It’s springtime!! So we have taken the playdates from inside to outside. Last Sunday was beautiful here in Georgia. Therefore, I could not resist taking the kids to one of their favorite spots….the playground at the local park. The problem with this is that everyone else had this same idea (literally!!)
First of all, as I was driving to the entrance of the park, I saw cars parallel parked along the street. As if there was some sort of concert going on and the overflow from the parking lot was spilling onto the street….red flag #1.
Next, I pull into the parking lot and could not find a park anywhere…I literally had to wait until another car left before I could park my car…red flag #2. I was so focused on finding a parking spot, I did not really notice there were hundreds of kids running around every inch of the playground. I mean every square foot of that playground was being utilized. Additionally, every gazebo had a birthday party in progress. It was pandemonium!!! Red Flag #3.
But of course, I did not go with my gut…which told me to flee and find another playground. Instead, I looked back at my sweet little girls who were bubbling with excitement and had already released their seatbelts. How bad could it be right??? Wrong!!
So I take off my mommy hat and put on my secret service hat (because as parents we have to play many roles from FBI agents, to nurses, to the secret service.) Then, I strategically position myself so that I can keep an eye on 3 little girls. The problem with that is they all wanted to do different things.
Our 9 year old ran off to find other kids her age to play a game of tag. Our 4 year old, took off to climb on something (she’s a climber.) And our 3 year old…well…she likes the slide. She will get on the slide 100 times in a row while we are there.
Needless to say, I survived this trip to the playground. But it was no easy task to keep an eye on my 3 girls. And the moral to this story is don’t ignore your red flags and the next time you see a crowded playground like that, put the pedal to the medal and take off!!!
Do you ignore the red flags of a tremendously overcrowded playground? What would you do, forge ahead or run for the hills?
