Seriously people, why do you let your children climb UP the slide?

[5LittleMonkeys]

 

 

Well, as long as the kids were wearing shoes. That's the important thing :)

 

Nope, no shoes here...ever. It inhibits foot development.

[Reeciecup]

I spent my childhood summers barefoot so much of the time, that finding my shoes when I needed them was nearly impossible. I survived, and am still able to walk to this day! I don't get what the big deal is about going barefoot.

[nmoira]

I tell my kids no climbing up when someone is waiting but otherwise who gives a flying F what way they go up the slide.

 

This, and stated far more eloquently than I managed. :tongue_smilie:

[Mommy22alyns]

Meh. I let them do it if nobody is trying to come down. When there are other kids wanting to use the slide, yes, I've always made them go around properly. That's common courtesy. But if nobody's there? Not a big deal.

 

I'm not a fan of barefoot anywhere but inside my house. Just my preference.

[swellmomma]

I spent my childhood summers barefoot so much of the time, that finding my shoes when I needed them was nearly impossible. I survived, and am still able to walk to this day! I don't get what the big deal is about going barefoot.

 

I know some people worry about broken glass or junkie needles and such, but then I wonder why on earth they would let their kid play their anyway.

 

Some worry about disease, but serious your kid is more likely to get a disease from touching things with their hands and then rubbing and eye, or picking a nose or fingers in mouth etc than through the sole of the foot.

 

When we go to a playground we do a safety check first, it takes all of 5 minutes to do a quick walk around, check for obvious dangerous items on ground, or broken equipment or touch metal slides for how hot they are. If park deemed safe I go sit with my book and set the kids loose, as long as they don't lose their shoes somewhere I don't care if they are off or on.

[nmoira]

 

the problem ends up being that slide "climber uppers" tend not to yield the right away. I totally empathize with the op's frustrations. . .she's venting. There's nothing wrong with climbing up the slide in and of itself, but at a park with other kids??? It is rude. If I see one of my kids start to try, I tell them "We only go down the slide" Sometimes they say, ". . .but the OTHER kids are doing it" In my head I'm saying, "Yah. . .and their parents are rude to let them do it." But I SAY, "their mommy has different rules for them"

 

I'm in agreement with the poster who said that climbing up the slide is asking for feet in the face

 

And some kids throw sand. Others hog toys. Some scream bloody murder if you look at them the wrong way (including one of mine... so I'm not high horsing here). The list is endless. The problem isn't kids going up slides, but rather that some kids are inconsiderate, either through obliviousness or because they just don't care. This is a fact of life.

[Soror]

Because I'm a lazy and irresponsible mother, of course. What kind of answer is expected with such a question? My heathen children are also permitted to be barefoot as well, the horrors. My children are taught to move out of the way when others are going down. If they end up with feet in their face then it is a natural consequence, no big deal to me.

[nmoira]

Because I'm a lazy and irresponsible mother, of course. What kind of answer is expected with such a question? My heathen children are also permitted to be barefoot as well, the horrors.

 

We should start a club.

[kristi26]

I spent the first five years of ODS's life telling him that slides were for sliding, ladders were for climbing. He went to PS for kindergarten and all that went out the window the moment he got on that playground. ALL the other kids climbed the slide the wrong way. And I realized something: it just did NOT matter. So I stopped worrying so much about it.

 

If there are other kids trying to use it the right way, I tell my kids to wait their turn. I remind them that technically, the person going down the slide has the right of way.

 

As for the shoes off at the playground? I never even thought about that as an option. :lol:

[MomatHWTK]

I try to avoid taking my hperactive little snowflakes to parks. I wouldn't want them to pick up bad habits from the sedate little conformists. :hat:

[justLisa]

Because I'm a lazy and irresponsible mother, of course. What kind of answer is expected with such a question? My heathen children are also permitted to be barefoot as well, the horrors.

We should start a club.

 

I want to join too. But we need a catchy name. Ideas?

[KungFuPanda]

Wait. WHY can't they go barefoot? I get it if your playground is trashy, but not as a principle.

[goldberry]

Seriously....this is meant to be a joke, right?

[Snickerdoodle]

Seriously....this is meant to be a joke, right?

That's what I thought too. But then, I had a parent yell at me once b/c my kids were jumping in a puddle. So, you never know of course.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Mine also go barefoot in the warmer months. I do not want them getting their shoes that nasty!

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I kept my boys out of school so they could develop normally. They ride bikes in the grass without helmets (on the street they do wear them), they climb tall trees, they climb up slides, they play in the creek, they leave the trail, they bounce and kick while studying, they talk through their lessons, they sleep outdoors in the summer and cook their own supper over open fires, they start flying airplanes as teenagers....

 

They are never rude on playgrounds. Our rules have always been that "anyone smaller than you has the right of way," and they don't go up the slides when people want to come down. They don't abuse other people's property or trespass or steal. They're not feral. They're just normal. And their Mom always knows where they are.

 

Entitled children of helicopter parents (otherwise known as 'special snowflakes') do not grow up to follow their bliss and change the world. Rough-and-tumble children of loving and present parents have a better chance of lifelong happiness and achievement. Just my not-so-humble opinion.

[swellmomma]

That's what I thought too. But then, I had a parent yell at me once b/c my kids were jumping in a puddle. So, you never know of course.

 

:confused1: seriously? that's bizarre. I jump in puddles with my kids. In fact if it is a warm rain I run out there with them to play in it and dance in it. A cold rain I send them out on their own.

[SKL]

Any chance of a photo of a guy in a kilt on a playground? Or sliding around somewhere? How about a slidey cupcake?

[Soror]

Wait. WHY can't they go barefoot? I get it if your playground is trashy, but not as a principle.

Seriously, it reminds me of this advertisement for baby shoes one time and it talked about protecting your child's feet from drug needles, seriously? I don't go to parks with needles, glass or such.

 

We follow the hygiene hypothesis here, no matter what internet protocol or my mother-in-law thinks.

 

I don't make small children wear underwear either and we potty train them naked.

 

I'll join the dirty and rude children club because of course if our kids don't follow someone else's standards we must me rude.

[Matryoshka]

Whatever happened to real playground equipment? Now it all seems to be plastic one piece (but wide spread) units.

 

I was travelling with my kids in Germany, and we were at a municipal pool that also had playground equipment, including a see-saw. I was just thinking to myself how one never sees see-saws in American playgrounds anymore, and how overreactive we've become to any potentially unsafe equipment... and one of my dd's comes running over because other dd had an encounter with the see-saw and had split her nose. Had to go run off and get it glued in the emergency room. Guess I should've knocked wood...

 

Other dd split the back of her head on the same trip on another piece of playground equipment (monkey bars with too little space between - she dropped down between and bonked the back of one of the bars... another ER trip).

 

Right here in the US, they actually got to play on an old metal merry-go-round like they had when we were kids. It was at a restaurant with outdoor seating. The place probably had it from way back. They also had a huge brand-new Rainbow playset, Lovely. We'd go there just for that, and no mishaps. But then one day it was all gone, even the new Rainbow. I'm guessing someone else did, and they decided the liability was too much. :(

 

In spite of the ER visits, I think the new stuff is way too bland and safe. Probably should've gone over and introduced my dds to the physics of a see-saw before letting them have at it...

[swellmomma]

I kept my boys out of school so they could develop normally. They ride bikes in the grass without helmets (on the street they do wear them), they climb tall trees, they climb up slides, they play in the creek, they leave the trail, they bounce and kick while studying, they talk through their lessons, they sleep outdoors in the summer and cook their own supper over open fires, they start flying airplanes as teenagers....

 

They are never rude on playgrounds. Our rules have always been that "anyone smaller than you has the right of way," and they don't go up the slides when people want to come down. They don't abuse other people's property or trespass or steal. They're not feral. They're just normal. And their Mom always knows where they are.

 

Entitled children of helicopter parents (otherwise known as 'special snowflakes') do not grow up to follow their bliss and change the world. Rough-and-tumble children of loving and present parents have a better chance of lifelong happiness and achievement. Just my not-so-humble opinion.

 

That is a beautiful way to put it and I agree 100%.

[catz]

 

We should start a club.

 

I'm in.

 

I agree with whoever said playgrounds are becoming boring. If kids can do some non-linear thinking on the playground without annoying other kids, carry on. If there are kids waiting to come down a slide, they don't go up it. They know the drill well now. My little heathens go barefoot on a regular basis. Never had a problem. There are benefits to walking barefoot.

 

If there are kids not being courteous to other kids on a playground, that's a discipline issue.

[justLisa]

I kept my boys out of school so they could develop normally. They ride bikes in the grass without helmets (on the street they do wear them), they climb tall trees, they climb up slides, they play in the creek, they leave the trail, they bounce and kick while studying, they talk through their lessons, they sleep outdoors in the summer and cook their own supper over open fires, they start flying airplanes as teenagers....

 

They are never rude on playgrounds. Our rules have always been that "anyone smaller than you has the right of way," and they don't go up the slides when people want to come down. They don't abuse other people's property or trespass or steal. They're not feral. They're just normal. And their Mom always knows where they are.

 

Entitled children of helicopter parents (otherwise known as 'special snowflakes') do not grow up to follow their bliss and change the world. Rough-and-tumble children of loving and present parents have a better chance of lifelong happiness and achievement. Just my not-so-humble opinion.

 

Always the voice of reason :D

 

I am trying to bring myself to use the Like button.

[acablue]

Our playground has a tube slide, so my boys usually climb up on the top, or they climb up the inside by holding the sides so that kids can slide down between their legs. Is that better?

[Impish]

Lovin me some Tibbie

[sewingmama]

What an...interesting...thing to get panties in a bunch over.

 

I think the OP has a fair point - if a child is waiting to slide down then kids shouldn't be climbing up -it is annoying especially if some big kid is scrambling over your 3 yo who is waiting at the top.

 

That being said - I let my kids climb up the slide if there is no one around - they know to jump off straight away if someone wants to come down. We go to the park in the middle of the day - usually there is no one else but us there

 

My kids also go barefoot in the park - it's fenced and covered in rubber matting - they will see it before they step on it. It's not irresponsible if you know the area is safe.

[Reeciecup]

Do any of you remember the scene in Kramer Vs Kramer where the kid falls off the monkey bars onto the concrete and breaks his arm? I remember thinking I was glad the monkey bars I played on at the time were not on concrete. Who knew they would take away monkey bars altogether!

[Word Nerd]

.

[KungFuPanda]

Cake. Kilt. Playground.

 

BOOYAH!!!

 

[8circles]

Do any of you remember the scene in Kramer Vs Kramer where the kid falls off the monkey bars onto the concrete and breaks his arm? I remember thinking I was glad the monkey bars I played on at the time were not on concrete. Who knew they would take away monkey bars altogether!

 

I fractured my arm falling off monkey bars onto concrete in 2nd grade.

[KungFuPanda]

Do any of you remember the scene in Kramer Vs Kramer where the kid falls off the monkey bars onto the concrete and breaks his arm? I remember thinking I was glad the monkey bars I played on at the time were not on concrete. Who knew they would take away monkey bars altogether!

 

They didn't take monkey bars?!?!? We still have them in my neighborhood.

[Word Nerd]

 

 

I fractured my arm falling off monkey bars onto concrete in 2nd grade.

 

I broke mine jumping from the low monkey bar to the high one in 3rd grade. I slid off and landed on the blacktop--completely missed the rubber pad under the bars.

[Slartibartfast]

I let my kids get their feet in the dirt, dirt is good for ya.

 

If the playground material doesn't look conducive to bare feet I would have the kids wear shoes. But I would prefer they ran around outside barefoot so they can get all the good germs from the dirt. I tell my kids to make mud pies. :lol:

[Reeciecup]

 

I fractured my arm falling off monkey bars onto concrete in 2nd grade.

 

 

 

I was safe on the monkey bars. It was the tree I fell out of that caused my broken arm. I think we need to rethink all these dangerous trees we have just growing everywhere.

[Wabi Sabi]

I'll admit to cringing when I see kids without shoes. I certainly would never say anything to anyone else's child as it's not my place, but my own kids know that I expect them to keep their shoes on when we're outside. We've simply experienced too many episodes of stepping on a bee or in a pile of dog poop. :ack2:

[SKL]

Nothing against kids playing barefoot, but I would prefer not to have to be on high alert all the time. When my kids were wee tots, they played barefoot in our backyard all summer. At parks, sometimes they ask to take off their shoes, and I decide on a case-by-case basis. I could care less what other parents do with their kids' feet (or what they think of mine).

[DawnM]

But sigh, he has shoes on. Maybe she doesn't?????

 

Cake. Kilt. Playground.

 

BOOYAH!!!

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

how can you climb up the slide in shoes? Bare feet make it much easier.

 

:coolgleamA:

[Zuzu822]

I'm in agreement with most folks (especially Tibbie!)

 

Slider-downers go first unless the climber-upper was in mid-climb. If it's really busy, sliding down only is probably the way to go. Unless it's a big group of folks we know. Then whatever as long as everyone is working together.

 

Also, all of my boys learned to climb UP the slide before they started sliding down. I have pictures of all of them under the age of one climbing up the slide at home (not a Little Tikes size) and at the playground. In bare feet.

 

ETA: There is a school playground here with equipment that is on the newer side, but definitely not no-fun-ultra-safe. Lots of metal and very high slides. The kids find it exhilarating.

[AndyJoy]

That's what I thought too. But then, I had a parent yell at me once b/c my kids were jumping in a puddle. So, you never know of course.

 

 

I haven't been yelled at, but I did get disapproving looks from the other parents who didn't want their kids following suit and getting wet & dirty.

[Janie Grace]

I watched the cupcake kerfuffle happen, but I wasn't a member yet. Is this my first real trainwreck?

 

 

No, not a train wreck. The OP is not arguing back and no one is coming to her defense. This is a JAWM that no one agrees with. Much more mellow. :)

[Dory]

I always loved my kids using something in a way other than what it was initially made for. It showed imagination. Climbing up the slide is also good for muscle development. I do NOT allow them to do it when there are other kids playing with the slide. That's just rude and eventually you end up with a collision and someone hurt. I also don't allow barefoot at the playgrounds here because there is the possibility of broken glass in ALL of them. That's just the type of town this is. At home my kids go barefoot most the summer.

[JudoMom]

Not only do mine go up the slide, they're often found on top of the slide if it's a tube slide or up on any other high perch. *gasp*

[AndyJoy]

I let my DS 3 climb up the slide barefoot in the right circumstances. If other kids are trying to slide down "properly" I have him follow suit. But if a bunch of fun-loving 4-6 year-old boys are going up and down, tumbling over one another, sitting on the end to get kicked off on purpose, etc. I let him join the fun! He thinks it is hilarious to get kicked off the bottom of the slide by a huge 6 year old, and I don't see any danger of real physical harm, so I let him bond with the bigger boys.

 

I DO have a problem with the 8-10 year olds who run up the toddler slides and trample the little ones. After a "Whoa, watch out for the little guys!" comment I've ordered them off the equipment many a time.

[I.Dup.]

It is extremely rude if someone is ignoring their child climbing up over and over again the wrong way while other children are waiting.

 

But if no other children are around, I don't see a problem with letting them climb. I have not had my children barefoot in a park because it just hasn't come up but I wouldn't think it was THAT big of a deal. I wouldn't encourage it, but I wouldn't bat my eyes if someone else's kid was running around barefoot.

 

Rude behavior does get on my nerves though. There was a kid on a swing screaming and throwing an absolute FIT when he had to take a turn. No parent anywhere in sight and he just REFUSED to get off the d@mn swing (an older sibling was trying- and failing- to coax him off). Basically, watch your kids. Encourage them to share, and be nice.

[HappyCrazyMama]

Aren't all slides now built to a legally safe height where no child could possibly get hurt... Surrounded by soft non PVC plastic safety ground... With queuing lines.... And Helicopter parent guards?

 

Now the 25' high old-school, all-metal, no-railing, burn-your-flesh-off-in-the-sun slides - that's a different thread!

 

What about large, fast, metal merry-go-round etiquette? Oh, none of those left. Might as well climb up the 4ft plastic slide for fun....

 

Cupcakes!!

 

We have one of those cast off slides in our backyard! Kids love it, even grown-ups think it's fun. Our slide goes both ways.:D

[Mommyfaithe]

Because it is fun. As a kid it was so daring for all of 8 years old to prove to mom you wouldn't get hurt if you did it.

 

I let my kids do it at home and we play barefoot in our backyard, not at the local park though.

 

I agree!!!! It is more fun...and great for muscle development. I let my kids know not to be rude at the playground...and to take turns....at home, they always go up the slide.....and down the pole....

[Laurie4b]

I see a lot of behavior from children these days that makes no sense to me. I see children hitting their siblings and the parent just ignoring it. I see children as old as 13 touching EVERYTHING in sight in a store. I see children standing up in the front of carts and the parents don't even seem concerned. LIke I said, I see a lot of behavior that isn't safe that is allowed by parents now. I think a lot of parents don't want to take the time to actually be a parent or they just don't know anything about safety.

 

That being said, I did let my daughter go up slides as long as no one else was using the slide. I agree about the children with no shoes on however, since you have no idea what is in the sand on a playground.

 

Wait! There is a rule about touching things in a store? Why?

 

The store wants things touched--people are more likely to buy them. Why is there a rule against it?

[AdventureMoms]

I kept my boys out of school so they could develop normally. They ride bikes in the grass without helmets (on the street they do wear them), they climb tall trees, they climb up slides, they play in the creek, they leave the trail, they bounce and kick while studying, they talk through their lessons, they sleep outdoors in the summer and cook their own supper over open fires, they start flying airplanes as teenagers.... They are never rude on playgrounds. Our rules have always been that "anyone smaller than you has the right of way," and they don't go up the slides when people want to come down. They don't abuse other people's property or trespass or steal. They're not feral. They're just normal. And their Mom always knows where they are. Entitled children of helicopter parents (otherwise known as 'special snowflakes') do not grow up to follow their bliss and change the world. Rough-and-tumble children of loving and present parents have a better chance of lifelong happiness and achievement. Just my not-so-humble opinion.

 

Far better than I could have said it. Though mine are a bit young for some of those things. :-D

 

Near my parents house there is a newer playground that has one of those old-fashioned merry-go-rounds on it. It's super fun, though I think it will be better next year when the twins have brains enough to hold on. We've been to some really awesome newer parks in various places!

 

I'm not a fan of those super old-fashioned slides after DD got knocked off while climbing up the ladder, hit her head three times on the (metal) steps on the way down, then landed on the grass on her back. She got knocked off by a child being oblivious, but they were both going the right way. She was ok though after a bit.

 

And what on earth is wrong with bare feet?

[Crimson Wife]

The other reason this behavior irks me is that it puts me in the position of being the only hag mom who says NO to climbing up the slide. I've had to discipline my kids more than once for doing what they see other kids doing, because it's against MY rule for THEM. Everyone knows that climbing up the slide when there are other kids playing there is wrong. Don't make an excuse for your precious snowflake; it hurts those kids who are expected to follow the rule.

 

You're not the only mean mom who doesn't allow her children to go up the slide.

 

Now the barefoot thing, I'm going to respectfully disagree with. Most of the playgrounds here are above sand and I'm not going to make wearing shoes a hill to die on with my kids. They have enough rules to follow at the playground as it is (like not climbing up the slide ;) )