Wiffle ball.

Read this.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/04/19/2011-04-19_classic_kids_games_like_kickball_deemed_unsafe_by_state_in_effort_to_increase_su.html

Are you kidding me? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. Kickball is dangerous? I've jammed a finger before, but continued playing the game, and did ever week after that for a school year.

Wiffle ball? The neighbor boy and I growing up BROKE wiffle ball bats on each other, and it didn't even leave a mark. What is too dangerous? The running?

Tag can cause brain and spinal injuries? Maybe if they play on the roof and someone falls off.

You all know me. I hate stupid. Hate it. This is stupid. Moreover, if you read the article, you can see what I did. "Ritchie said the regulations could cripple small recreational programs, forcing them to pay a $200 fee to register as a summer camp and provide medical staff." This isn't about making kids safe. This measure doesn't even prohibit these activities. It only makes them register and pay a fee. I hate politics.

I'm with the Mom who said sitting around playing video games has much greater dangers, like obesity and diabetes. There is also potential seizures. And I'll give you one more brain damage.

"How?" you might ask. Because it makes kids dumber. Specifically, it destroys what makes childhood great, imagination. When these kids play video games, everything is drawn out for them, especially as graphics have gotten better.

When I was a kid, it looked more like Phineas and Ferb, at least in my mind. I ran the neighborhood. Neither barbed nor electric fenses stopped me. The only protection I has was a pair of sneakers.

The result? No, not childhood trauma. Quite the opposite. The result was fun. Because the result was creativity. That's wasn't just a tree to climb, it was my fortress to defend from evil enemies. I didn't play X-men video games. I was an X-man (even making up my own). Now, as an adult, I create. I tell stories. I work with my hands for enjoyment. And video games? I have other men over to play, but that's about all I crack them out.

So send your kids out. Let them play, even if it's dangerous. In doing so, you might give the next generation the next Ben Franklin.