Exiting the Playground

I hate the silent smirking faces of condescension that prevail on the
playground. Aah The judging! The side eyes when your kid stands up in
a swing, the annoyed eye rolling when your kid streaks through the
playground yelling with glee. Since when did the playground become a
place of restraint? I remember the joyful feeling of sheer abandonment
as a kid when we went to the park. My mother would just barely be
visible and my brothers and I were left to invent our own rules, games
and limits. What happened on the playground was our business.
Playground equipment has drastically improved in terms of safety so
why do we still lurk and micromanage? I feel like I'm breaking the
law when I don't follow my kid around every twist and turn of the maze
of ramps and walk ways that have replaced merry-go-rounds and jungle
gyms.
My kids prefer the field to the structure. When we don't have the park
to ourselves. No one looking at them wondering why these wild boys are
disrupting their orderly parent dictated play. They throw sticks and
climb rocks. They jump from high places and make my heart stop every
five minutes, but it's their business. In the fields and woods they
can create their own rules, games and limits.

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