NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/202

my child emailed me this link (the whole talk is about 9 minutes long) about dangerous things I should "let her do" so she grows up well rounded.

while I can agree with a few.......and have let a few of these happen already, some of this is just :eek:

I know I am a neurotic overprotective person because, well, I've seen the badness, and also I have an anxiety disorder due to aforementioned badness.

what do you guys think? agree? disagree? which ones do you think are good ideas? which ones are bad?

I nearly shit myself when I saw that kid driving...........ack! people don't do that! he could crash and being on your lap?! he's gonna die! that's it, end of story, internal bleeding smashed through the windshield dead kid.

my 6yo has some experience with fire, has been taking apart small electronics for a while, and has some knife skillz, but other than that *wraps her daughter in bubble wrap*

and don't even talk to me about my 4 yo........*puts her in a plastic bubble*

what dangerous things do you think kids should be allowed to do? what is off limits?

These are the five things I'd let my children do in order to make them well-rounded, contributing members in society:

1) Fight a bear or other large animal

2) Complete a stunt driver course in order to recieve their junior license

3) Extreme Kayaking

4) Their first job be one that involves volatile substances

5) Light something important and/or expensive on fire

I don't understand the breaking the law part. How is that a useful lesson?

I don't understand the breaking the law part. How is that a useful lesson?

I don't know, it didn't seem to fit into the talk at all, but he was rather scatter brained.......he didn't seem comfortable talking.

interesting.
The driving thing is useful, as long as it's on a flat open field, i don't think it would be wise to allow the kid to take control of a car in a busy street though. But still yeah, i think fire is one of the most important things they should learn how to deal with, that and throwing things, ace.

interesting.
The driving thing is useful, as long as it's on a flat open field, i don't think it would be wise to allow the kid to take control of a car in a busy street though. But still yeah, i think fire is one of the most important things they should learn how to deal with, that and throwing things, ace.

I don't see how it's useful to let a 6 year old drive a car. :confused:

I don't understand the breaking the law part. How is that a useful lesson?

he was on about, getting the kids to understand why breaking the law is wrong and gave an example, albeit not a very good example.
But basically the idea that the kid should understand why the law is there, and not just know it's wrong to do something, but why it occurs.

I don't see how it's useful to let a 6 year old drive a car. :confused:

It's great fun for starters, and it gets their heads around how much power the cars have.
I suppose 6 is a bit young, i first drove a quadbike at about 11, it was really good fun.

The only one of those that I was really like "uh-uh, no way" was the driving thing. *Maybe* if you really are in an empty lot with nothing else around, but even then I don't think I'd do that with a kid.

And I say this even though I did have the whole experience of sitting in a parent's lap and steering as a young child.

The car suggestion is a little extreme but the others seem fine (although a few would require supervision).

So what if the kids get hurt? Everyone gets hurt. If they learn the dangers/advantages/other stuff about things early on they'll know for later on in life.

Seems like a good idea to me tbh.

I don't understand the breaking the law part. How is that a useful lesson?

He thinks kids should know that you can accidentally break the law.

Or something like that. That one was less clear.

I don't see how it's useful to let a 6 year old drive a car. :confused:

I don't see how it's so dangerous either assuming the conditions it is performed in are suitable

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/202

my child emailed me this link (the whole talk is about 9 minutes long) about dangerous things I should "let her do" so she grows up well rounded.

while I can agree with a few.......and have let a few of these happen already, some of this is just :eek:

I know I am a neurotic overprotective person because, well, I've seen the badness, and also I have an anxiety disorder due to aforementioned badness.

what do you guys think? agree? disagree? which ones do you think are good ideas? which ones are bad?

I nearly shit myself when I saw that kid driving...........ack! people don't do that! he could crash and being on your lap?! he's gonna die! that's it, end of story, internal bleeding smashed through the windshield dead kid.

my 6yo has some experience with fire, has been taking apart small electronics for a while, and has some knife skillz, but other than that *wraps her daughter in bubble wrap*

and don't even talk to me about my 4 yo........*puts her in a plastic bubble*

what dangerous things do you think kids should be allowed to do? what is off limits?

Uh, yeah, I don't see what children driving cars can accomplish that bicycles can't. Ditto for spears vs. a baseball. But Tulley has an excellent point - exploration and danger (within controlled circumstances) are crucial to building children's self-confidence and self-reliance.

A lot of the situations Tulley describes are great parent-child bonding situations, too. No one in their right mind is going to hand a five year-old a knife one afternoon and let them have at it. A key element of exposing kids to "dangerous" situations is teaching, demystifying and setting some supervised boundaries. It takes active parenting, which benefits parents and kids.

I don't understand the breaking the law part. How is that a useful lesson?

not sure what he was getting at exactly, but breaking stupid laws is a good habit to get people into in general. especially when combined with being able to determine what laws are good and what laws are stupid on their own.

Watching it now, mostly him rambling so far.








1) Eh, I was tending our coal fired pot-bellied stove when I was like 10. Playing with fire was a pretty regular thing. Fun stuff.
2) Pocket knife, absolutely. Not just a knife, but a multi-tool. Useful to have. Though my parents didn't let me have one.
3) Spear throwing? Eh.. I've made a few when I was a kid. 'Least once I got myself a hatchet. (yeah they wouldn't let me have a pocket knife but a hatchet was A-Okay!)
4) Taking apart machines, that's fine. They learn how things work.

I missed one somewhere. The driving one apparently. I drove my first three wheeler at about age 11 or so. Operated my first combine harvester at like 8. Everything was labeled, so it was idiot proof. It's not like they moved fast.

The driving one apparently. I drove my first three wheeler at about age 11 or so. Operated my first combine harvester at like 8. Everything was labeled, so it was idiot proof. It's not like they moved fast.

My dad taught me to drive the tractors when I was about 10 but in the beginning he just taught me to put it in gear and neglected to tell me about the throttle so I would just trundle about on it at about 2 mph. Once he thought I was fine with that, which didn't take long, he clued me in on the rest

Uh, yeah, I don't see what children driving cars can accomplish that bicycles can't. Ditto for spears vs. a baseball.

cars are bigger and more powerful and handle differently. its a totally different experience and relates directly to understanding the nature of machinery in general and our relationship to it.

and while throwing anything is rather satisfying to our paleolithic brains, spears have certain properties that makes them especially cool. the way you throw and aim them is different - harder, actually. and making them stick into the intended target is just plain fun.

My dad taught me to drive the tractors when I was about 10 but in the beginning he just taught me to put it in gear and neglected to tell me about the throttle so I would just trundle about on it at about 2 mph. Once he thought I was fine with that, which didn't take long, he clued me in on the rest

Machine I learned on everything was labeled with little graphic labels. Which even at the time I thought was hilarious. Must be a bunch of illiterate farm hands out there somewhere. Good thing about growing up on a farm, you learn shit like that very young. Hell I know people who learned to drive semi-trucks at age 12 or 13.

Machine I learned on everything was labeled with little graphic labels. Which even at the time I thought was hilarious. Must be a bunch of illiterate farm hands out there somewhere. Good thing about growing up on a farm, you learn shit like that very young. Hell I know people who learned to drive semi-trucks at age 12 or 13.

Yeah but the downside to learning was getting roped in to help at harvest time. I was never a big fan of driving up and down in straight lines for hours on end :p

Yeah but the downside to learning was getting roped in to help at harvest time. I was never a big fan of driving up and down in straight lines for hours on end :p

Big boring fields. Straight line, 20 minutes later, turn, straight line.:rolleyes:

cars are bigger and more powerful and handle differently. its a totally different experience and relates directly to understanding the nature of machinery in general and our relationship to it.



Meh. The real value of cars as empowerment is their extension of mobility, and a young child won't experience that for years to come. Getting them on a bike has far more value by giving them an immediate tool/skills to explore on their own. Then again, I'm kind of ambivalent about cars to begin with.

One of the things I hate is medical suspicion. I recently took a run to the emergency room with Little Goofball who managed to climb onto the kitchen counter. Still bemused, I walked over to him to pull him down when he stumbled, fell and landed on hands and knees on the counter. Of course, as soon as he wobbled, I bolted for him expecting him to tumble off the countertop. When he didn't, I gave a sigh of relief as I'm right next to him at this point. A decorative plate my wife keeps above the high cabinets must've been jarred loose becasue before I can react, it falls and smashes to pieces on the back of his head.

--freakout scene edited for time--

So we're at the emergency room and my son is having six stiches sewn into the back of his head(his first stitches! They grow up so fast! *wispy eyed*). Now I get grilled by a suspicious doctor over how my son got hurt. I can't help but be offended. If I were going to beat my son, I certainly know how to avoid visible marks. Oops. That didn't come out right. ;) Still, he inferred that somehow I had been neglectful in caring for my son by giving him the free time to climb a kitchen counter.

So afterward, I spent quite some time messed up by the fact that I was more concerned than ever over my son getting hurt, not because of him getting hurt, but because of what other people might think of my parenting. I have since recovered, reminding myself of the fact that kids will get hurt.

Recently, a nearby town cleared a wooded lot strewn with boulders and other debris that children loved to play in but occasionally got injured in. They removed the lumber and organic debris, dropped all the boulders and rocks on the back end of the lot and built a fantabulous playground filled with all those bright shiny safe stairs, slides and tunnels that grown-ups think kids love. About nine months later, a child was crushed to death when the pile of boulders he was playing on shifted onto him. This is the truth about children. It sucks, but it's true.

Meh. The real value of cars as empowerment is their extension of mobility, and a young child won't experience that for years to come. Getting them on a bike has far more value by giving them an immediate tool/skills to explore on their own. Then again, I'm kind of ambivalent about cars to begin with.

I can't speak for others but the difference between being allowed to use a bike and being allowed to use a car/tractor/etc was that it showed me that my parents thought I was responsible enough to use them. I felt really proud of that at the time and it made me want to make sure I lived up to that responsibility

he was on about, getting the kids to understand why breaking the law is wrong and gave an example, albeit not a very good example.
But basically the idea that the kid should understand why the law is there, and not just know it's wrong to do something, but why it occurs.
Breaking the law isn't necessarily wrong. It's generally imprudent, but I wouldn't grant the law any necessary moral weight.

I drove a pick-up truck when I was 7. I just steered - I sat on the driver's lap and the driver (usually my aunt or grandfather) ran the pedals. I mostly drove on the dirt road leading across my aunt's 80 acre farm from the highway to the house. By the time I was 11 I was allowed to drive the whole truck (on the same road).

I don't think it really made me a better driver, though. It was just fun.

I don't think it really made me a better driver, though. It was just fun.

I think it actually made it more difficult for me to get my license later on because it was so difficult to get rid of all the bad habits i'd picked up

I can't speak for others but the difference between being allowed to use a bike and being allowed to use a car/tractor/etc was that it showed me that my parents thought I was responsible enough to use them. I felt really proud of that at the time and it made me want to make sure I lived up to that responsibility

I think we need to define "young child". I was thinking of the eight or nine-ish child in the video sitting in Dad's lap "driving". Sure, when my daughter is old enough to get a driver's license she can use the car. In the meantime I'd rather encourage her exploration and self-confidence by teaching her to use things she has access to now (ie: a bicycle) than encouraging a fascination with driving. The skills she gets riding a bicycle on her own will be far more applicable to her eventual driving than whatever she learns holding the steering wheel from my lap.

I think we need to define "young child". I was thinking of the eight or nine-ish child in the video sitting in Dad's lap "driving". Sure, when my daughter is old enough to get a driver's license she can use the car. In the meantime I'd rather encourage her exploration and self-confidence by teaching her to use things she has access to now (ie: a bicycle) than encouraging a fascination with driving. The skills she gets riding a bicycle on her own will be far more applicable to her eventual driving than whatever she learns holding the steering wheel from my lap.

That's what I was thinking too and it didn't encourage a fascination with driving. It took away the fascination with driving by showing me it was a mundane task and it did that in a safe environment on private property where I couldn't hurt other people. The goal was never to give me better driving skills in later life, as I have already said. Instead the goal was to show that my responsible attitude was appreciated and to give me an avenue to prove it further.

Not to mention that it is not a case of "either learn to ride a bike or learn to drive a car". I did both at a young age

Edit: I also understand that not everyone has the available space to teach in this way, or the available vehicles.

That's what I was thinking too and it didn't encourage a fascination with driving. It took away the fascination with driving by showing me it was a mundane task and it did that in a safe environment on private property where I couldn't hurt other people. The goal was never to give me better driving skills in later life, as I have already said. Instead the goal was to show that my responsible attitude was appreciated and to give me an avenue to prove it further.




When I talk about a "fascination with driving" I'm referring to that obnoxious suburban habit--partly the fault of bad urban planning, partly the fault of suburban obnoxiousness--of driving everywhere for everything. I don't want my daughter to grow up thinking that the car is the first resort to get anywhere, particularly in a setting where so many other options exist.

Meh. The real value of cars as empowerment is their extension of mobility, and a young child won't experience that for years to come. Getting them on a bike has far more value by giving them an immediate tool/skills to explore on their own. Then again, I'm kind of ambivalent about cars to begin with.

that is the value to teenagers. kids are more fascinated by the idea of big machines, and especially getting the opportunity to control one.

I suspect we may be arguing over an urban/rural thing.

Yup I would agree that is the case.

As for other things I would let my hypothetical kids try should they wish :

- fire a gun

- most sports I can think of (although i'm sure someone will think of something truly horrific to change that :p )

One of the things I hate is medical suspicion. I recently took a run to the emergency room with Little Goofball who managed to climb onto the kitchen counter. Still bemused, I walked over to him to pull him down when he stumbled, fell and landed on hands and knees on the counter. Of course, as soon as he wobbled, I bolted for him expecting him to tumble off the countertop. When he didn't, I gave a sigh of relief as I'm right next to him at this point. A decorative plate my wife keeps above the high cabinets must've been jarred loose becasue before I can react, it falls and smashes to pieces on the back of his head.

--freakout scene edited for time--

So we're at the emergency room and my son is having six stiches sewn into the back of his head(his first stitches! They grow up so fast! *wispy eyed*). Now I get grilled by a suspicious doctor over how my son got hurt. I can't help but be offended. If I were going to beat my son, I certainly know how to avoid visible marks. Oops. That didn't come out right. ;) Still, he inferred that somehow I had been neglectful in caring for my son by giving him the free time to climb a kitchen counter.

So afterward, I spent quite some time messed up by the fact that I was more concerned than ever over my son getting hurt, not because of him getting hurt, but because of what other people might think of my parenting. I have since recovered, reminding myself of the fact that kids will get hurt.

Recently, a nearby town cleared a wooded lot strewn with boulders and other debris that children loved to play in but occasionally got injured in. They removed the lumber and organic debris, dropped all the boulders and rocks on the back end of the lot and built a fantabulous playground filled with all those bright shiny safe stairs, slides and tunnels that grown-ups think kids love. About nine months later, a child was crushed to death when the pile of boulders he was playing on shifted onto him. This is the truth about children. It sucks, but it's true.
doctors are one thing, random people with nothing better to do are quite another. my girls share a room (we are remedying this soon) but the nature of living in an enclosed space with someone else, well, it causes conflict, and since they are young and don't have well developed senses of cause and effect, they often get into really violent fights.......it's a kid thing, I got stabbed when I was 6 by my cousin.......kids make bad choices.

at least 3 times in the last year my 4 year old has had some manner of bruise or gash on her face.......people in the grocery store have actually stopped her and asked "do mommy and daddy hit you?" she looks at them like they are insane. I explain to them that the girls got into a fight........and they look at me all disapproving, one of them suggested I send my 6 year old to "boot camp" :rolleyes:

they are children, they fight like.........children.

doctors are one thing, random people with nothing better to do are quite another. my girls share a room (we are remedying this soon) but the nature of living in an enclosed space with someone else, well, it causes conflict, and since they are young and don't have well developed senses of cause and effect, they often get into really violent fights.......it's a kid thing, I got stabbed when I was 6 by my cousin.......kids make bad choices.

at least 3 times in the last year my 4 year old has had some manner of bruise or gash on her face.......people in the grocery store have actually stopped her and asked "do mommy and daddy hit you?" she looks at them like they are insane. I explain to them that the girls got into a fight........and they look at me all disapproving, one of them suggested I send my 6 year old to "boot camp" :rolleyes:

they are children, they fight like.........children.


I can't wait until the twins are old enough to gang up on their older brother. I've got a few years to wait. :(

doctors are one thing, random people with nothing better to do are quite another. my girls share a room (we are remedying this soon) but the nature of living in an enclosed space with someone else, well, it causes conflict, and since they are young and don't have well developed senses of cause and effect, they often get into really violent fights.......it's a kid thing, I got stabbed when I was 6 by my cousin.......kids make bad choices.

at least 3 times in the last year my 4 year old has had some manner of bruise or gash on her face.......people in the grocery store have actually stopped her and asked "do mommy and daddy hit you?" she looks at them like they are insane. I explain to them that the girls got into a fight........and they look at me all disapproving, one of them suggested I send my 6 year old to "boot camp" :rolleyes:

they are children, they fight like.........children.


My money says that they dont even have kids of their own.


I love when people without kids are a wealth of information about how to raise kids.

I can't wait until the twins are old enough to gang up on their older brother. I've got a few years to wait. :(

don't expect to get any information from them, as pissed as they are at each other, it's still them against you ;)

about a year ago my youngest comes out of the room with blood coming from all over her nose area......screaming I freaked out I thought her nose was broken

I finally got her cleaned up enough to figure out that her nose was fine, but she had a small cut on the bridge of her nose.....which bled horribly!

"what happened?"
"nothing"
"why is your face bleeding?!"
"fight"
"over what?"
"nothing"
"what did your sister hit you with?"
"nothing"
"I need to know so I can take it away"
"she didn't hit me, we're fine"
"you are NOT fine you are bleeding from the head!"
"it's fine"
"what did she hit you with?"
"nothing"
"tell me, right now!"
"we're fine, she's my friend"
"she bashed you in the head! that's not fine!"
"it's nothing"
:headbang:

so I went to the other one

"your sister is hurt, what did you hit her with?"
"nothing, we're fine, she's my friend"
:mad:

it's been a year........same answer. She has a scar, people ask her what happened

"nothing, it's fine, we're friends now"

If only I could be so forgiving. :p

don't expect to get any information from them, as pissed as they are at each other, it's still them against you ;)

about a year ago my youngest comes out of the room with blood coming from all over her nose area......screaming I freaked out I thought her nose was broken

I finally got her cleaned up enough to figure out that her nose was fine, but she had a small cut on the bridge of her nose.....which bled horribly!

"what happened?"
"nothing"
"why is your face bleeding?!"
"fight"
"over what?"
"nothing"
"what did your sister hit you with?"
"nothing"
"I need to know so I can take it away"
"she didn't hit me, we're fine"
"you are NOT fine you are bleeding from the head!"
"it's fine"
"what did she hit you with?"
"nothing"
"tell me, right now!"
"we're fine, she's my friend"
"she bashed you in the head! that's not fine!"
"it's nothing"
:headbang:

so I went to the other one

"your sister is hurt, what did you hit her with?"
"nothing, we're fine, she's my friend"
:mad:

it's been a year........same answer. She has a scar, people ask her what happened

"nothing, it's fine, we're friends now"

If only I could be so forgiving. :p

Unfortunately, the age gap between my sister and I made me more of an annoyance than a punching bag. Also, she inherited none of my mischievous qualities. Her kids did. :)

I so mishandled my kids while they were growing up. By the time they were 7 they could, under supervision, cut up vegetables, peel potatoes, and cook simple things. They knew how cars worked under the hood (we learned this together because I, as a female, was kept ignorant of cars - the assumption being that I couldn't possibly be interested). My kids grew up with skinned knees and bumped heads (no kneepads or helmets when biking or skating), cut fingers, bruises, minor burns (teaches you to use the potholder when taking things out of the oven). My son even had to have stitches in his finger when he cut himself on the can he had just opened - fortunately, he had learned how to do emergency first aid on such cuts (he was six at the time) so all I had to do was drive him to the emergency room. Yes, my complete lack of interest in child safety was probably criminal. It's also probably one of the reasons my kids are still alive and healthy.

If I had kid I'd send them to Tinkering School, that'd seem cool for them to experience. I'm not too neurotic about protecting any children I may have. Meh, kids are going to hurt themselves, you just need to teach them how to not hurt themselves the same way a second time. As for the list.

1. Play with Fire, meh under extreme supervision yea, or else the kids are going to burn themselves and you get a visit from Child Welfare Services.

2. Own a Pocket Knife, I actually had my first one when I was eight, I was also in the Boy Scout, so yea I can see giving a kid a Pocket Knife. However set rules and guidelines

3. Throw a Spear? What ever happened to the good ol' BB Gun, or throwing around the ol' baseball?

4. Deconstruct an Appliance: Eh as long as it's not plugged in, why not?

5. Break the DMCA: Sure why not? lol

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/202

my child emailed me this link (the whole talk is about 9 minutes long) about dangerous things I should "let her do" so she grows up well rounded.

while I can agree with a few.......and have let a few of these happen already, some of this is just :eek:

I know I am a neurotic overprotective person because, well, I've seen the badness, and also I have an anxiety disorder due to aforementioned badness.

what do you guys think? agree? disagree? which ones do you think are good ideas? which ones are bad?

I nearly shit myself when I saw that kid driving...........ack! people don't do that! he could crash and being on your lap?! he's gonna die! that's it, end of story, internal bleeding smashed through the windshield dead kid.

my 6yo has some experience with fire, has been taking apart small electronics for a while, and has some knife skillz, but other than that *wraps her daughter in bubble wrap*

and don't even talk to me about my 4 yo........*puts her in a plastic bubble*

what dangerous things do you think kids should be allowed to do? what is off limits?

He talks about letting children handle power tools and play with fire. If it were supervised I'd be all for that. I remember being a child fascinated by fire. My parents would regularly have bonfires to dispose of all the waste from our gardening. I loved bonfire nights and my parents let me help with the fire. This partially sated my curiosity about fire and I got to play with it in a way that was mostly safe - I mean, I still could have somehow fallen in or something, but my parents were there with me. A child fascinated my fire who is not allowed any access to it whatsoever is likely to create their own access to it, and therein lie the dangers. The same goes for power tools, although, at least in my opinion, to a lesser extent. I believe that children are more likely to be fascinated by fire than drills but I could easily be wrong. I have no problem with supervised access to these things but not some "here's some matches, go to your room and have fun".

Knives, I'm undecided. He manages to put forward good points on lowering the risks associated with knives, however not many convincing benefits are suggested. An extended sense of self is discovered through use of a tool. While this is a fair point, and while in this sense a pocket-knife would be one of the best tools to advance this due to its multi-potency, the risks aren't, in my opinion, outweighed, and there are many other, less dangerous tools that children could have. Plus the skills needed to work with knives can be learnt in adulthood and are not necessary to have acquired at a young age like...I don't know, learning the Arabic alphabet, so I'm told - joking. Children get into fights with other children all the time, and that's a good thing, it shouldn't be suppressed, it's human nature and helps them discover their own limits and dealing with confrontation, however I think the risks are just too great in relation to this if we set down a precedent that all children shoould have knives. That said, many children have pocket knives and know that there is a clear boundary between using it as a tool and trying to hurt someone with it, and just because they own knives doesn't in any way mean they will be brought into playground scuffles.

His main argument for making sure your kids go spear-throwing is that it aids and stimulates development of the areas of the brain involved in visualisation, analysis, co-ordination etc. However he exaggerates the benefits of something as specific as throwing a spear. Those areas of the brain and those skills can be stimulated and improved through regular sporting activity and throwing things to aim at other things in that context, with much less risk than spears. This argument really doesn't hold up.

His suggestion of taking apart machinery with your children, or letting them go to a club where they take things apart is excellent. I think it's a fantastic idea, stimulating their curiosity, creativity and comprehension.

Breaking the DMCA in itself is fine to let your kids do, but his suggestion of using it to demonstrate to your children how they have to interpret laws for themselves, I don't buy it. While you don't want your children to grow up being blind followers, I don't think they should be taught that they should interpret the laws for themselves. Yes, children should be brought up to question the laws of their country and to question, well, everything. Feel free to disagree, but in my opinion this is a slight step too far, although as he is quite vague about this point, I'm arguing against what I perceive to be the upper end of the scale, whereas what he is suggesting could be interpeted on any number of levels, from 'burn CDs only if you really need to' to 'drink-driving is fine as long as you think you'll probably be more or less fine'

His point on driving a car with your child in an empty parking lot, fair enough. I think that's a fairly good idea and I don't believe that it will lead every child to becoming underage illegal boy-racers.

---------------------------

Some good points, some weaker points. Looking back, I'm glad I watched it.

1. Play with Fire, meh under extreme supervision yea, or else the kids are going to burn themselves and you get a visit from Child Welfare Services.
Building a fire is a useful skill, but they'll never know how unless they tinker with one from time to time.

It's like when you guy a new car it's a good idea to slide it around an icy parking lot when you get the chance so you'll know how it behaves should that sliding happen unexpectedly.
2. Own a Pocket Knife, I actually had my first one when I was eight, I was also in the Boy Scout, so yea I can see giving a kid a Pocket Knife. However set rules and guidelines
Knives are also useful tools, and knowing how to use one (plus being used to fixing things when you find them, just because you happen to have a Robertson head screwdriver on you, is a good habit).
3. Throw a Spear? What ever happened to the good ol' BB Gun, or throwing around the ol' baseball?
I'm not sure about the spear. I've thrown a javelin - does that count? I'll sub-in a wood-burning kit for this one. I had one of those as a kid.
4. Deconstruct an Appliance: Eh as long as it's not plugged in, why not?
Toasters are good for this. They're not that complicated.
5. Break the DMCA: Sure why not? lol
The DMCA is a really dumb law. I don't mind protecting intellectual property, but he DMCA goes one step too far is preventing actions that have legitimate applications.

Backups are good things to have. I encourage making them, even if (possibly especially if) doing so violates the DMCA.

doctors are one thing, random people with nothing better to do are quite another. [...]
at least 3 times in the last year my 4 year old has had some manner of bruise or gash on her face.......people in the grocery store have actually stopped her and asked "do mommy and daddy hit you?"

I actually think this is a good thing. Of course it gets annoying after a while as the parent when you're confronted with such questions repeatedly, but I very much prefer random people "poking" into somebody else's family life ten times too many than people ignoring the signs of a kid that might need help one time, which is one time too many.

Of course kids, and other people, get hurt from time to time in 'legitimate' ways. A friend of mine bruises terribly easily, and she works as a waitress where she wears very short-sleeved tops at work. She'll often sport a rather nasty-looking bruise somewhere on her arm from everyday encounters with doors, wardrobes or just people who, say, try to hold her back by her arm for whatever reasons. Now, she's been pulled aside quite some times by a customer who felt the need to tell her that she does not have to live with domestic abuse, and that there is always the option to leave an abusive partner, tell the police and be protected by social services etc. My friend does not need that advice as she's the kind who'd leave and never turn back if her boyfriend only as much as threatened her with physical harm, let alone actually do it, but I think it's much better these people approach her like that than that they turn their heads and not say anything.

An 'unwarranted' alarmed question may be annoying for a few seconds, but an alarm missed may devastate an entire life.

2. Own a Pocket Knife, I actually had my first one when I was eight, I was also in the Boy Scout, so yea I can see giving a kid a Pocket Knife. However set rules and guidelinesNot when you were eight :p

and don't even talk to me about my 4 yo........*puts her in a plastic bubble*

This is more for the safety of society than for her safety.

1. Make nike shoes

2. Be a rebel

3. Be a pimp

4. Eat at McDonalds

5. Spam

I don't see a problem with any of the the five things in the video...

All of them are things I did when I was young.

I actually think this is a good thing. Of course it gets annoying after a while as the parent when you're confronted with such questions repeatedly, but I very much prefer random people "poking" into somebody else's family life ten times too many than people ignoring the signs of a kid that might need help one time, which is one time too many.

Of course kids, and other people, get hurt from time to time in 'legitimate' ways. A friend of mine bruises terribly easily, and she works as a waitress where she wears very short-sleeved tops at work. She'll often sport a rather nasty-looking bruise somewhere on her arm from everyday encounters with doors, wardrobes or just people who, say, try to hold her back by her arm for whatever reasons. Now, she's been pulled aside quite some times by a customer who felt the need to tell her that she does not have to live with domestic abuse, and that there is always the option to leave an abusive partner, tell the police and be protected by social services etc. My friend does not need that advice as she's the kind who'd leave and never turn back if her boyfriend only as much as threatened her with physical harm, let alone actually do it, but I think it's much better these people approach her like that than that they turn their heads and not say anything.

An 'unwarranted' alarmed question may be annoying for a few seconds, but an alarm missed may devastate an entire life.

yeah, I bruise really easily too, but they don't show up immediately so like if I accidentally hit the door knob going in the house, then the bruise shows up like 3 days later and it's huge and black and nasty, and half the time I don't remember where it came from (because it's not from anything major) so people ask and I'm always "I don't know" and they explain to me how if someone it hurting me that's NOT okay and they will help me :p it's kinda nice to know people care sometimes I guess...

when I first got married I was sick with the flu and my depth perception is always wonky when I'm sick, I opened the door to my husband's truck (which I didn't ride in much) and accidentally hit myself in the face with it.....I got a huge black eye, people kept asking what happened (and they didn't know hubby well since we had only met like a month before) and I had to tell them "I ran into a door" which is what the abused wives always say on TV.........I had to really convince them that I really did run into a door. :rolleyes::p