Tuesday 17 July 2012

What’s Black and Blue and Happy All Over? Ask Your Child’s Doctor « FreeRangeKids

What’s Black and Blue and Happy All Over? Ask Your Child’s Doctor « FreeRangeKids

Love this piece from Lenore at Free Range Kids. It has a direct correlation to the type of, and venue for, childrens' play currently, i.e. sitting in front of a screen inside. Regardless of the fact that I know recent trends have taken a toll on childrens' play I was still shocked? at how such changes have flow on effects even for large multinational chemical companies. If you like this piece, I would recommend you subscribe to Free Range Kids.

"Hi Folks — I love this exchange on Facebook about kids and bruises! Wrote one mom:













I brought my 5 year old son to the dentist yesterday and she was amazed to
see that he has scratches and bruises. She said she never really sees those kinds of small injuries on kids nowadays because they play inside all day. What is happening to childhood in this country that seeing a scratch or small bruise on a 5 year olds shins is something out of the ordinary? When I was a kid my knees were always scraped and my shins were always bruised because that was just part of playing outside.

Wrote another:
I hate to admit this, making myself look neurotic, but when my son was 2, when he really started getting brave, his little legs were covered in bruises/knots/you name it. He had a few on his arms, but his legs looked (to me) awful, and I obsessed myself into thinking something must be terribly wrong–surely he had some kind of bleeding issue! A blood disorder! I finally got up the nerve to take him to the pediatrician (had to steel myself for the inevitable bad news, of course), and she looked at him, and looked at me, and said, “He has busy little two-year-old boy legs, and if he’s lucky you’re going to let them stay that way.” She also advised that I chill out before I drive us both (all?) crazy. Best advice I’ve ever gotten–and he is, to this day, covered in bruises and scratches and who knows what, because he rides his bike and jumps off everything he sees, and thank goodness he can. – Paula Kiihnl King

Wrote me:
This reminds me of the time I spoke to an advertising exec at Tide and he said kids’ clothes aren’t getting that dirty anymore. Bad for laundry detergent, bad for kids! – L

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