Anonymous wrote:Tag is banned at our FCPS school. Blows my mind. The way kids get around it is by creating new games that are essentially tag but have different names. Creative problem-solving! Hanging upside down on the climbing frame is also against the rules.

I am OP. This is what my son and his friends do..but that is why he had to write the note. He didn't think he was doing anything wrong because he is 5 and since 'tag' was banned- he was playing 'cowboys and indians'. He had no idea he was breaking this stupid rule (and this is the first I heard it was even a policy!). Trust me- if I had caught wind of this I already would have been talking to the Principal.

Apparently, any game involving running and chasing is banned at our puss-bag school. I guess they should all just sit on the bench eating dorritos. The current list of rules of what they can and can't do is longer the US tax code. Recess used to be about running around like a banshee and blowing off steam. Now you have to think about the 105 different rules before you do anything. These poor kids.

The day I get a note home from my 5-year old apologizing for playing tag is the day I wonder why I live here. A society that views 'tag' as a contact sport is seriously f*ked up. Musical chairs is pretty rough too...might accidentally push somebody trying to get that last chair.

Tag is banned at our FCPS school. Blows my mind. The way kids get around it is by creating new games that are essentially tag but have different names. Creative problem-solving! Hanging upside down on the climbing frame is also against the rules.

"Dear Mom and Dad, I am sorry I did not follow directions and played tag at recess." (in his phonetic spelling ) brought me to tears. When should any child feel bad for playing tag at recess. This isn't even about classroom behavior. He's never been in trouble and is a very conscientious, sensitive kid.

I agree with the points being made about the wussification of American youth, childhood obesity, etc.

However . . .

OP, I think in your justifiable outrage about banning tag, you missed the smaller (yet more immediately relevant) point. Your kid apparently knew the rules and refused to follow them. It wasn't social protest - he wanted to play tag, and didn't care that it was against the rules. Age appropriate (mis)behavior? Absolutely. But I disagree with all those who suggest that you tell your kid he doesn't have anything to be sorry for. He should be sorry for not following the rules. Are they ridiculous? Sure. But a 5-6 year old isn't permitted to pick and choose the rules he wants to follow. I'd leave of any commentary with him about "it's a ridiculous rule, but you still have to follow it." Simply tell him that he needs to follow the rules, and address the tag issue separately with the teacher or administration.

Stop blaming "the lawyers"--I doubt it was them. Lawyers don't usually talk people into suing, and often spend a fair amount of their consultations telling clients they don't have strong cases. It's just that people are crazy, period.

This scares me. No wonder most American kids are fat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:just wait until they ban you from letting them bring their own lunches from home....yeah, it's coming.

As a mother who admittedly is a fanatic about whole foods and a religious lunch packer, I'm afraid you might be right. If this happens I have the BEST allergy ever that I can claim. I'm going to say my child is allergic to corn. All corn, including eating meat from animals that consumed grain. Corn is in EVERYTHING. It is used in preservatives, sweetener and even used on the wax coating they use on veggies.

If the schools can eliminate corn, then the lunches will naturally be healthy and acceptable for human consumption.

LOL you know very little about healthy eating then!

Anonymous wrote:just wait until they ban you from letting them bring their own lunches from home....yeah, it's coming.

As a mother who admittedly is a fanatic about whole foods and a religious lunch packer, I'm afraid you might be right. If this happens I have the BEST allergy ever that I can claim. I'm going to say my child is allergic to corn. All corn, including eating meat from animals that consumed grain. Corn is in EVERYTHING. It is used in preservatives, sweetener and even used on the wax coating they use on veggies.

If the schools can eliminate corn, then the lunches will naturally be healthy and acceptable for human consumption.

just wait until they ban you from letting them bring their own lunches from home....yeah, it's coming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the only game my kids play. When I go to the park with my 3.5 y old and 6 year old...it's 'mom come try to catch us'. We run like maniacs and sometimes the tagging becomes contact, but it's fun. There are skinned knees and tears at times- but we learn about getting up and brushing ourselves off.

I am on a crusade. This is the final straw. My child and his friend have come up with many creative ways to try and get around 'tag', e.,g they call it 'cowboys and indians', 'sharks and minnows', 'girls vs boys'...banned, banned, banned.

Reading a note from my 5-year old that said:

"Dear Mom and Dad, I am sorry I did not follow directions and played tag at recess." (in his phonetic spelling ) brought me to tears. When should any child feel bad for playing tag at recess. This isn't even about classroom behavior. He's never been in trouble and is a very conscientious, sensitive kid.

I told him that he was not in trouble. We are using this as a teaching lesson and I told him what a 'petition' is and how when you truly believe in something how you can make do something about it. He said he will write down the reasons why it is safe and fun and will get his friends to sign so they can turn it in.

I would sit down at the kitchen table with my son and have him write a note back telling the school that his mom and dad said he does not have to be sorry. I would attach my own note, telling the school never to send fucking garbage like that home with my kid again.

This, definitely. How absurd.

My kids go to the German school, where they don't appear to have banned much of anything at recess--both kids frequently come home somewhat disheveled from outdoor play, which includes tag. Can't even believe that they A) banned it (WTF??) and B) made him write a note. I'd be livid if he felt bad and wrote a note like this for playing. Ugh.

I am guessing it is one of the 99.9% of the 2 household lawyer families at our school.

No, it was a 'lawyer family" that started this. It was a group of helicopter mommies who could bear for their snowflake to have a boo-boo. They are also the ones who make sure that everyone gets a goody bag and birthdays, all children get a trophy or ribbon at sports and no one feels bad for any reason whatsoever. This describes the majority of women on this board.

Anonymous wrote:This is the only game my kids play. When I go to the park with my 3.5 y old and 6 year old...it's 'mom come try to catch us'. We run like maniacs and sometimes the tagging becomes contact, but it's fun. There are skinned knees and tears at times- but we learn about getting up and brushing ourselves off.

I am on a crusade. This is the final straw. My child and his friend have come up with many creative ways to try and get around 'tag', e.,g they call it 'cowboys and indians', 'sharks and minnows', 'girls vs boys'...banned, banned, banned.

Reading a note from my 5-year old that said:

"Dear Mom and Dad, I am sorry I did not follow directions and played tag at recess." (in his phonetic spelling ) brought me to tears. When should any child feel bad for playing tag at recess. This isn't even about classroom behavior. He's never been in trouble and is a very conscientious, sensitive kid.

I told him that he was not in trouble. We are using this as a teaching lesson and I told him what a 'petition' is and how when you truly believe in something how you can make do something about it. He said he will write down the reasons why it is safe and fun and will get his friends to sign so they can turn it in.

I would sit down at the kitchen table with my son and have him write a note back telling the school that his mom and dad said he does not have to be sorry. I would attach my own note, telling the school never to send fucking garbage like that home with my kid again.

OMG! I lost a front tooth playing tag as a kid. (Tooth is capped.) I continued to pplay tag after the event too! I would be furious if my kids couldn't play tag. That is absolutely ridiculous! I suddenly hate lawyers and living in DC (the land of lawyers!) Can I sue the school district for ruining childhood? Why are people so obsessed with preventing any kind of discomfort for their kids? Life has scrapes and bruises...oh wait only a fun life has scrapes and bruises. Get a life helicopter parents.

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know at which school this happened. My kindergartner in Arlington just told me that dodgeball has been outlawed at extended day. I was surprised that it took them this long to get rid of dodgeball. Haven't heard anything about tag during the school day.

Dodgeball has been banned almost everywhere for a long time.

However, banning tag is simply ridiculous. OP, I would love to hear what the administration has to say.