<p>S2, who is 13, was invited to an all-day birthday party. The kids will be playing paintball. I didn’t think much about it when we accepted. The birthday boy is a good friend. But now they have sent a waiver that has to be signed for each boy before he can play, and my anxiety level is sky high. The waiver refers to “bodily injury, disease strains, fractures, partial and/or total paralysis, eye injury, blindness, heat stroke, heart attack, death or other ailments that could cause serious disability” and it releases the paintball place from all liability even if they are negligent. I am now wishing that we’d made an excuse.</p>
<p>I’ve looked around on the web and there are references to protective equipment, etc., but clearly accidents do happen. I have a call in to the place to talk to them about safety and equipment.</p>
<p>It’s a pretty common birthday party thing here because we have a paintball facility nearby. Protective gear is generally provided, but the kids have to understand that they absolutely must wear it at all times and that they can never shoot at someone who isn’t wearing it and should never shoot at someone’s head. It’s generally safe but can leave some bruising sometimes. Usually the kids are very well supervised at parties. You might want to check with the party parents and make sure that they are planning to supervise closely.</p>
<p>Thirteen seems kind of young to me - I don’t remember it appearing on the scene here quite that early. Wasn’t something my kids were allowed to do until they were too old to be told what to do. The kids who did play talked about being hurt and the games were held in wide open spaces outdoors that allowed for a lot of escaping. I would consider eye coverings to be of major importance.</p>
<p>You have to sign waivers for plenty of things that give those sort of descriptions. I know whenever I go tubing on the Delaware River (which involves sitting in an inner tube and floating at about 1/2 mph for a few miles) there are tons of forms to sign. You’ll see the same sort of stuff if you go to a go-karting place. Now and then someone will get their hair caught in an engine because they didn’t tuck it up, but as long as you actually follow regulations you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Paintball injuries are usually from getting shot at too close range or middle aged out of shape weekend paintball warriors.
Another problem are helmets that do not fit teens properly and impair vision.
Rent your son a small flack vest, rent a full face and mouth helmet that will fit your son(Or go to the paintball place and get him fitted with their equipment the day before), gloves, knee pads, elbow pads if the course is outside and goggles that fit well.
Stay at the party to make sure he wears his equipment.
He’ll be fine and you’ll worry less if you hang around.</p>
<p>My S2 (now a college senior) and his friends were crazy about paintball when they were 13/14 years old. They all had their own guns and all the requisite equipment that goes along with it. They had paintball wars every weekend and went to birthday parties like the one you describe. None of them ever got hurt. It does leave a bruise if shot from close range but it’s really not a big deal. The places that run those parties have to get you to sign the liability form because their insurer probably requires it. Odds are they prob. never had a serious injury of any kind. As you said, you can call them and ask about safety rules/regulations etc. but if you S really wants to go to the party, I’d let him go.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the responses. What would I do without CC?</p>
<p>This place has multiple “fields” - wide open outdoor spaces, according to their website. S2 is a little apprehensive, from what I can tell. He mentioned that he intended to hide a lot of the time. He’s not the kind of kid who would really enjoy this kind of thing. I talked to my neighbor who has a boy a year older. She hasn’t allowed him to play because she is afraid that he would be too aggressive.</p>
<p>I’m not worried about any of the kids who will be at the party, but I’m wondering whether they will be mixed with other people.</p>
<p>Make up an excuse for the whole family to leave town for the day, drop off a gift to the birthday boy and go have stress free day out of town/on the other side of town.
Doesn’t sound like your son would have any fun, so take the fall for him.</p>
<p>S2 is not an athletic guy, nor aggressive in any way, shape, or form. He was invited to a paintball party when he was the same age as your son. Much to my surprise–and even more so, his!-- he had a great time, loved it. Hasn’t and wouldn’t become a regular outing, but he’s very glad he had the experience, and I’m glad I swallowed my worries. <em>He did wear all available protective gear</em></p>
<p>“Or he could grow a bit, stop over-protecting. Even if he does not enjoy it he gets points with peers for trying.”</p>
<p>Sure, why not indoctrinate your kids early into the violence so common today? Do it because it is the norm, not because it is fun! Have your little boy man up by making him into a target for paint bullets that hit hard and fast.</p>
<p>Yes, it is far worse than the mayhem in many video games. <sarcasm>
6 is a little boy. 13 is a young man soon to be fully grown. Snip the apron strings.</sarcasm></p>
Oh for the love of peet. Please stop with the hyperbole. This too close to tasers for you?</p>
<p>I despise guns. That said, my younger s loves, LOVES paintball, and organized the team at his college, complete with sponsorship, uniforms, etc. He has had his own marker (its not a “gun”) for a while, complete with all protective gear. Yes he occasionally has a round welt on him (looks like a lifesaver, is the best way I can describe it) but he has never been otherwise “injured”. This weekend, however, he badly sprained his ankle playing flag football. He’s in a splint and on crutches. Should we prevent our kids from having some fun?</p>
<p>My son went to a few of these, and I worry about everything, but he was fine. Maybe a bruise or too - on his body, not his face. It’s the waiver that makes you worry. And even if there are other “teams” playing, they’re in another field or they stagger them, so there was never overlap between the party my son was in and other groups. </p>
<p>I never did one of these for my son (winter birthday so we did laser tag instead).</p>
<p>I’ve been signing waivers for my kids since they were 6. Ice skating, rock climbing, rafting, you name it, there is a waiver. </p>
<p>The waiver they send home for horseback riding at my daughter’s barn is 7 pages long requiring 7 signatures including a witness. She’s been riding 12 years, helping with camps for the last 7, teaching the last 2, and has seen very, very, very few broken anything. </p>
<p>The waivers are required by the company to get insured. Just means it’s a bit more dangerous than sitting in front of the tv.</p>
<p>I did this last year with extended family. My then 11yo D also went. Getting hit with a paintball hurts, a lot. But, seconds afterwards it is over, although I did end up with some bruises it only hurt for those few seconds. I would suggest wearing a dark, thick sweatshirt or jacket. She should also were a sturdy pair of sneakers or boots. Nothing dressy. I had a blast, btw, and so did my daughter, 18yo son and H. Other extended family members have also said they will be back nexxt time we go.</p>
<p>I picked him and a friend up after practice, and they were talking about the paintball party. The friend had played before, and he described it, mentioning that it hurt when you were hit. He made some recommendations about thick, padded clothes. After I dropped him off, I asked S2 whether he wished we’d declined. He said, no, he thought he would like it once he was there, and besides, he was tired of being afraid of things. </p>