Posted By L. Leah
I was stood in the kitchen the other day making dinner when my six year old little boy stood next to me and told me he was about to make a "safe" paper airplane. I looked at him a little bemused and asked him to explain. "You see mummy, Mrs *** says that it is dangerous to play with paper airplanes as you might take someone's eye out with the pointy end." I was amazed that the lengths schools will go to in the name of health and safety, so I stopped cooking, got on my soap box and told him exactly what I thought of this teacher, and that obviously he shouldn't throw thim in the class room, or at people etc. and proceeded to say you "go ahead and make a paper airplane and show me how good it can fly". My little lad has had several variations on a theme for his paper airplanes and has perfected his technique now. TO start with he was a little stunned and tried to say that "it was OK", he was happy cutting the points off the ends. Again, soap box out... "Have you ever seen a real airplane with no pointy nose?" "Do you know how many people, man hours, how much education etc went into perfecting the airplane as we know it?" I replied. (you get the idea!)

Anyway, he turned away to make his "best ever" paper airplane and proceded to throw it. Me having returned back to the dinner, did not see it and he insisted I stop cooking, go down to the bottom of the hall whilst he prepared to throw it the full length of the kitchen and hall way.

At this point, my four year old daughter entered the kitchen and proceeded to join in with the spectator activities. She stood on the hall floor, whilst I took up my viewing point on the third stair hanging over the banister.

1, 2, 3 and the plane is launched.... and hit my daughter square in the corner of her eye!

Perhaps the school has a point after all!

Posted By L. Leah
Of course, I have learnt from my mistakes, have conducted a full risk assessment concerning having children, and have decided to ban all games and toys etc, especially friends... just too much of a risk!

Posted By L. Leah
Unfortunately, I could not tend to her injury as I was too busy crying laughing, obviously being four years old she didn't see the irony of the situation and ran off crying to her dad!

Lessons have been learnt though by my son, paper airplanes do fly better with pointy noses!

Posted By Robert K Lewis
L

You need to practice risk export - Give the kids away for someone else to worry about!:-)

Bob

Posted By holmezy

what are you doing allowing your kids to play? Haven't you got any chimneys that need cleaning?
Perhaps next time you could incorporate thier playtime into your cooking requirements with games like;

who can peel the best potato?
First one to find 20 peas in a single pod wins?


etc, etc, etc

the best one I can remember was;

who can get the plates the cleanest using only hot water, washing up liquid and a small sponge?

Oh the joys of childhood.

Not got kids myself so this is all a mystery to me.

Holmezy

Posted By Ken Taylor
The teachers used to throw wooden dusters (for removing chalk from blackboards) about in my school days. Fortunately they were pointless.