This crossed my dash again, so here's a more thorough list of things risk play is necessary for:
- Developing pain tolerance & an understanding of which types/intensities of pain are "okay" and which need immediate medical attention
- Calibrating the inner ear (sense of balance) and learning how the body reacts to experiencing different things, essential to learning to control the body in unexpected situations
- Developing reflexes and subconscious safety instincts (e.g. protectively throwing up your hands when an object flies toward your face)
- Normalizing getting hurt so the first reaction to an injury is just to treat it (and not to have a fearful emotional meltdown)
- Learning how to treat and heal from injuries (beginnings of self-care)
- Developing appropriate levels of fear around various activities, desensitizing fear around doing harmless things and establishing a fear response for actions that caused an injury. This is key to properly gauging risk in new situations.
Additionally, the reason it's so essential to mess around and get hurt as a kid is not just because it's a critical developmental stage, but also because kids' bodies are growing and naturally resistant to major injuries. A 3rd grader can get launched off a bike onto the pavement and only sustain a few scrapes and bruises that will heal in a few days, while someone who's 30 would likely pull or sprain something (or worse) and take weeks to heal.
If you are someone who grew up not being allowed to take risks it is likely you have a low pain tolerance, fear surrounding physical activities, slow reflexes, and poor judgment. The good thing is that it's never too late to learn! Our brains are very malleable, so if you missed out on this stuff as a kid now is the time to go climb a tree, go on a hike with unstable footing, or join a casual sports team. Just start small and work your way up, since your body won't be as resilient as it was when you were 9 :)
