Tag is No Longer It!

I think I need something explained to me. Maybe I don’t understand it because I don’t have kids of my own.

Last week I read an article about how yet another school has banned tag and other chasing games from being played during recess. The principal at the school in Attleboro, Massachusetts said that recess was a time when the most accidents happen, and by banning these games she hoped that fewer children would be hurt during recess and the school would not be held liable. The school had previously outlawed unsupervised contact sports during recess such as dodge ball.

Does this seem ridiculous to anyone else? Tag and other games seem to be essential parts of the socialization process children go through during elementary school. Without engagement in games such as these it seems to be that children will be missing out on a big part of learning what it means to be both competitive and to be social with the children around them. It’s something that I just don’t see them getting by being restricted to swings and other innocuous activities.

Again, maybe it’s because I don’t have any children. I just think some in society are going way to far in order to protect themselves from lawsuits.