http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323622904578129063506832312.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.

This a link to a fairly recent Wall Street Journal article, Playing It Too Safe, which essentially argues that children should take more risks. It is a bit more nuanced than many of the ‘school of hard knocks’ rhetoric and thus worth reading. I don’t agree with the view but you might. If you do, please post a comment. Here is an excerpt:

“Some child-development experts and parents say decades of dumbed-down playgrounds, fueled by fears of litigation, concerns about injury and worrywart helicopter parents, have led to cookie-cutter equipment that offers little thrill. The result, they say, is that children are less compelled to play outside, potentially stunting emotional and physical development and exacerbating a nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.”