Social Dynamics of School Recess - Should 'Tag' Be Banned ?

"Tag, you're it!" I exclaimed as I had finally managed to chase down one of my classmates who had been running circles around me all recess; unfortunately the recess moderator immediately blew her whistle to signal the end of recess, and my joy of being 'not it' was short lived. From my perspective, the game of tag was an unpleasant experience in which I tried to maneuver my overweight eight year old frame through an obstacle course of metallic playground equipment in the hopes that I may actually be able to catch one of my classmates. I played this childhood game with the hope of being able to gain the respect of my classmates. From the perspective of my eight year old self, I could not see what would possess my classmates to enjoy chasing after one another, while trying to avoid being tagged 'it'. The idea of deriving fun from such a game was not a concept I understood, but I knew if I was able to stick out this painful experience, I would gain the admiration of my classmates and my social life in the classroom would be much easier.

It may be easy to characterize the game of tag as the athletic bullies picking on their less athletic classmates, such as my third grade self, but there is much more to this debate. In my particular situation, I still went out day after day to battle this game of tag to the best of my ability, and over time I was able to win the respect of my classmates. I didn't have to be the fastest or most athletic eight year old on the playground to win this respect, my classmates instead acknowledged the challenges I faced and the matter in which I persevered through them. As I continued through middle school and onto high school, this respect I gained with my more athletically inclined classmates proved to be the foundation for many lasting friendships I would develop. Fortunately I was able to eventually find what I lacked in athletic talent, I made up for in artistic talent. My classmates who were running circles around me in elementary school were humble enough to recognize the personal talents I had developed over the years, and they were more than eager to provide me with their admiration and encouragement when it came to my art.

When examining the issue of banning a simple childhood game of tag, I believe it is important to realize how essential these games are to the social development of children. Although the game may seem very clear and simple on the outside, to children it is really a dynamic social exchange where they can bond and judge the character of their peers in a controlled environment. I believe few children if any actually possess truly malicious intents of harming the self-esteem or character of their classmates when playing such games, and instead it serves as a basic developmental function of a child's social interaction. If you are to ban tag, what are you going to replace this necessary developmental function with? Regardless of the interactions you place upon children, the social dynamics will still exist and must be confronted. Instead of trying to protect children from any negative social interaction which may result from this developmental period by limiting the ways by which they can interact, perhaps it is more useful to instill values in the child that will result in the admiration and respect from the child's peers regardless of the medium used for social interaction.