Re: Hate Thread
Somewhat on the subject, an article in my paper today about how risky child's play is. It sounds as if the article was written by a granddad in the early 80's. "Parents know the risks, wondering if a trip to the ER will soon follow buying a scooter or a BMX bike for their child, and buy these high-injury-rate products anyway. So it's not surprising our outdoor play seems to get more and more extreme each passing year, with equipment once reserved for the X Games or the Olympics increasing in family back yards."
I'm gonna stop there for a second. This article is specifically to describe modern toys, like these two wheels in which you put your feet into the rings and roll sideways as if you're on a skateboard, called the Orbitwheel. But the person writing this article is going even as far back to bikes. Yes, bicycles are used in the X games and children get hurt on them. Shame on those parents for buying their kid a bike.
"It's common these days to see toddlers somersaulting on a backyard trampoline." Really? Is it? Toddlers? Somersaulting? Very common. "as for skateboards and scooters, they've become as standard a childhood accessory as a bicycle or a wagon. (And what 8 year old rides those these days?) For more cutting-edge adventure, kids are balancing on slack lines tied between two trees, soaring off the backyard deck on a zip line, or tooling around the neighborhood on a motorized unicycle."
I'm being unfair here cuz technically this article is an advertisement as well since it does give information, but the backing to this sounds so misinformed. Those slack lines tied between trees are paired with the warning that it should only be about knee height. But these fucking kids these days are tying it up in tree branches and zippity do da'ing off their roofs into traffic, with their crazy hip hopscotch music.
"To a doctor who treats broken bones and torn tissue, such product descriptions bring a wince. But Dr. _______ _______, a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says.." Here's where my attention was grabbed. Oh here comes Mr. actual doctor to give facts on why the concern is often bullshit. "...says he understands how hard it can be for parents to say 'no' to their kids' using toys or gear that are popular in spite of having lengthy and detailed warning labels." -_- No, here's the ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON discussing parents giving in to pressure. It then goes on to describe that the organization discourages use of skateboards for anyone under 5 and scooters for anyone under 8, and mentions that this Dr. has 2 kids both under 5, who each own both of those toys, his quip being "I can fix whatever they break."