Children banned from playing "tag" on playground due to harrassment charges!

Probably as far back as civilization or families have existed, children have played "tag." I can remember playing this repeatedly at school, at home, at the grounds of the church building as a child. It is a fun, harmless game that costs nothing and expends a lot of energy--perfect for children.

Now, however, some schools are banning "tag" from the school playgrounds. See the news article on this:

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005367.cfm

Unbelievable. I love my children dearly, but we now live in an overprotective society. My daughter, Gina, will have to be in a car seat until she is 80 pounds--which for her, might be high school. Parents my age have sometimes never spent a night away from their children. All risk of injury, whether emotional or physical, is sought to be eliminated, no matter how remote or how expensive.

Could someone get hurt in tag, or "not want to play"? Sure. But the great benefit that is gained from playing far outweighs the cons.

The same mentality is found in the workplace, where sexual harrassment laws--good ideas to a degree--have gotten out of hand. If a guy asks a girl out twice, he is harrassing her. Good grief. If every guy gave up after getting one no, 75% of the marriages in America would not exist! These rules and laws are seeking to eliminate the natural differences between sexes, and the natural inclinations of children (to run and play!).

Unfortunately, Christian parents often take an overprotective attitude as well. Rather than watching television shows with their children and helping give them guidance about the messages being portrayed--something my parents did with me--they indiscriminately ban all sitcoms or movies. Then the child gets out on his or her own, mom and dad are not around, and they "freak out" because they have been over-sheltered all of their lives. Look, there is material I would never let me young children see, but let's not go overboard. If my daughter hears a curse word or two, I would rather her hear it first in my presence and help her deal with it, than on a playground.

This overprotectiveness is found in churches as well, where incredibly positive initiatives are resisted on the mere possibility that someone might do something doctrinally incorrect. Correction is not to be feared--it is part of a learning process. Paul could have shared the gospel only with Jews, and then he would not have had all the mess that we see in churches like Corinth. But because he did share faith with these people, many were reached who were not if he had stayed amongst a "safe people." And Paul thanked God for the church there, despite their problems.

I thank God for tag, despite the "risk" involved!