爲什麼孩子在玩耍的時候需要風險,害怕和刺激
"Be careful!" "Not so high!" "Stop that!"
"小心點！""不要爬那麼高！""不要那麼做！"Concerned parents can often be heard urging safety when children are at play. Recent research suggests this may be over-protective and that kids need more opportunities for risky play outdoors.
孩子玩耍的時候，那些玻璃心的父母總會對他們說這些話讓他們注意安全。最近的研究表明：這樣可能過度保護了孩子，他們需要更多的機會在戶外進行有風險的遊戲。Risky play is thrilling and exciting play where children test their boundaries and flirt with uncertainty. They climb trees, build forts, roam the neighbourhood with friends or play capture the flag. Research shows such play is associated with increased physical activity, social skills, risk management skills, resilience and self-confidence. These findings make intuitive sense when you watch children at play.
有風險的玩耍十分刺激、令人興奮，孩子們能夠知道自己的限度在哪、挑戰未知的事物。他們爬樹、建城堡、與朋友一起在家附近閒逛或玩奪旗遊戲。研究表明：這類玩耍能增強身體活動、社交技能、風險管理技能，同時還能提高恢復力和自信心。當你觀察孩子玩耍時的舉動時，你就能明白這一研究結果了。
Importantly, it's not up to parents or experts to decide what is risky play for a particular child. Rather, children need to be given the mental and physical space to figure out appropriate risk levels for themselves: far enough that it feels exhilarating, but not so far that it becomes too scary.
重要的是，家長和專家不能爲孩子決定什麼樣的玩耍是有風險的。相反，孩子需要有身心空間，找出適合自己的風險等級：既能讓人興奮，又不會太過恐怖。
My years as an injury prevention researcher have left me well aware of things that can go wrong and how to prevent them from happening. But because I have a doctorate in developmental psychology, I am also concerned that we are keeping our kids too safe. Preventing our kids from exploring uncertainty could have unintended negative consequences for their health and development, such as increased sedentary behaviour, anxiety and phobias.
擔任傷害預防研究員的那幾年經歷使我特別清楚什麼事情會出錯以及如何預防這些事情的發生。但因爲我讀了發展心理學博士，所以我也擔心我們可能過度保護了孩子的安全。不讓孩子探索未知的事物可能會對他們的健康和發展帶來意想不到的負面影響，比如久坐不動的時間變長、焦慮和恐懼增加。Parents' hopes and fears
家長的希望和擔心Many of the parents I've spoken to through my research recognize the importance of risky play, but can be overwhelmed by worry about the possibility of serious injury or abduction. They also worry that someone is going to report them to the authorities for letting their child take risks. These worries make it hard for them to let go and can result in over-protection.
研究中，與我交流的很多父母都意識到風險玩耍的重要性，但卻過分擔心嚴重受傷或被綁架的可能性。他們還擔心有人會向地方當局舉報他們讓孩子冒險。基於這些擔心，他們很難放手，所以纔會對孩子過度保護。More recently, I've noticed an opposite trend: parents who are worried their child is too timid and not taking enough risks. They want to know how they can help their child take more risks in play. This concerns me as much as over-protection. Both approaches can increase the risk of injury and harm since they ignore children's capabilities and preferences.
最近，我注意到一個相反的趨勢：父母擔心自己的孩子太過膽小、不具有冒險精神。他們想知道如何讓孩子在玩耍中冒更多險。這與過度保護一樣令我擔憂。這兩種方法都會增加受傷的風險，因爲他們都忽視了孩子的能力和偏好。
