Comments on: Kid Gloves? http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/ Deas Richardson is currently living as a JET and teaching English in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea, a gorgeous part of Japan. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:24:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Deas http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-3692 Deas Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:05:30 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-3692 Thanks for the comment, Rhea. And welcome to the blog! Thanks for the comment, Rhea. And welcome to the blog!

]]> By: Rhea Nomali http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-3689 Rhea Nomali Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:09:41 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-3689 I realize I'm a bit late with this, and I also have no real conception of what the purpose of this blog is, but I just have to say that I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. I was on Google when I found this, trying to find info on playground trends, because this is a very little-known phenomenon that I've noticed myself and that bothers me. I'm starting to grow a real passion for playground reform-- none of this "Oh, there's a small chance you might get hurt, so you should probably just never have fun again" crap. There is no real point to my comment, I suppose I just wanted to make my agreement known because there is so little of this sentiment in the public awareness. I might check back here later... I realize I’m a bit late with this, and I also have no real conception of what the purpose of this blog is, but I just have to say that I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. I was on Google when I found this, trying to find info on playground trends, because this is a very little-known phenomenon that I’ve noticed myself and that bothers me. I’m starting to grow a real passion for playground reform– none of this “Oh, there’s a small chance you might get hurt, so you should probably just never have fun again” crap.

There is no real point to my comment, I suppose I just wanted to make my agreement known because there is so little of this sentiment in the public awareness. I might check back here later…

]]> By: Deas http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-243 Deas Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:31:52 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-243 Megan, I feel your pain. My school replaced the entire wooden playground because some kid got a splinter. What the heck? Our awesomely versatile pirate ship / hunter lodge / jungle hut / ninja training camp style wooden setups were gone in a flash. Sigh. Stupid kids. Stupid stupid kids. Actually, strike that, the kids were just unfortunate accidents that happen all the time. Stupid stupid PARENTS WHO SUE. Honestly. Ha ha. Yeah, we have talked about it. Improving education and removing money from non-monetary / arbitrary / asinine court settlements. Ha ha. I guess I could be a rebel and have kids and then build them the most ridiculous tree house ever, and then play with them in it. But I might have to have other kids' parents sign waivers...which isn't particularly rebel-like. ARGH. Ha ha. 8-) Bring back the old school playgrounds. Kids are resilient little things, parents. They heal. Most of the time. Ha ha. Megan, I feel your pain. My school replaced the entire wooden playground because some kid got a splinter. What the heck? Our awesomely versatile pirate ship / hunter lodge / jungle hut / ninja training camp style wooden setups were gone in a flash. Sigh. Stupid kids. Stupid stupid kids. Actually, strike that, the kids were just unfortunate accidents that happen all the time. Stupid stupid PARENTS WHO SUE. Honestly. Ha ha. Yeah, we have talked about it. Improving education and removing money from non-monetary / arbitrary / asinine court settlements. Ha ha. I guess I could be a rebel and have kids and then build them the most ridiculous tree house ever, and then play with them in it. But I might have to have other kids’ parents sign waivers…which isn’t particularly rebel-like. ARGH. Ha ha. 8-) Bring back the old school playgrounds. Kids are resilient little things, parents. They heal. Most of the time. Ha ha.

]]> By: Megan http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-242 Megan Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:40:46 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-242 There was a playground in my neighborhood when I was growing up that had a metal slide that was at LEAST fifteen feet tall. (Okay, so it might have been twelve, I was SIX at the time, gimme a break.) You had to make sure that you didn't slide down it with shorts on or you'd stick (the clever child could get around this by not letting her legs touch the slide), and sometimes it was fun to go down on your belly. Some dumb-$#!7 kid went down on his feet, fell off (surprise surprise) and the mom <i>sued the city</i>. Sighs. But we've talked about this. I loved that slide. There was a playground in my neighborhood when I was growing up that had a metal slide that was at LEAST fifteen feet tall. (Okay, so it might have been twelve, I was SIX at the time, gimme a break.) You had to make sure that you didn’t slide down it with shorts on or you’d stick (the clever child could get around this by not letting her legs touch the slide), and sometimes it was fun to go down on your belly.

Some dumb-$#!7 kid went down on his feet, fell off (surprise surprise) and the mom sued the city. Sighs. But we’ve talked about this.

I loved that slide.

]]> By: Deas http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-239 Deas Fri, 30 Mar 2007 23:31:40 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-239 Wouldn't be the first time that my writing has done caused general dismay among the academics. (Like the time I had to rewrite a Chinese History paper for linking the introduction of Theravada Buddhism to China [where it morphed into Mahayana Buddhism] and concluded that it was largely responsible for soy-based culinary pursuits and therefore tangentially responsible for soybean based synthesized beer... Definitely had to rewrite that one. Ha ha. Oh college. Fun stuff. Sorry, Dr. Kiely.) Wouldn’t be the first time that my writing has done caused general dismay among the academics.

(Like the time I had to rewrite a Chinese History paper for linking the introduction of Theravada Buddhism to China [where it morphed into Mahayana Buddhism] and concluded that it was largely responsible for soy-based culinary pursuits and therefore tangentially responsible for soybean based synthesized beer… Definitely had to rewrite that one. Ha ha. Oh college. Fun stuff. Sorry, Dr. Kiely.)

]]> By: Scott http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-238 Scott Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:17:31 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-238 "I will address none of these questions." I think English professors collectively worldwide just had a heart attack. Haha. “I will address none of these questions.” I think English professors collectively worldwide just had a heart attack. Haha.

]]> By: Deas http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-237 Deas Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:00:22 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-237 Um...I guess not. Or if I did I don't remember. Sorry. :-) Um…I guess not. Or if I did I don’t remember. Sorry. :-)

]]> By: Kathy http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-236 Kathy Fri, 30 Mar 2007 02:24:52 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-236 I totally played in a playground in Hokkaido with those plastic pandas.....did you never see my pics from that??? =P I totally played in a playground in Hokkaido with those plastic pandas…..did you never see my pics from that??? =P

]]> By: Deas http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-235 Deas Fri, 30 Mar 2007 01:14:56 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-235 Ha ha - good point Alex. The rise and run measurements of the stairs I grew up with were dangerous enough. Make them thinner and taller and you're asking for trouble. Here's a picture I took in a firehouse museum that will <a href="http://www.furman.edu/inted/viewimages.cfm?id=64&fid=251&pid=250" rel="nofollow">illustrate the danger</a> for those who have never seen a Japanese staircase. Ha ha – good point Alex. The rise and run measurements of the stairs I grew up with were dangerous enough. Make them thinner and taller and you’re asking for trouble. Here’s a picture I took in a firehouse museum that will illustrate the danger for those who have never seen a Japanese staircase.

]]> By: Alex http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/comment-page-1/#comment-234 Alex Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:50:30 +0000 http://www.rockinginhakata.com/2007/03/30/117/#comment-234 How can parents complain about playgrounds when they have practically vertical, ladder-like, hardwood staircases in their homes? They're death traps! How can parents complain about playgrounds when they have practically vertical, ladder-like, hardwood staircases in their homes? They’re death traps!

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