Tag, You're Out!

For crying out loud. This school decided it caused conflict to allow children to play tag on the playground. They are still allowed to play "running games" as long as they don't "chase each other".

Explain what those running games might be. Seems to me, if kids are playing running games, they are likely to chase each other, unless they are having running races. Well that will be the next to go, because you certainly don't want any of the children to lose a race. It might damage their weak little self-esteem.

This is just another example of adults hovering over kids and micromanaging everything they do.

I call BS! If a kid is being chased against his or her will, there's a simple three step process to put an end to it:
#1) Ask politely that the chaser stop. (We just added this option in the last 20 years or so.)
#2) Retaliate. Try reciprocal chasing, clever name-calling, threats, or stopping suddenly in mid-flight so the chaser runs square into your back and busts his nose. Or how about this obvious solution: don't run away. Shouldn't that put a quick end to the chase?
#3) Tattle.

I bet the staff at this school never let this process work through. They nipped it in the bud by ending the fun for everyone before step 1. Either that, or there is a contingent of whiners that relied too heavily on option #3 and the teachers got sick of dealing with it.

Pshaw! I say fiddlesticks. We need to give kids a chance to learn creative play on their own. This includes all the negotiation, euphoria, and disappointment that goes along with playing a game. You win some, you lose some. If you lose, you come back and try harder next time. If a child opts out of certain games, no problem. If he opts out of everything, there are probably other issues going on.

If someone is cheating, let the kids figure out on their own that it's no fun to play with a cheater. Let these things play themselves out and eventually, you will find the cheater has fewer and fewer playmates. He might learn something from that. Interfere and the learning process breaks down before it even gets started.

No more tag on the playground? Nonsense! It's no wonder kids are getting chubby. The only time we leave them alone is when they are playing video games.