Risk-Benefit Analysis Tips

09/22/2020

It is more important to pave the way for a child to want to know than to put him on a diet of facts that he is not ready to assimilate.
Rachel Carson

“We want to say yes, more,” writes Rusty Keeler in his popular new book, Adventures in Risky Play: What is Your Yes, but children push the limits and we see danger. In split seconds we scan a situation and make decisions whether to allow play or stop play. Even as super-supporters of play we do that and we should be doing that. But how do we make those decisions? What do we take into consideration? What inner guidance are we listening to?...

A great way to get some practice is by going through the risk-benefit analysis process on any given element your child might encounter. Imagine a child doing almost anything: sitting on a log, jumping from a log, holding a worm, eating a worm, carrying a stick, carrying a long branch…The list is obviously infinite. Even as you read those items you were probably doing a mini dynamic risk-benefit. As you thought of some of those items, your blood pressure remained calm. Sit on a log? Sure no problem…

Jumping from a log? That might have gotten your attention more. And perked the ears of your protector voice. That’s a little more risky. Yes to some benefits but there could be danger too. How high is that log? What are they jumping into? Is there anything under the log that could hurt them? Are they good jumpers?...Dynamic risk-benefit analysis takes practice.”

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