Tag Archives: childhood

The death of James Bulger: a singular tragedy and a damaging landmark

Posted on February 13, 2013 | 5 Comments

One of the challenges of writing about the Bulger killing is confronting the enormity of what happened to James, and its catastrophic impact on his family. To hear the interview with James’s father Ralph Bulger on Radio Four yesterday morning is to hear a man driven to the very edge of self-destruction by the tragedy that befell him.

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Posted in Morality

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“To be nowhere at home but in life itself”

Posted on July 19, 2012 | 8 Comments

dribble sculptureHere are some finely crafted lines on the role of adults in children’s education, from the German poet H H Dreiske:

One should teach children to dance
on a tightrope without a safety net,
to sleep at night alone under the sky,
to row a boat out on the open sea.

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Posted in Education

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Why do our childhood play memories matter?

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 7 Comments
Robin Moore Adventure Playground photo

Photo: Robin Moore

Playworker and blogger Morgan Leichter-Saxby recently posted a thoughtful three part series of pieces on the topic of play memories. She argued that, while the process of inviting adults to recall their childhood memories of play can be powerful, it needs to be done with care, and may not always be appropriate. I see her point, but feel the technique has a value that is hard to downplay.

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Posted in play

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Please Kidshealth, give parents (and kids) a break

Posted on June 28, 2012 | 12 Comments

girl jumping off swingThe US non-profit agency Kidshealth – which claims that it runs the #1 most visited website for children’s health and development – has eight web pages of guidance for parents on playground safety. Page 6 includes the following advice: “Kids should always sit in the swing, not stand or kneel. They should hold on tightly with both hands while swinging, and when finished swinging, stop the swing completely before getting off.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Learning, Parenting, play, playground, Risk

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The outdoor child: doomed to extinction?

Posted on March 15, 2012 | 8 Comments

Shrinking horizons of childhoodEvery year since 1979 there has been a Big Garden Bird Watch, a UK-wide survey organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. I can’t help wondering about a survey of a different species: a Big Outdoor Child Watch.

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Posted in Child development, Nature, Outdoor play, Parenting

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Is a taste of freedom the key to a good childhood?

Posted on January 13, 2012 | 5 Comments

Yesterday’s launch of the Good Childhood report from the Children’s Society has prompted more soul-searching about childhood. Coverage has focused on the report’s finding that half a million of the country’s children aged 8 to 16 – nearly 10 per cent – had a low sense of well-being. This is indeed a troubling finding – even if some of those children will become happier over time. Yet this media focus, while understandable, misses out a far more important message: the crucial value of a taste of freedom and autonomy. Continue reading →

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Posted in Mobility, Outdoor play, Public policy

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