Don’t run, don’t jump! don’t go crazy!

The parks in Taipei are amazingly safe. The ground has thick, hard rubber. The equipment is usually fairly new and well maintained. And I love to watch the kid’s faces when they arrive at the park. They’ve been stuck inside an apartment all day or stuck at school sitting down the whole time. Their little faces light up when they see the park and they run forward. And what do you hear next? Mom says,”Don’t run! Don’t climb on that! You’ll get hurt! Get down! Don’t jump off.!” What is wrong with these people? Why do they take their kids to the park in the first place? Do they allow their kids to breath? Treating children like this destroys their movement skills. They are already stuck inside all day and can’t run or jump or climb. Then when they go to the park, they still can’t move. What happens when these kids grow older? What happens when they become adults? How many people need to be pushed around in a wheelchair by a Filipino maid because they weren’t allowed to run and jump as children?