My kids love the playground. If we could spend the whole day there, they would be as close to heaven as they could get on earth. And I love taking them to the playground. They get fresh air, sunshine (if it's out that day), and great exercise running around the place. I especially love it when we have the place to ourselves. No, I'm not against my kids making some new friends; I just hate having to parent other people's children at the playground.
In my opinion there are some basic rules that need to be followed at a playground. They are as follows:
1. If you bring your kids to the playground (no matter what age really) you should stay within a close enough distance that you can keep an eye on them and hear them if they call.
Why? Because they may be old enough to play on their own without being helped and spotted on all the various dangling apparatuses, but they may NOT be old enough to be patient and kind to the smaller children on the playground. The other day, a little boy (about 5 or 6) tried to manhandle Kayla all over the place and he did it right in front of my husband. Hello?? And where the heck are his parents anyway? Chris shouldn't have to tell some kid to "back up off"; that's what HIS parents should be doing.
2. The slides are for going DOWN, not up.
Why? Because it's dangerous. If one kid is climbing up the slide and another tries to go down, there will be a collision. Sometimes it might not be a big deal. Sometimes it might. And frankly, it's rude. That's not the way it was designed to be used, so don't use it that way. If Kayla tries to go up a slide, she gets immediately removed with a warning that if she tries it again, we will be leaving her beloved toys immediately. And we have only had to leave once. She has never tried to test me on it again. And yes, I know it's "more fun" to do it the other way sometimes, and maybe at times I'll make special exceptions when I am watching and when there is no one else at the playground, but we'll see. I'm kind of a slide Nazi. Plus I want my kids to know that it's important to follow rules even when we don't feel like it or another way seems more fun.
3. Take turns.
Why? Because it's safer that way. Plus I don't really want my small child being stepped all over by some bigger kid because she happens to be slower and likes to sit at the top of the slide for 5 seconds preparing herself before she actually goes down.
And that's really it. It doesn't seem all that difficult to me, yet there are so many people who can't or won't abide by them. Arggggghhh!
TOTAL slide Nazi here. "UP the stairs, DOWN the slide" is my mantra.
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