The dangers of hide and seek

“Hide and seek game leaves boy stuck in washing machine”. Back in 2017 this title was featured on the front page of the Arab News. A seven year old boy was playing “hide and seek” with his sister and he thought he had found the perfect hiding place. Unfortunately his hiding place was a little too good and he got stuck for a few hours. In the end the emergency services were called and they used sunflower oil to prize him out of the tub!

Safety or over-protection?

Does this story mean we should ban our kids from playing games or taking risks? If you think about it every area of our lives is fraught with potential danger.

Swimming could lead to drowning, children fall from climbing frames, even art could be dangerous if your child likes putting pencils up their nose!

The answer of course is no. Without some risk we never learn, without some danger we wouldn’t grow up with the ability to recognize and deal with risks.

Balance and planning is the key

Our kids need some exposure to danger and risk but that doesn’t mean we should just abandon them to the elements and let them learn it all themselves. When we begin to walk our parents help us by moving trips and falls from out of our path. When we first learn to swim we are not just thrown in the deep end.

Parents should manage and minimize danger so that their children suffer at most, only small bumps and bruises. We should make sure that our children are safe but learning at the same time.

So let your kids play hide and seek, but be aware of potential hazards. And make sure you close the washing machine door!