I feel like the type of childhood I had is endangered.

And not in a “when I was your age” anecdotal, grown up sort of way.

I honestly feel that small but important, surviving aspects of the environment I was raised in are being poached one by one by a society hell-bent on dissecting the childhood experience

Thumbing through the news lately, I’ve noticed that more kids, and parents, are in hot water over things that were considered normal when I was young. At the root of the controversy, the idea that children aren’t safe anymore.

I recently read in The Globe and Mail that a Winnipeg mom was reported to and investigated by Child and Family Services for allowing her children to play in their yard unsupervised. That same day, The National Post published a story about a townhouse complex in London, Ontario whose residents agreed to ban the use of sidewalk chalk, threatening a cleaning fee for families who weren’t compliant.

Last December the Toronto Star reported an embargo on the game of tag placed on students by a local catholic elementary school; the school cited that the game was, “too rough”. And just a few months prior to one school’s war on tag, The Star ran a story about a Toronto Public school that informed students cartwheels would be outlawed on school property.

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the outright ban on tobogganing in city parks in Hamilton, Ontario. Although the city’s ban is now over 15 years old, CBC News rehashed the story in 2015, reporting an increase in the municipality’s maximum fine for illegal sledding to $5000.

And don’t get me started on city bylaws prohibiting street hockey.

As I reflected on these articles and public debates on how we can do a better job of keeping our kids safe, I was flooded with memories of my childhood; countless nights playing made-up games in my backyard with my brother and friends while my parents prepared dinner in the kitchen; doodling on the driveway and writing messages to neighbours in chalk; playing tag, kick-the-can and roughhousing until I dripped with sweat; and sledding at my neighbourhood park until I was too exhausted to function.

These experiences were the fabric of my childhood. When I think about how I grew up, my freedom of choice and uninhibited play are aspects that shine through brightly in my mind. They were my foundation for personal growth.

These recent articles had me thinking about how my son will grow up. Will he be void of similar memories that I cherish to this day? Will he be robbed of the experiences I had as a child, reducing my when-I-was-young stories to mere folklore?

Will society permit me to raise my child in the manner in which I was raised?

We have arrived at a place where the price of keeping our kids safe is worth more than the children in which these rules are designed to protect. There is a false notion that taking away, or limiting our sons and daughters will make them safer: because nothing can go wrong when the opportunity for wrongdoing is eliminated.

Makes sense. Right?

Adults talk about the dangers of listless youth and the effects of screen time, but we then limit the alternatives, lessening opportunities get outside and move.

Undirected play is important for the development of children. Unsupervised social activity fosters strong character, independence and problem solving skills. Providing options to keep kids active, will keep kids active.

When we place our kids in a box, they can only grow so much. As schools, cities and neighbours take away opportunities for kids to be kids, they are taking away much more than games. They are killing the world I knew and stealing a piece of childhood from future generations.