“If children are never exposed to risk, they will never be

able to cope with risk”

The protection of the children is very important, but sometimes it’s better to let
them see more the world. This topic, like others is controversial and there always
be different opinions, however, the protection of the children is the responsibility of
each parents, independent if the result is positive or negative.

The concern of children is always something that, like all subjects, can be
exaggerated. I speak of the overprotection that is sometimes had towards children
by parents, because of course that parents have to protect their children, and the
concern for children is something very natural and more so if you are a father or
mother, but, everything extreme is usually bad and this case is not the exception.

The advantages that children can be exposed to hazards from an early age, are
that they may already know how to handle dangerous situations in different ways
when this appear in the future, they will know how to react, who to call, and they
could keep calm, regardless if the situation is very risky. An example of
reasonable risk-taking in play results in a comfortable willingness to make mistakes
and learn from failure. For instance, let’s say a boy skins his knee climbing a rock
wall, but in the process learns that he can still reach the top. This assurance that a
child can overcome obstacles quickly translates to other risky-life decisions
presented in childhood. Choosing to step onto the school bus for the first time or
signing up for the school play are decisions that kids confront with confidence if
they’ve practiced reasonable risk-taking. This confidence is key in childhood
psychological development. It’s important that kids learn the excitement of
success, the coping skills needed to move through failure and frustration, and the
perseverance to try and try again, even if it is uncomfortable and hard. However if
they give children so much freedom to explore and if they do not have minimal
control, this can also have negative consequences. The children, seeing that they
are given so much freedom, can take advantage of it too much and do things that
go beyond normal situations of danger.

Finally is important that the children experience risks to know how to handle them,
how to react and how to avoid that can affect them much more, but, it is also
important to watch them enough to see when situations are much greater. It is also
important to watch them to help them in case they experience a risk for the first
time, so that if in the future a similar situation occurs again, they know what to do
without the parents being with them, Each child is unique and so the level of risk
and challenge they seek will also vary, yet most children will actively seek risk and
challenge in play as they explore the world around them and their own physical
abilities.

Joan Sebastián Lagos Moreno 11E