The "fun police" are apparently

at it again. This time there are queries over a message telling people not to slide or roll down a hill in a park. Those responsible for the park say it has "been there for some time" and that it is to protect all visitors to the park. 
Apparently some years ago someone rolled or slid down the hill into someone else - and that someone else "broke a limb". No, not nice.
But, is it sufficient to stop children - because it will mostly be children who do it -  rolling down the hill? 
Rolling down hills is a childlike thing to do. It's part of the fun of being a child. If you can do it then I imagine it is great and giddy fun. I have never rolled down a hill but I have memories of sliding down sand  hills - and that was fun. We would crawl to the top - even my brother found it too slippery to walk up - and slide down again. FUN! You can't do it in that location any more. The sand hills have gone. There's a huge "retaining" wall to stop erosion and the beach is covered in sea weed - and snakes.  I hope there are other locations where children can still do it.
Reading about the notice telling people not to roll down the hill though I thought, does that mean we should stop children climbing on the "whale" in the local shopping centre? They might fall off and hurt themselves. What about the play equipment at the playground? Oh and you can't possibly let them run anywhere  - although parents do and the small ones do tend to cannon into adults. There have been accidents. But maybe we shouldn't even let children walk anywhere? They might trip over.
Children have been sliding and rolling down hills ever since there have been hills to slide and roll down and children to slide and roll down them.  They have been doing many other potentially dangerous things too. My siblings and I grew up mostly in "the bush" - a place where there were plenty of deadly snakes and spiders, poisonous plants and falling tree limbs. We survived. We would have rolled down hills if there had been any but the landscape was flat. It might have been sheer good luck as we did some crazy things, things our parents often never heard about. It taught us a lot and I suspect we are better and more able adults as a result.
I feel sorry for the children who never get the opportunity to roll down hills or slide down sand hills or climb a tree or make a "cubby" or "wurlie" or some other sort of small house outside. I feel sorry for those who are only allowed to ride their bikes under adult supervision - and for those children who are not allowed to have bikes because it is "too dangerous".
I hope you can still learn to assess the landscape that you live in and do the equivalent of rolling down hills. It's an important experience.