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Pre-School and Daycare
brightning
member
Do you like going to the park with DC?
brightning
member
Am I the only one who dislikes it?
Our neighborhood has a ton of parks ... except they've all got versions of the exact same equipment. So really, we've got 2 parks. And they're all too big for DD to do much independently, so it turns into me doing everything with her. I truly dislike going down those tunnel slides with a kid on my lap.
There are 1,000 places I'd rather take DD than the park. There, I said it!
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Re: Do you like going to the park with DC?
We generally don't go with just DD. 99% of the time, we meet up with DD's best friend and mine (they live 3 minutes from us) and the girls play while we chat.
DD goes down the big slides, including the tunnel slide, by herself so we only go down when we're in the mood for fun and silliness.
I love it, but because my kids can do everything without my help. My 2-year-old still shocks me with the stuff he can climb that #1 couldn't at the same age.
We have dozens of parks around here, but one or two favorites, and we go all the time.
My Three Sons
#1: 2.06 #2: 1.08 #3: 9.10
DS #3 diagnosed at birth with panhypopituitarism - lack of pituitary function. He is treated with thyroxine, hydrocortisone, growth hormone and testosterone.
I guess I should add that if DD seemed to have more fun at the park, I'd enjoy it more, too. But while she asks incessantly to go, she never actually seems all that happy when we're there. And when I give her the 5 minute warning that it's time to go, or if we have to leave unexpectedly, she's totally cool with it.
And then the over-analyzer in me wonders if she's just picking up on my bad vibes and that's why she doesn't seem to love the park.
It's a vicious cycle!
I enjoy it when the weather is nice. I prefer going with a friend who has a DC that Katie will play with.
We have a little kid park that Katie can do everything without me worrying, but it's boring. She does not need help at the big kid parks, but I get nervous that she'll fall from way up there.
The question is do I like taking DC to the park....then my answer is NO. I HATE it. But I do it because she loves it. I am a nervous wreck. She always wants to go higher in the swing, climb up high things (with no rails or support) and it makes me CRINGE. Then she never wants to leave.
I don't even like to think about seeing her on the playground at school with other kids and 2 adults "watching". AHHHHHH
Eh. How's that for an answer? LOL.
DS loves it and is actually very cautious, but not overly dependent on me. I may have to help him climb up some bars a couple of times before he wants to do it by himself. I usually stay nearby though.
It's tough (and tiring) to take them to the park at this age, isn't it? They're not quite old enough for you to just relax on a bench while they play. (At most parks, that is.) If it was a McDonald's or Chick-fil-a playground you could, but since most of the playgrounds we have around here are equipped for a wide range of kids, there's stuff for older kids too...which DS always wants to play on too.
The playground is sometimes a reward for DS when I go jogging. The park we go to has a 5K trail, so I push DS in the stroller. He's usually so very good, that we go to the park afterward so he can let off some energy too. It's a give-and-take.
I have mixed feelings about parks.
I can't deny that they are a great diversaion for kids, and that all kids should have a chance to climb jungle gyms and slide down slides. So, I do feel that park/playground visits are important.
However, both my kids are cautious by nature. Every time we visited the park when they were younger, they would want to do stuff but be too afraid. I would see tiny one year old toddlers climbing the highest jungle gyms or sliding down the twisty tube slide without a care, while my honking huge 3 year old would be clinging to my leg. My kids would so badly want to do stuff, but be too nervous. So, this was a hard time for us.
Also, I hate the fact that lots of parents don't really supervise their kids at a park. I don't like the judgment call of when to intervene if my kid was on the receiving end of bad behavior by other kids.
I feel that, really, parks are made for kids who are school age, who can confidently climb a jungle gym and slide down a big slide without anxiety, who can handle playground incidents. My kids both enjoy playgrounds MUCH more now that they're older.
I like it. I like getting her out of the house and moving outside. She does pretty much everything on her own (loves going down the slides on her belly!), and I am there to assist when needed (i don't often sit down, but try not to hover).
I really want her to have the confidence in herself to be adventurous and push herself with any fears she might have, so I try not to worry while at the park.
Love it. We go multiple times a week. We have a tiny backyard and no play equipment, so living near the park is our perk for living in the city and having a tiny lot.
There are at least 4 different playgrounds in the park closest to our house and more all over the city a short drive away. We've been going since DD was 9 months old. At that age we did the swings and frequented the ones with the tiny climbers. Now we go to them all.
DD is good. She's cautious by nature but brave after she's had some experience climbing something with help. She's initially cautious of a slide, but okay with it as she grows into them. She isn't reckless but she isn't innately fearful either.
I'm actually a little worried that DS is going to be much more reckless. So we'll stick to the playgrounds on soft surfaces until we see how he does!
The park/playground is also the place where we've met a lot of kids in the neighborhood. It's priceless because most of the kids DD knows at daycare don't live within walking distance.
We have tons of parks around here with all different types of equipment. I love taking the kids. They all have a great time.
We do have a ginormous playset in our backyard though (this one: https://www.rainbowdirect.com/index.php/swing-sets/package/super-rainbow-castle-package-v/ ) so we play in our backyard a LOT!