At the Playground

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I have a skewed vision of playground etiquette. But what's with parents just letting their preschool children run wild at the playground, with no supervision? We had just such an experience this week. Soren LOVES to play with other kids, so I'm usually grateful when I see someone walking towards the park with their preschool aged kids. And I was on that morning. First a dad and son came walking over. And from another direction, a mom with her 2 kids. What luck!

It took Soren a little while, but he eventually showed interest in playing with the other kids and when two of the kids (a brother and sister) did the teeter-totter with him, I thought we were in luck. But soon the girl made it clear that she wanted to play with me and not Soren. Not so much an option. But then here I am, the pregnant mom chasing her distract-able toddler, helping this girl on the monkey bars without the mom so much as glancing our way! And it only got worse.

Soren loves to share his toys, which we always have to have -- a dump truck, tractor, and shovel. But this little girl just took one right out of his hands and informed me that "He has to share." To which I, as calmly as I could, said, "That's my decision to make. He likes to share so if you'd just wait I'm sure he'll give you one of the trucks." Which Soren did. Yet she still didn't want him to play with her (though I made her if she wanted the truck). What's with that? So now I'm babysitting this mom's two kids as they at times interact none-too-kindly with Soren, trying not to hover too much but also wanting Soren to be safe and to learn how to interact appropriately with other kids. While the mom never seems to even shoot a glance in our direction. I'm refereeing toys (all of which were ours), negotiating guidelines, and trying not to go off on these kids all to give Soren a positive experience with these strangers we may never see again.

Once the meeting was over, this mom was one of the most involved moms I've seen at the playground, running around, climbing and sliding with her kids. But it was like her parent brain just shut off for the duration of that meeting; like her kids didn't need guidance because they were at the playground. I guess I just think that even if we're at the park with other people that I want to talk with, my first and primary responsibility is to my child. I'm there to make sure he's safe and to make sure he treats others with kindness and respect so that everyone goes home having had fun at the playground (hopefully including the parents).

Is that just weird?