Were they messing around because they thought it was real, or because they were simply 'playing wrestling'? They'll do it whether they believe in the product or not, the difference maker is whether they've been told that hurting other people is wrong.
They messed about because they didn't understand that what they were copying was fictitious and potentially/likely harmful.
My friends and I play-wrestled, too, but we never got hurt because we knew it was a work and didn't attempt anything we couldn't do safely.
But, not all kids could differentiate between "pretend" and "safe."
They simply thought that if they saw it on TV, they must be able to do it, too.
It wasn't limited to wrestling, either.
They copied stupid little “stunts” they saw on TV and in movies.
And they weren’t doing it to be malicious, either.
These kids were just friends having fun and horsing around in a good way.
Like I said in my above post, not understanding the potentially harmful effects of what they see
(and ultimately copy) can affect
ALL kids; not just the bad ones.
Even innocent & playful buffoonery amongst friends can fukk people up when they don't realize the ramifications of "what" they're playing.
This scenario is somewhat analogous to gun safety.
Kids see guns used on TV & want to shoot them like their heros.
Of course, no kid should ever handle a gun unsupervised.
Gun injuries and fatalities can result from violent intent
or accidental misuse.
If kids understand that guns are nothing to play with, then we greatly reduce the chance of incidents among at least the good kids.
Now, replace guns with wrestling - or just TV in general.
You’ll never stop evil people from doing evil, but you
can help prevent accidents by educating kids so that they think twice before trying something stupid in the name of fun.
