be a big deal. However horses are used to being attacked by vampire bats and snakes, so a small moving object heading towards their face, triggers their natural reaction to flee. That reaction resulted in the horse violently throwing me from its back. I ended up on the ground in quite a bit of pain. 

This kind of event is not a rare occurrence. I have fallen off  an inflatable waterfall, lost feeling in my finger from a feral cat bite, belly-flopped off a 25-foot cliff and endured many other horse-related injuries. All of these events are staples of my childhood that drastically shaped my personality. These experiences taught me to be more aware of my surroundings, and realize what is a safe situation. 

 Kids are heavily monitored to the point of obsession. In some places, the police are called if children are playing alone in their own front yard. Constantly watching and worrying about where kids are at all times is only going to stress-out parents and diminish kids’ abilities. With constant monitoring and help, kids lose their ability to do things for themselves. The problems employees are having with new generation’s work ethics can be traced back to this beginning. Parents constantly hovering and carrying every part of their kids’ lives causes children to be dependent on others. 

One of the best ways to protect children from real threats, and to expand their abilities, is to let them go and explore by themselves in order to allow them to become independent, and grow in every aspect. 

Allowing kids to explore on their own, allows them to learn and improve their imaginations. It gives them something to do other than watch TV and play video games all day. Climbing trees and playing with microscopes and chemicals allow children to be interested in the science of the world without a test at the end. Activities that sound dangerous at first, are what open the doors for future passions and experiences. 

If we want to drag our generation, and the generations after us out of the unmotivated label, we all need the opportunity to explore and have adventures without parents. The constant hovering of a person that only reminds children of reality diminishes what they are not only willing to do, but also what they are allowed to do. The freedom to explore and accomplish my own tasks when I was little is what gave me the drive to finish other tasks that were given to me. 

On your own, you learn how to set boundaries and rules for yourself, which you are much more likely to follow than those you are told to follow. Permitting kids to be alone allows them to develop these rules for themselves, making them better people in the long run. 

Having the opportunity to fall off that horse taught me to treat animals with care, and learn to be more aware of my surroundings.