Don't tell her kid to stop climbing the slide!

[AdriftOnMemoryBliss]

This blog popped up on FB today and i had a read, and thought it was worth discussing.

mommyshorts.com/2016/02/dont-tell-my-kid-to-stop-going-up-the-slide.html

Now, i'm coming from this as a mom who's DS is autistic and dyspraxic, so 'hovering' around him in the playground comes as par for the course because he doesn't get the social niceties and his balance isn't great.

I'm a stickler for telling him not to climb the slide, i don't mind if he's got it to himself, but the moment another child wants to play, i will stop him.

Reading through the comments on the blog, there are a lot of parents who not only advocate allowing the kids to climb, but also for other parents to leave their children alone to sort it out for themselves without the parents stepping in, if i didn't do that, DS is likely to have meltdown or try to hit/push one of the other children.

So.. what side are you on? Do you let them climb the slide and sort it out for themselves if other children object? Or are you on the side of stepping in and dealing with it by stopping it? Do you stop other peoples children?

Italian, i bet the adult equivalent is more playing chicken against the flow of pedestrians in a busy shopping centre or street.

Ds is allowed to play at the bottom of playground slides as one as no one wants to come down them.
He also likes to push the big basket swings rather than go in them. He doesn't want to push them with others in them (has asd). Quite a few times I have had other parents ask me to move him because their child wants to play in it and I have had to tell them that he is playing with it and I will move him off when he has had his turn.

There are plenty of things in playgrounds that children can climb up.

The slide isn't meant to be one of them.

Okay if nobody else is playing on the slide, maybe then just let them get on with it if you really don't care one way or the other.

But if there are children waiting to slide down it and your special precious is the one scrabbling up it so none of them can have a turn, move your child to climb up something else.

That woman will change her tune the day her child falls over and head-butts the bloody slide and knocks out teeth or something (I've seen that happen, that child's mouth was a mess).

mrsdevere good point.

One of the things the OT has suggested to help ds build his core strength and upper body strength is regular trips to the park. Strangely in her list of suggested activities when there climbing up the slide isn't one of them!

There is a time for leaving them explore without interfering, and a time for stopping them from doing stupid things. Climbing a slide when other kids are waiting to use it is one of those. If no one else is there, fine go ahead - but you have to teach turn taking and consideration for others to children.

Bah - meant to say one of the latter. I'm sure you understand though. Everyones special precious has to learn to consider others (barring some particular SN).

We hardly ever go to the park - too busy generally but the 'my child takes priority and can climb up the slide if they want to' attitude makes my blood boil. DS1and2 climbed anything and everything when they were younger including the fir tree taller than the house at the end of the garden (when I wasn't looking!). But - NO climbing up the slides particularly if other kids around. DD when younger, very patient, would defer to other children and very rule bound would have sat there helplessly whilst precious or bold child was allowed to climb up the slide. So I certainty did tell other children not to do that - that there was a QUEUE. If they didn't move I'm sure I've just told DD to go anyway - but she refused! Plenty of other stuff to climb on. It just epitomises the selfish behaviour of some - it just ruins it for everyone. DD now 8 has learned not to be a total pushover - but she is kind, respectful and bothered about the impact on other people.

I used to hover as dyspraxic DS1 fell off the equipment, head first 3 times.
Each time he avoided landing on his noggin by someone with lightning reflexes catching him by his ankles. When he fell over, he didnt even used to put his hands out to catch himself.

Some kids cannot safely be left to get on with it.
and I wouldnt stand there and watch an accident caused by that one kid who cant go with the flow of play.

DD has been scared off using the big slide at our local adventure playground thanks to some loud 10 yr olds popping up in her face when she'd just got to the top once. Sort it out for themselves just means whoever's biggest or has the most mates with them gets their way. Not nice.
I hope mine won't be behaving antisocially when they're 8 or 10 or 12, but if they are I hope I'm still calling them on it.

tangerines

Kids aresupposedto come home grubby from playing outside - it's the sign of a good time IMO.

I'd much rather my DC grubby and having good exercise and fun than worrying about getting their clothes dirty in the park - life is too short IMO.

One time, I went out for Sunday dinner to an extremely nice pub with a playground in the garden, including a slide. As you might expect, the children had a lovely time playing on the equipment while we waited for our food and us adults were happy too. Then, the food arrived, the children were called over, and... an overpowering niff met our noses. Turned out that one of the kids walking up the slide must have had dog mess on their shoes.

Not all trips to playgrounds are just before bathtime, you know.

On that note, I've even taken kids to the playground in their smartest clothes on the morning of a wedding, in order to get them tired enough to sit in church quietly! Would not have terribly appreciated it if the slide was covered in mud.

This playground was by the church, after a long car journey, not one at home before we set off. I'm not that silly!

Tara that's more of a dog poo/inconsiderate dog owner thread issue than a kids going up slide/thoughtless parents thread issue.

I was under the impression slides were slides, not climbs?

The one that gets up my nose was the suggestion that it "was good for development". Find a poncey reason for putting dirty feet where others are about slide down.

Appalled at the idea that you have to search out the parent to get them to do it.

I'd have no problems telling a slide upper to get down, based on the dirt alone.

All our play equipment in parks is for small kids - those 6 and above have to adapt! So I let them climb up - but only if no-one else is using it of coursse.

Mine are a bit old for slides now, but I would let them climb up if they were alone. If anyone else was on it, I'd make them go up the ladder.

I think children need to learn that they are not the only person on the planet and this blogger will produce self-absorbed, annoying children, who can't get along with others.

I think if you take a child to a playground you have to accept they may get some marks on their clothes.

It always felt to me that the advocates of 'letting children sort it out amongst themselves' were the ones who owned the children pushing in the queue or being rough to the others

This!! Children also need to learn that in a shared space that there are certain rules that need to be followed. I also don't believe that a parent who lets their kid walk up a slide will be unconcerned when my DC boots their precious DC in the face on the way down.

This thread reminded me of an article I read a while ago:

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/

It's quite long but a good read and makes the original article's point about independent play and development much more eloquently. That said, the playgrounds it describes are designed for the kids to make their own rules - I think in a 'standard' playground where most kids will not be expecting others to be climbing the slide (because there are generally accepted rules) then it is reasonable for all to have to follow that rule...