5 dangerous things you should let your kids do (video)

I do agree that many kids are sheltered spoiled TV watchers and the like.

In earlier days, on their eighth birthday, boys would receive a .22 rifle, to pot rabbits and other pests.

We all had pocket-knives, sheath-knives, had a few silly mistakes, and still carry the scars to remind us.

They were taught the basics, and left to it.

Mind you, the educational standards of those pre-PC days was far better, because teachers, and parents too, taught the youngsters How to think.

In earlier days, we did not use "safety goggles, respirators, earmuffs etc, because these things had yet to be invented, but today, drilling and not using safety gear is asking for a large Lawsuit a'heading Gever Tulley's way.

I'd better stop here, or else I'll get wound up about it, and might bust a mainspring.

Kind Regards....

Looks like fun, I have a 5 year old boy who would love his own rifle!

But I will start small and start with a small pocket knfe and driving lessons, next summer on the farm.

To expound a bit more, when I was young, my father and I would buy a huge box of firecrackers every July, and it helped me learn safety and how to protect myself and others. There were no drugs, one could walk the streets alone, even at night, without fear of any problems. People didn't drive their cars like it was the Indy 500. The policeman's primary duty was helping little old ladies cross the street. Now, look at the world we live in! From another angle, look at the diseases that children in Africa and Asia are faced with. Why is there such a lack of asthma, MS, diabetes, etc in "poor" areas, while our "protected" children have all kinds of diseases and "shots" for more and more diseases.

If a growing individual doesn't learn about pain, then what mechanism is there left to prevent that individual doing something really harmful (rhetorical question)? Pain is the body's first line of defence. It is a learning experience. For example:

• Two 40mm-long scars on the head means "Don't bang yer silly head on things."
• One C-shaped scar on index finger of L hand means "Don't be so blinking stupid when handling ³/₄in wood chisels."
• One 30mm-long scar on thumb of L hand means "Don't be so blinking foolish with Stanley knives. You should have learned from that ³/₄in wood chisel incident!"
• Right big toe joint having inadequate movement means "Don't crash into the back of cars on yer push-bike, Plonker!"
• Right elbow gives sharp alarm whan working hard means "You crashed into something on yer bike and broke something again, didn't yer, you Silly Wotsit?"

Etc., etc.

<....supervised instruction of kids is great. And they get to learn how to use things safely and correctly....>

Indeed. It pays to learn by one's mistakes, though it is cheaper and easier to learn by others' mistakes.

My favorite quote from Will Rogers:

There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

I agree. One way or another, experience will (hopefully) teach us/them.

Harry Potter has a lot to answer for.....