This is the bottom line.

Not so long ago playground equipment was a lot higher up with a lot more rocks below them. They weren't coated and rubberized etc  They sometimes caused splinters amongst other little pesky injuries.  They still cause spills, falls and arm wrenches.  Lots of skinned knees lol

I can remember my heart hitting my stomach and other strange experiences in the pit of my gut, especially as the tiniest of my bambinos would run up to the highest point, at the speed of light and reach for some bar only to miss it.  Never a rail--just open space and me reaching in all the wrong directions.  They never seemed to actually fall just make my head sort of drop over and over again from sheer fear.  "Watch this Mommy!!" I would try so hard to show just my pride in their capable display of talent.  At the same time I wanted to yank them down and head home to the protection of what I don't know lol

With somewhat safer equipment the fear is still the same for the new mothers out there.  I'm sure it feels just as dizzy and scary for them as it did me with the sky scraper in comparison equipment. The kids get bigger and the equipment gets smaller both in comparison to the child's growth and in actuality (sometimes)  So what do kids do?  They add more danger.  Gotta keep you in that stomach flipping mode at all times until the day you die lol.

I'm glad I didn't yank them down though.  The message is clear to a child when you do that.  You are not capable.  It's not I love you and am looking out for you or care.  It is simply, I don't trust your abilities. Sorry, but that is what they hear.  That is what I heard all my life as I watched from the window; the children who's parents "didn't care for them".  How I longed to be those children. 

I bit my tongue as my daughter pulled my grand daughter away from her fun and learning.  I wanted to interfere as the fear was being instilled in her.  I knew battle of supposed authority was not the answer.  I was silent.  Knowing, we are going to the park today to skin some knees possibly.  I did a soft loving lecture, if that is possible and will continue to, a little at a time.  My daughter was totally irate, scared and selfish by not suffering as a mother does as her child grows.  I don't think she realizes yet how much she could ruin the grand baby.  I told her to do her best to teach safety and act like a net if need be, but don't pull her away from babies her age.  Any possible message she gets, is not going to be a positive one.  It' s just a fact.  No one said motherhood was easy. 

So, my son likes to test me by adding a skateboard to the story lol.  I missed all the cool shots of him dropping off the highest point but I got the smart ass grin on his face before he skated down the slide.  Who needs to work out to get that old heart pumping? lmao


I can remember once, my uncle, who was an absolute total genius with heart, telling my a-mom, "she isn't going to learn here in the house looking out the window nor in school, it's out there under that streetlight with peers where she is going to learn life lessons.  You have to think of her and not be selfish or you will be sorry."  He was right -a child eventually wants to live --hopefully.  Let them obtain the tools in which to do so wisely or they will do it otherwise.  My Uncle was a very educated, successful man, so it's not like this was coming from someone still playing under the streetlight.