Should You Let Your Children Try Thrill Sports
To parents just thinking about your teenager participating in a thrill sport can be a terrifying thought. Bungee jumping is a sport that has attracted over three million teenagers in the United States alone. Included in this is rock climbing, paragliding, and white water rafting to name just a few. Nowadays many amusement parks offer these sports. Many teenagers feel that they will try anything that makes them scared.
These types of sports go far beyond challenging your athletic ability. It actually brings your face to face with death, and for some reason teenagers are attracted to that feeling. Most teenagers feel that is tests their limits and gives them self confidence. Also a big plus for teens is how it will make them appear to their friends. Sometime teenagers do this as a way of escaping their own bad reality. They are so stressed out from situation in their life they see this as a way of coping.
As a parent I am sure that you are wondering what exactly the risks are. Of course many of these sports like bungee jumping have good safety records; there has been time when things go terribly wrong. Unfortunately no one really thinks about the consequences until it is too late and has cost someone their life. One man plunged to his death when the bungee cord broke at an amusement park. There was no warning it just happened. He experienced a very terrible death. Some activities can be enjoyable if they are done in a safe and moderate manner.
Did you know that some kids even become addicted to these types of sports? Everywhere you go you see advertisements that say life is short-play hard. But if you truly love your children you will take the time to explain to them the real meaning of life. And no matter how healthy and strong you may feel you simply are not impervious to being hurt or killed. You should seriously weigh the possible consequences before allowing your child to participate in any risky activity. Never go by hearsay or another person’s viewpoint. Check out the fact and statistics for yourself. It could mean the difference between life and death for your children.
You will want to know what the accident rate if for any particular sport. What are all the safety precautions that are taken? Is there training or equipment that is needed? Is the main purpose of this sport to defy death or is there some type of beneficial exercise. Don’t be afraid to ask your children why they want to participate in this type of activity. Once you hear their reason behind you may make up your mind pretty quick about letting them try this. No matter what your decision, teach your children to be cautious. Before they even accept an invitation to do something risky, they should talk it over with you first. This is yet another reason why it is important to keep the lines of communication open between you and your children.
