Comment | The Therian moped went badly out of control

In progress is yet another boring media and social media frenzy. This time the target is the children and their parents who, according to them, failed as educators. The children have once again played wrong.

It’s about the therian phenomenon, which has received an almost infamous stamp in the media and social media discussions in recent days.

Officially, a therian is a person who identifies as an animal and embodies this, for example, by wearing a therian mask and tail representing an animal or by vocalizing and moving like an animal.

In recent years, the phenomenon has become part of children’s play and hobby culture. In August, when the children find out the current fashion trends it turned outthat therian games are also seen and heard in some Finnish schools.

In August, it was decided to ban therian masks and other masks at the Joensuulaiske school in Karsiko, except for theme days. The ban did not apply to masks worn for health or religious reasons.

Now bans have been reported from other places as well. However, this is not a phenomenon in every school. Usually, therian influences can be seen in the plays of individual students. However, the discussion sparked by the topic in the comment sections of tabloid newspapers is thick and hostile.

The phenomenon affects to even arouse some kind of reactions comparable to trans hatred, also in connection with news about small school children.

We forget that we are now talking about children who, as a rule, just play with animals.

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There is no reason for moral panic.

Therian play can be an important hobby or identity issue for a child or young person. In the same way as the hobby of stick horses, which is more familiar to adults. The community related to the hobby can also be a big part of its significance.

There is no reason for moral panic.

If an adult notices that some play goes too far and affects the child’s well-being negatively, it can and should be limited. It is likely that those for whom it is a matter of childhood or youth play or a hobby more important, will end up being very few.

The hateful turn the conversation has taken is sad. In the end, it says a lot about us adults as role models, but also about not knowing much about the school world.

There it is nothing new that some games in schools have to be limited and banned in classes. This is a fairly common reaction to children’s changing fashions, as children’s games tend to get a little out of hand.

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Play is a child’s most important task.

When I was in elementary school in the 90s, in the yard of the Savolaine village school, I think I used to jump around with my friends sometimes as a dog, sometimes as a horse. Valuipa sometimes even played during the lesson, and the teacher scolded him. Tamagotchis and speaking in i-language were banned in class when our teacher got nervous about them.

Over the years, fidget spinners, finger soups and slimes have been confiscated in Finnish classrooms and lined up to be left at home or in a backpack. In the background, of course, there is the idea that focusing on the actual matter becomes easier. That’s why it’s good to limit play to suitable moments, such as recess.

It’s not even about a more complicated issue.

It is good to remember that play is a child’s most important task. With it, the child can handle even difficult things for himself.

It is important for the development of the brain and the whole body, improves imagination as well as social and emotional skills. Adults should not be startled by every nuance of play that is strange to them.

In today’s age, where the phone is increasingly taking away children’s attention, we could be happy that children are finding meaningful, “more traditional” games for themselves. Based on research, they, as opposed to continuous phone usealso heal ability to concentrate.

Therian masks with the ban in schools, the safety aspect of masking has also been invoked. Masks can arouse anxiety in other children, because even a small schoolchild does not always distinguish between play and reality.

On the other hand, in the case of corona masks, the same argument did not really worry the schools. Even in the schools that have now made the ban, they were ready for exceptional solutions if, for example, playing therian was found to be essential for the development of a child’s identity.

The real problems in schools are far away from children’s therian games, skipidi hockey or finger soups. Labor peace is more affected by the effects of education cuts, swelling class sizes, dysfunctional facilities and so on.

If we want to discuss the problems of occupational peace in schools, let’s talk about these real challenges and let the children play.

The author is a journalist and a primary school class and subject teacher.