Tough conditions ensure that children develop life skills naturally

Spare the rod and spoil the child is an appropriately stern, and now outdated Victorian adage, but the modern twist — spare the jungle gym and spoil the child — deserves more than a cursory smirk. It seems that the disappearance of ‘dangerous’ playground staples such as high slides and see-saws in most western countries has left children largely chary of taking chances later on in life.

Back in the day, falls, scrapes and scratches and the occasional broken bone conditioned youngsters for the rough and tumble of adult life. Today’s safety measures in modern playgrounds such as soft surfaces and low-rise play furniture, ensures the only injury they get is a bruised ego. The point is moot whether this lack of spills in their early years leaves them with no stomach for adventure at all or actually leads western children to seek more dangerous thrills later on.

Indian kids, of course, need never worry that their instinct for adventure will remain unstimulated during their growing years. But they do not need the faux stimulation of brightly coloured slides and swings, see-saws and ‘monkey bars’ to develop their minds and bodies; simply growing up in India does the trick. Their reflexes are tested the moment they step out of their front doors, dodging potholes and traffic, itinerant bovines and uncovered drains.

Their leg muscles are soon honed to executing Olympic-level leaps and long jumps, swerves and pirouettes, while their arms fend off jostling crowds and help keep balance on teetering surfaces. All their other faculties are similarly finely tuned to gauge danger, distance, timing and other parameters. Indeed, given the conditions of the real world today, it is worth wondering whether playgrounds — safe or jungle gym-studded —can ever prepare youngsters for adulthood!