Is it possible kids do not recognize danger anymore?

@GardenGerty (157050)
United States
May 24, 2011 8:47pm CST
We have so many toys and games that look realistic, is it possible that we have subverted the sense that kids need to stay safe? This idea came to me after the little boy in my other discussion climbed a fence at a zoo and got next to another fence and a leopard attacked him through the fence. In so many cartoons and games we have real looking animals that are "friendly" and I look in the collection of stuffed toys I have inherited from various people and there are all kinds of lions, tigers, bears, rhinos, etc. They look real!!! Is that part of why a small child would try to pet a leopard cub, in spite of fences and warnings. Maybe that is not all of it, but do you think it could be contributing?
13 people like this
40 responses
• United States
27 May 11
Many children do not have common sense. They dart out in traffic when a ball goes out in the road even if they are older. The other day a boy that looked to be eleven or twelve ran out in the street as my husband was driving up. He had to slam on his brakes to keep from hitting him.
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
27 May 11
Sometimes we find ourselves wondering how they live to grow up. I am glad your husband could stop.
2 people like this
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
25 May 11
With television, video games, theater movies, real-looking toys and just 'stuff' younger kids today think that is the way life is. Not only that, but I attribute a lot of the problem to the parents that neglect to teach their children the basic dangers of real life. Where was that little boy's mother/father when the cat attacked him?
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
It was a school field trip and not all parents go. I wanted to know where his assigned person was, though. I never have heard.
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
I do not know if there will be a law suit. The zoo requires a certain number of adults per number of kids, but in this case, it should have been fewer, I guess. The zoo is considering revising that standard.
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
25 May 11
I would think that the school would have so many kids per chaperone, though. Looking forward to reading about the law suit.
1 person likes this
• Canada
19 Aug 11
You may be onto something. Children are seeing that there is no danger in virtual reality, yet they get so engrossed in their game, that the difference between reality and virtual reality is clouded.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
20 Aug 11
Kids always believe that they are invincible, but it just seems to be getting worse. I guess you are right, they cannot tell what it real.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
5 Jun 11
It might be I guess. I think it all comes down to Parental Guidance with sub headings of "education" and "discipline". I just think that parents are not guiding their offspring enough. They buy toys for them to comfort them and/or keep them occupied, they use the TV as a babysitter. Kids are not taught how to behave; i.e. how to be courteous and polite, how to be thoughtful and alert, how to be safe. Parents leave it to schools to teach and guide the children when it is really the parents job to teach the basics and open the kid' minds to observation and education. JMHO.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
5 Jun 11
We expect the teachers and school to do a lot more than we used to. I know some kids are hard to controlk, but when that is the case they need extra attention.
1 person likes this
• Australia
6 Jun 11
I think of course the environment our children our exposed to effect their behaviours and reality aspect. Each child is raised by a different set of rules, so its hard to comment of everyones childrens in one response. Personally i think its part of the parents job teaching children right from wrong and real from fake, It's great to make believe but there must be a line drawn so as you say the kids dont start to think they are their superheros. In my own experience i think my son knows the difference between reality and make believe and he is Autistic. Although he did meet bob the builder in bunnings one day and that might have made him think the person in is cartoon is real, but atleast he just builds houses... not fights evil aleins like Ben 10 who i choose not to expose my son to as i don't like to promote his violent streak. When he is being naughty he sometimes becomes nasty so i dont like to show him fighting although i know i can't sheild him forever he's only 5 right now so it's ok.
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
20 Aug 11
Autistic children learn differently, but they do learn, and in fact some of them are very intelligent. I think you are showing great wisdom in how you are raising him and how you are making choices about his exposure to stuff.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
29 Jun 11
Cartoons and shows for kids are definitely different from what they were when I was growing up. When I was growing up the shows were centered around how to keep kids safe for the most part, and when they weren't we were taught that it wasn't real and that should not try it. I think that a lot of it has to do with cartoons and other shows kids watch but a lot of it also has to do with the example the parents and the people who the children are around are leading. A lot of kids themselves now are having children and in a way I feel they are losing their youth and so are "staying younger" longer if that makes any sense. I Guess what I am trying to say is some do not grow up when they have kids and are still kids themselves anyway, and so will not teach the kids like they were taught or like they should be taught. I think I just confused myself even more!
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
20 Aug 11
Actually, you made sense. My mom always said that whenever someone had a baby really young, they never really grew past that stage. I think young people have not had examples or grown up, sometimes because their parents are too busy, sometimes because the parents are not interested.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
25 May 11
COuld beBUtthen my grand daughter thought that there was only toy monkeys till she saw a real one one reason we are going to the zoo in Salk Lake City next month! So she can see that most that she sees in cartoons are real
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
How terrific, then you will help her know the difference between pretend and real. I guess maybe the difference is that my children had their first trip to the zoo, and their first exposure to wild animals with me and my husband. So when they were old enough for school field trips they were old enough to follow the rules as well.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
27 May 11
yup thats what I am working at .
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
25 May 11
I agree that television isn't good, and some videos games can be really bad, and it isn't like my own kids don't watch tv or play video games, but I also talk to them. As a parent, one of my jobs is to teach, so if we go anywhere or I know my con will be going somewhere, I will warn him of the dangers that he may face. The one I usually talk to him about though is not wild animals, but peers. Sure the boys life was in danger climbing over that fence, but the more minor, and yet just as bad is peer pressure.
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
I do not want this to sound like an indictment of television. In fact what really brought this to mind are all the beautiful, lifelike stuffed animals I have that were given to my Mom. A stuffed tiger cub looks just a lot like a real tiger cub, and kids who are not talked to may not pick up on the fact that the real one is a meat eater and is dangerous, because, as you say, they are not talked to. I once expressed the opinion to a teacher that I was responsible for my son's education, and she found that quite novel, but parents are the child's first teacher and they are constantly learning.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 May 11
My son probably also had stuffed animals that looked real, in fact, now that I think about it, he did..It looked like a real German shepherd, but was small and he was only about a year or two old and he was frightened of the stuffed animal..I had to reassure him that it isn't anything to be afraid of, yet I have told him that dogs can be dangerous and to never to up to one he doesn't know..
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
You do talk to your son, and that is important. I think of times when I did not talk to my kids enough. We need to do that.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
27 May 11
I don't think it's a case of kids not recognizing danger but a case of maybe a mental issue of the child or the parent's aren't teaching them. We need the stuffed animals to show children what they are but there again, we have plenty of pictures but where would the fun be if we didn't have those stuffed animals? It would be a pretty bland world is we had to take away the very things that make us all happy when we were kids. Especially kids who've been through a tramatizing situation, a teddy bear can bring some comfort.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
5 Jun 11
I know that some kids do not seem to be able to learn anything except in the hard ways. I do not advocate taking away the "stuffies" but I just think we need to make sure kids know that it is a toy, not real, and that the real thing is not tame.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
25 May 11
That is an interesting concept. When kids are led to believe that wild animals are friendly (like in cartoons) it can lead the kids to do stupid things thinking that the live animals will be like the fictional characters they saw or read about. Thanks for sharing the idea.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
And that is the point. This is just one idea that crossed my mind. I would not want animal stories removed from television and the movies and books. I would not want them to stop making these beautiful stuffed toys. I just want kids to know that real animals are not necessarily cuddly.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
27 May 11
I guess occasionally, they need to have more realistic animal stories included so that they can see how they really are. I know the smaller kids aren't going to watch the real animal stories like on animal planet or national geographic specials, but if they put the information in cartoon form, it could inform just as well as the shows with real animals but maybe not as scary.
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
25 May 11
It might contribute. Some kids are just naturally drawn to animals, not realizing how dangerous some can be. I worry more about violent movies and video games desensitizing kids to killing and bloodshed.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
I think it does come down to talking to kids and exposing them to something besides pretend. I believe that learning compassion and responsibility is part of truly being educated.
• United States
25 May 11
@catdla1: While we worry about the nature of desensitizing kids with violent media, what about people that have not had that exposure? What I mean is, Ted Bundy never had TV or the internet, and violent music wasn't even in existence at the time. Yet, he committed some very gruesome acts. I don't neccesarily agree that it desensitizes them. I knew at a young age that just because I kill it in a game didn't mean I did in real life. I don't think it's the media's fault. They provide what the general audience wants. And if a train derails in real life, there will be a bigger group of people looking at the gruesome site than people that don't. When I was a teenager (I'm 25 now so it really wasn't too terribly long ago), The Columbine Shootings happened. And the people were in an uproar. And they blamed the media. And the media blamed music, and video games, and everything else. But you know, I listened to that music they said made kids violent, and I watched those movies, and I played those games. And I never once considered killing someone. And then it turns into an overall question: what causes someone to kill another? Because it's not just kids. It's adults, too. So a grown adult doesn't have a conscience? And they aren't at fault at all? I mean, people have to take responsibility for their actions, and if they have kids, they are responsible for them too. That includes raising them the best they can, not doing a mediocre (if that) job and turning the kid loose. We see violence all the time. Some people have it in their neighborhood. And what about True Crime television shows? Everyone wants to point the finger at fantasy, but what about exposing kids to the real people that actually commit murder? There's a reason we have a ratings system. If we start censoring all media that is considered violent, we wouldn't be able to show anything on TV, in the movies, or in music.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
25 May 11
When we humanise all potentially dangerous animals then there is a real danger to children. They think that they are all friendly and want to be petted and loved. Carers have to be so vigilant. I agree with your observations as they just make sense. Great discussion - am not getting all my notifiers and just saw this whilst browsing.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
Well that is bad that you are missing your notifications. I am glad you found me. Have you checked your spam or junk mail mailbox?Twice I have had it happen that the MyLot mail all went to the junk mail box. I had to go put it on my safe list to fix it. I guess it still comes back to communicating with our children, over and over, how to be safe.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
25 May 11
Good thinking Batman! Gonna check junk mail.
@SmallFryK (115)
• United States
25 May 11
While the media fuels the fire, it was already there. Kids do not have the ability to separate right and wrong without guidance from parents. So, if you let your child watch a movie about a serial killer and don't at least explain what the difference is, OF COURSE they are going to repeat. I think the blame should fall on the parents for not being good parents. My kids are 4 and 6 and they know the difference between real and make believe, AND right and wrong. No, it's not okay to hit. No, Repunzle is just make believe. Yes, the earth is round. Why? Let me explain.... What happened to communication?? If you want your kids to learn things, TALK to them. TV and internet are not appropriate baby sitters. When I was a kid, my mom let me watch horror movies. I remember at some point before I was school age watching scary movies. But I knew they were not real. My mom explained what I was curious about. When I had my first child, she let her watch the same movies as me. I haven't killed, mangled, or set fire to anything or anyone.... Because the media does not control my ideas. The same goes for stuffed animals or toys. Just because my daughter has a stuffed dog, does not mean she doesn't know not to go near a real one if she doesn't know it; she knows it could bite her.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
That was the one thing I did was get too close to a dog with my mom telling me not to. My parents were pretty lenient,and I was allowed to watch most everything. Even as a teen I wal only kept from going places if my mom thought I was burning my candle at both ends. I think almost everyone who has responded would agree with you that parents are obligated to talk to their kids if they want them to be safe.
• United States
25 May 11
I did the same. I got bit by a pit bull one day because it belonged to the neighbor and I petted it all the time while I was in my backyard. One day, I went for a walk and on the way back, stopped in the alley to pet the dog, which bit me. Apparently, it DOES matter what side of the fence you stand on. The neighborhood kids used to terrorize the dogs so it associated me with one of them. We all learn important lessons through personal mistake. But if our parents don't help lead us through them when we're young, we might find ourselves on the wrong side of the fence as adults as well ... and it might be worse than a pit bull the next time.
• Canada
25 May 11
I haven't thought about this much before, but you make a good point. It is possible, I think it could be contributing.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
Hi, welcome to MyLot and to my discussion. About a month ago a little boy ran away from his chaperone on a school field trip, climbed an exterior barrier and got up against the fence where a snow leopard had her cub. He was injured, but has recovered. So then I began wondering about why he would think it was okay.
• Canada
26 May 11
I just wrote a lengthy response to this, and it didn't even register. Apparently I wasn't logged in. How annoying! Anyway, I will attempt to remember what it is I wrote...: I think that children are especially influenced by what they see on television. Cartoons typically show all these fluffy, cute animals which can speak. This may distort what children consider good/bad, and ok/not okay. Parents have a responsibility; especially these days (with all the media circulating around us telling us stories), to explain to children all these things. I am not indicating that the parents are responsible for this particular incident (it's only a possibility). Also, I didn't quite understand why it is you wrote out the situation again. I'm assuming it was because I didn't contribute an idea/argument lol.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
25 May 11
I totally agree. I think television has done far more harm than good to our society. I read one time that children cannot discern between tv shows and real life until they're 5 or (I think) 6 years old. It's a learning process and I'm sure some are quicker at it than others. We put our children in confusing situations when we allow them to watch things they cannot understand, like wild animals that are shown to be friendly when they are not.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
25 May 11
I think you hit the nail on the head. Kids are not exposed to real life any more so they don't have anything to compare fantasy to.
@KrauseHome (36449)
• United States
26 May 11
It does make you wonder does it not. When you continue to see Cartoons with the talking animals around other people, and shows where it shows people petting like baby tigers, etc. it does make you wonder. And then some of the many Video games out there. I think personally they need to find better ways to educate kids to where they do not start thinking this would be Fun, but is dangerous, and leave everything else to professionals.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
26 May 11
Something that many people have said here that I think makes a difference is that parents take the kids to the zoo and expose the kids. I know that very sadly, there are children who are never taken anywhere or exposed to anything to learn the difference between safe and dangerous.It is almost impossible for the schools to do everything we ask of them these days.
@GreenMoo (11834)
25 May 11
I'd never considered the idea that stuffed or cartoon animals may contribute to children not appreciating that the real thing can be dangerous. However, I do think that if we cocoon our kids and protect them from every little scrape and fright, as i think we tend to do, then they won't learn about danger.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
I just am speculating about why this child would try to get to a leopard's cage to be close to or pet the cub. When our cats had kittens Mom was very careful that we not disturb the litter, telling us that the mom might hurt us, but I have seen some absolutely beautiful stuffed toys that look so real, a child might just assume that the real one was harmless as well. Field trips are about learning, but the child in question got a really big lesson.
@GreenMoo (11834)
26 May 11
I was bought a stuffed Siamese cat for Christmas when I was a child. during Christmas dinner we heard a dreadful hissing and wailing which turned out to be our cat threatening it. It was obviously so realistic that even a real cat couldn't tell the difference!
@celticeagle (157593)
• Boise, Idaho
25 May 11
I think we all have become desensitized to danger of any kind. And people do not train their kids, they just let them run and do as they please. These stories are a sign of the times. And, just like men and directions, kids don't read or respect signs that tell them there is danger just around the bend.
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
I know that there were things a long time ago where kids saw something on Scooby Doo and killed themselves imitating it. So sad. I think that we need to find a way for them to understand.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157593)
• Boise, Idaho
25 May 11
Not until parents get with the program.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
26 May 11
Oh yes..I think so. When things are presented to children in a certain way, I do think that they develop ideas about them. Animals are beautiful too..and they son't often look as though they will attack you. Children, I think, have pictures in their mind of scary and bad...danger and saftey. Beautiful is not often a link to danger and scary. Just like a stranger..they picture them as being monster or scary looking. They will walk right up to a clean cut well dressed person. They don't relate that to being "strange"
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
26 May 11
That is true. What has been said over and over in this discussion is that parents need to talk with their kids. Children need to know what is dangerous and they are not necessarily going to have an instinctive fear of something, especially if it looks cute or cuddly. Maybe even more than talking, parents need to listen, so they know when or if their kids are confused.
@jennyze (7029)
• Indonesia
25 May 11
I think you are right. Those toys, games and cartoons play a part in the Kids imagination. Parents and Teachers should introduced children to the real danger of some animals as well as adventures. Once a boy run through a window on 5th floor with a blanket tied on his shoulder... must had been thinking he's Superman or something...
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
25 May 11
Oooh so scary and sad. I have heard of kids trying to jump off roofs trying to be super heroes.
@jennyze (7029)
• Indonesia
25 May 11
Kids will still be kids. We should not let them run free...
1 person likes this