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conulyOr the lack thereof.
Now, every time it comes up about people not having this type of playground equipment or that type of playground equipment in their area, it's all "oh, oh, oversafety".
And I have no doubt that misguided safety concerns lead to the boringification of many playgrounds. (REALLY misguided safety concerns. If you make the playground "safe", kids just play less safely, resulting in a net loss of, well, safety.)
But this specific person complained that playgrounds in preschools near her were cramped and small... and also, lacked swings. If they're small and cramped, they probably don't have room for swings. Swings require a lot of space, and only a few children can use them at any one time. If you're short on space, better to use something that many children can play on at once, and that allows for greater scope in play.
Especially in a preschool, where having swings means you need people to help the children on the swings.
At any rate, the conversation revealed something interesting. I mentioned, after several comments about kids running in front of swings and getting bonked in the head, that I thought that sounded just weird. Don't all swingsets in playgrounds have fences around them to prevent this from happening?
Apparently not, and many people said they'd never seen such a thing. Which strikes me, like I said, as weird. It's the norm, possibly even the law for NYC playgrounds! What's it like where you are?
Also on that blog is this link on lunchtime notes. Now, it's always amused me that whenever it's something that the person in question did as a kid or does with their kids it's quite all right, but when it's something Those Other Folks do it's a sign of the apocalypse.
And this can go both ways. Class birthday parties are anti-free range and spoiling children because GOD, can't kids go on in the school day without that silliness? Not having class birthday parties is anti-free range and cruel to children because GOD, did it ever hurt any of us? Leashes are cruel and restrictive. Hand-holding is cruel and restrictive. Teaching your kid to stand by your side is cruel and restrictive. Letting your child run around is cruel to everybody else and stupid. And don't get me started on Santa.
No, no matter what position you commonly take in whatever broader argument you're currently fighting, any individual child-raising practice can be neatly slotted in on your side or theirs, and extolled or demonized as you see fit.
In this case, notes in lunchboxes (except very rarely) are hovering and helicopterish.
Now, I agree, that the pre-printed notes mentioned are sappy and dumb. It's a lunchbox note, not an affirmation. Sending in a note saying "I love you unconditionally" is a good way to get your kid teased, and sending in a note saying that that you purchased ready-made is a good way to confuse your child. "Dad loves me, but not enough to write four words on a piece of paper?"
But I don't think that writing a note, even daily, is going to warp your child's individuality. I mean, it's not like they're bringing their kids home every day for an hour-long lunch with Mom, a newfangled idea that my mother grew up with. Oh. Wait. Right! Lunchbox notes are hovering and unprecedented, but much greater parental involvement at lunch in the past goes unmentioned, probably because it doesn't fit in with this image.
Now, every time it comes up about people not having this type of playground equipment or that type of playground equipment in their area, it's all "oh, oh, oversafety".
And I have no doubt that misguided safety concerns lead to the boringification of many playgrounds. (REALLY misguided safety concerns. If you make the playground "safe", kids just play less safely, resulting in a net loss of, well, safety.)
But this specific person complained that playgrounds in preschools near her were cramped and small... and also, lacked swings. If they're small and cramped, they probably don't have room for swings. Swings require a lot of space, and only a few children can use them at any one time. If you're short on space, better to use something that many children can play on at once, and that allows for greater scope in play.
Especially in a preschool, where having swings means you need people to help the children on the swings.
At any rate, the conversation revealed something interesting. I mentioned, after several comments about kids running in front of swings and getting bonked in the head, that I thought that sounded just weird. Don't all swingsets in playgrounds have fences around them to prevent this from happening?
Apparently not, and many people said they'd never seen such a thing. Which strikes me, like I said, as weird. It's the norm, possibly even the law for NYC playgrounds! What's it like where you are?
Also on that blog is this link on lunchtime notes. Now, it's always amused me that whenever it's something that the person in question did as a kid or does with their kids it's quite all right, but when it's something Those Other Folks do it's a sign of the apocalypse.
And this can go both ways. Class birthday parties are anti-free range and spoiling children because GOD, can't kids go on in the school day without that silliness? Not having class birthday parties is anti-free range and cruel to children because GOD, did it ever hurt any of us? Leashes are cruel and restrictive. Hand-holding is cruel and restrictive. Teaching your kid to stand by your side is cruel and restrictive. Letting your child run around is cruel to everybody else and stupid. And don't get me started on Santa.
No, no matter what position you commonly take in whatever broader argument you're currently fighting, any individual child-raising practice can be neatly slotted in on your side or theirs, and extolled or demonized as you see fit.
In this case, notes in lunchboxes (except very rarely) are hovering and helicopterish.
Now, I agree, that the pre-printed notes mentioned are sappy and dumb. It's a lunchbox note, not an affirmation. Sending in a note saying "I love you unconditionally" is a good way to get your kid teased, and sending in a note saying that that you purchased ready-made is a good way to confuse your child. "Dad loves me, but not enough to write four words on a piece of paper?"
But I don't think that writing a note, even daily, is going to warp your child's individuality. I mean, it's not like they're bringing their kids home every day for an hour-long lunch with Mom, a newfangled idea that my mother grew up with. Oh. Wait. Right! Lunchbox notes are hovering and unprecedented, but much greater parental involvement at lunch in the past goes unmentioned, probably because it doesn't fit in with this image.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-08 03:28 pm (UTC)On the other hand, if safety law suits were an issue, they wouldn't have a play structure taller than I am with a slide, and they wouldn't have the little lower area with gardening/natural world things including stumps, dirt, shovels, etc. Or the large indoor gym for bad-weather days with things to climb on, jump off of, roll over, etc. This is for the 2-5 set: they're just trying to use a tiny outdoor space (and a better indoor space) in the best possible way to teach and entertain the kids.
And no, I've never seen a fenced-off (in the sense of "can't walk in front of it") set of swings. I have seen fenced-off playgrounds, accessible only from inside the school or center that has 'em, but not separated swings. (Data points: growing up in Oregon, college in small-town Iowa.) I have seen, in newer playgrounds (last two decades, as opposed to the ones I grew up with) a tendency to think and actually place the swings so they don't swing into a convenient path to other equipment, however. The grade school I went to, the best route to the monkey bars from the door was, basically, in front of the swings. I'm amazed I don't have a childhood memory of someone getting kicked in the head there. :P
Also, growing up, I never got or knew anyone who got lunch box notes. I still fail to understand how sweet ones could be smothering - I know people who advocate tucking such notes into a spouse's lunch to increase connection too. Now if the lunch box note is a reminder to do something or not do something or a nag or the like - I mean, I suppose you could USE it to hover - but I don't see that it's inherently hovering.
Pre-made ones aren't necessarily hovering either, but they do seem pretty dumb. :P
no subject
Date: 2011-10-08 03:51 pm (UTC)