To expect an outdoor gym to not be used as a playground by children?

[FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop]

Went for a run yesterday and afterwards went into an outdoor gym which is (unfortunately) next to a kids' play park. There are some weights attached to vertical beams, an exercise bike, ropes, cross trainer and markings on the ground for relay runs. Loads of signs saying age 13+ only and children weren't to use it as play equipment.

It was absolutely over run with small kids aged about 4-10 climbing all over it, using the equipment and just generally getting in the way while their parents sat in the play park in clear sight of them doing nothing. When I did manage to use some equipment kids were waiting as if we were taking turns. I'd been on the exercise bike for about 15 minutes with one little girl who was about 6 staring at me...she went to get her mum who actually came and asked if her DD could have a go as she'd been waiting for ages I said no this bike is for adults and they she got all huffy and was all "Never mind darling, the lady won't get off so we'll have to just wait won't we". I was then doing relays on the markings and they were running in front of me nearly knocking into me. I gave up in the end!

Is it really so much to ask that parents tell their children to keep out of adult only areas and stay in the massive park built for children? Want to go again today as it's a great little gym, council spent a small fortune but CBA with all the unsupervised kids.

Yanbu.

Unfortunately people can be thoughtless arseholes (many parents of young children especially so!)

It's not intended for children. It's not safe for children. If parents want to allow their kids on it that's fine, that's their call, but they shouldn't be queuing their kids up waiting for adults exercising to take turns, it will put people under pressure to get off. And at the moment gyms/exercise is a godsend for many people.

What happens if another adult turns up wanting to use the equipment. Should there be a mixed queue of adults wanting to use the gym and annoying parents allowing their kids to mess about?

They should tell their kids they have to wait until adults aren't using the area before going over.

She asked to use it. Instead of saying ‘no, this bike is for adults’, why didn’t you say kindly ‘ I’m still using it, I’ll be finished in about x minutes’?

It just sounds mean spirited and like you’re trying to police the equipment with your comment IMO.

Equally you may care about your fitness, but no one else does. Best you know that now before you dare to suggest to me that I should remove diddums from the stationary bike

No one has to - but I'm not trying to stop other people's legitimate enjoyment in areas they are allowed in pursuit of my fitness. I was just trying to use the facilities that were installed for people like me (not small children) to enjoy. The above quote from you would only apply if I was in the kid's park trying to exercise on their equipment

and for those of you saying 'explore their curiosity and do your own risk assessment' yep she was with her parents, and they did just that but were not aware how strong the spring back was, and as she wasn't sitting on properly (due to height) it sprang back against her leg.

Which is exactly why it can't be left up to parents to risk assess when they don't know the equipment and how it operates properly

@Cat2014

She asked to use it. Instead of saying ‘no, this bike is for adults’, why didn’t you say kindly ‘ I’m still using it, I’ll be finished in about x minutes’?

It just sounds mean spirited and like you’re trying to police the equipment with your comment IMO.

Because why should I pander to a child who's asking me to get off equipment she's even allowed to use? Nothing wrong with being frank with children now and again. They'll survive

That’s not pandering. Pandering would have been if you had said ok I’ll get off now

No pandering is allowing them to think they have the right of access to something they're strictly excluded from just because mummy came to fight their corner

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop

@Tallybeebloom I'm frankly amazed that, as a teacher you deign you go out in public lest you get in the way of children exploring their curiosity grin

On a serious note your post is totally spot on, and just reinforces my belief that the whole "curiosity" guff is a red herring and it's really about parents being frightened to say 'no' to their child

It's shocking, I should really be sacked. Sometimes I even let them climb trees!
In fact, once I had a class that I had a lot of serious behavioural issues (to the extreme) and were really disengaged with learning so we did a lot through outdoor learning. One time I took them to the park and the teacher of the opposite class to us (same year group) decided to also bring hers. Her class was made up of the 'well-behaved' pupils. She barely let them leave the concrete playground all day as she was scared they might get hurt. We spent all day in the woods, creating and acting out stories they were going to write out the next day, building camps with fires and climbing trees and working together setting up hammocks.
She chose the 'safe' option yet by lunchtime her kids were at each other's throats out of boredom and one ended up in the hospital with a broken arm. They had zero opportunity to be 'curious' in that environment. My 'tricky' class behaved brilliantly all day because they were too busy with what they were learning and there were zero incidents because they knew where the boundaries were but had plenty of space to explore within them.

I just don't get why you would rather your child playing on boring machines that actually exploring nature and developing their minds and imaginations. Surely something like the outdoor equipment being good for adults gives you a good excuse to take them away from things like that and engage them with more worthwhile and stimulating 'curiosities'?

You sound like one of those parents who thinks their own children are wonderful and everyone else's are little shits (i.e. most teachers with children) . Oh, how parenting standards have declined in the years since you had yours! What are the parents of today doing?!

I suspect if it wasn't this, you'd be complaining about something else - you sound the sanctimonious sort who's always looking for something on which to pass judgement.

It's the way of the world now OP...bad manners and entitlement.

When the second Covid wave was kicking off I was sitting on a park bench with DD, who was sleeping in the pram. A boy, about 7, came over and without asking stuck his head in the pram and started poking DD. The mum did nothing so I politely asked her to keep her child at a distance as we were still in a pandemic. She glared at me and took her child away huffily. Yeah, sorry I don't want a random child sticking his hands all over my fragile newborn who had already had a difficult start!

In the park we regularly can't use the baby and toddler equipment as it's being hogged by much older children, even though there's a play park for older kids literally next to it. The parents just sit there and watch as their kids stand on the swings with their muddy shoes, then the babies have to sit on the mucky seat.

No doubt the "gentle parenting" lot will be along to tell me about how the children are just expressing themselves. And it's not the children's fault, it's the parents not teaching manners.

It's the way of the world now OP...bad manners and entitlement.

Where do you all live that you come across all these wierdos? It's not the way of the world around here. Most people (including the children) are well-mannered, friendly and considerate of others.

@Jellybabiesforbreakfast Great for you, you're lucky to live in such utopia. I've lived all over the UK and abroad, the situation is similar in a lot of places.

Tallybeeboom, you have taken this quite literally, I am not bothered about the subject of the curiosity, it is about encouraging the process, the subject could be a huge stick or something the child has come across. Dd and her friends will often make a game up using their imaginations, they don't need to have this special big trip to play. I said my DD will wonder out of the play area with friends to a maze next to the play area, but according to the oP this wasn't acceptable and was neglectful even though we can see the girls heads. I am not sure how fun orchestrated by adults really encourages genuine creativity.

I think that is sad that you think about young peope in such a negative way. I don't see all these bad mannered children or teens and I wouldn't say my experiences as a child growing up in London where ideal surrounded by well mannered, kind people, it is much better now.

noones saying pander to children, just that if theyre on it first then you can just wait. I certainly wouldnt ask you to get off for a child, but i wouldnt expect the child to get off for you.
You keep repeating how dangerous it is for children, and yet admitted you dont actually give a shit about the safety of random children.

the problem with public equipment, is that the public use it and sometimes you have to wait a bit.

@ChochoCrazyCat. If you've lived in many different places and you've had problems with the people in all of them, hasn't it ever occurred to you that the common element is you?

When my DS was a baby, I only ever had one older child come up and try to touch him in his pram and that was quite a clear case of special needs. His mother was quickly behind him, apologising. I just don't believe this sort of thing is anything more than an isolated incident - certainly not reflective of children's and parent's 'entitlement' generally.

@Jellybabiesforbreakfast Sure, we all probably fall somewhere in the middle, and yes we all sometimes let our kids do things they aren't strictly allowed to do. It's about the attitude of the parent...expecting the OP to get off the machine to let her child use it, then getting huffy and passive aggressive when told no. That's the problem.

@ChochoCrazyCat

It's the way of the world now OP...bad manners and entitlement.

When the second Covid wave was kicking off I was sitting on a park bench with DD, who was sleeping in the pram. A boy, about 7, came over and without asking stuck his head in the pram and started poking DD. The mum did nothing so I politely asked her to keep her child at a distance as we were still in a pandemic. She glared at me and took her child away huffily. Yeah, sorry I don't want a random child sticking his hands all over my fragile newborn who had already had a difficult start!

In the park we regularly can't use the baby and toddler equipment as it's being hogged by much older children, even though there's a play park for older kids literally next to it. The parents just sit there and watch as their kids stand on the swings with their muddy shoes, then the babies have to sit on the mucky seat.

No doubt the "gentle parenting" lot will be along to tell me about how the children are just expressing themselves. And it's not the children's fault, it's the parents not teaching manners.

Pretty much the same here and I stay in a small Scottish city that regularly comes up as a "nice" place

Large park areas are pretty much no go, even for the police

@likeamillpond

I don't blame children for wanting to use the outdoor gym. Over the last 10 years the health and safety zealots have completely ruined children's playgrounds and made them too safe and boring There are no longer any decent proper sized swings, like the ones we had growing up. All you see now are those little stunted swings with short chains that are only suitable for toddlers. Same with slides. Gone are the thrilling tall ones. Just midget slides tagged onto some. boring climbing frame. All the seesaws have been replaced by those sit on springy things that don't do much. No witches hats Roundabuts. Everything even remotely exciting has gone.

Yes it's all very safe but it is also probably beyond boring for any child over 5.
No wonder they look longingly at the adult section.
Still, it's shit for you OP.

In various village playgrounds where I live, there is a witches hat, that long horse thing that goes backwards and forwards. Very tall slides. Reasonable swings, a climbing wall, monkey bars. A board you have to pull yourself side to side on, seesaws etc. So H&S hasn't eliminated everything

@Jellybabiesforbreakfast

You sound like one of those parents who thinks their own children are wonderful and everyone else's are little shits (i.e. most teachers with children) . Oh, how parenting standards have declined in the years since you had yours! What are the parents of today doing?!

I suspect if it wasn't this, you'd be complaining about something else - you sound the sanctimonious sort who's always looking for something on which to pass judgement.

Who me what a very random take - I've barely mentioned my kids but ok, you think what you like

It's about the attitude of the parent...expecting the OP to get off the machine to let her child use it, then getting huffy and passive aggressive when told no. That's the problem.

I agree, but it's really not a common attitude. No need to make out that this attitude is held generally by parents of toddlers and young children. No more than the OP's sneering attitude towards little children is held by the majority of non-parents or parents of older children. Most of us manage to respect each other to the best of our abilities.

I've not personally had a problem. You're still able to observe people around you even if you're not directly involved, you know.

The problem isn't me as I've been brought up to be courteous to people and not encroach on their space or inconvenience them.

@ChochoCrazyCat

It's the way of the world now OP...bad manners and entitlement.

When the second Covid wave was kicking off I was sitting on a park bench with DD, who was sleeping in the pram. A boy, about 7, came over and without asking stuck his head in the pram and started poking DD. The mum did nothing so I politely asked her to keep her child at a distance as we were still in a pandemic. She glared at me and took her child away huffily. Yeah, sorry I don't want a random child sticking his hands all over my fragile newborn who had already had a difficult start!

In the park we regularly can't use the baby and toddler equipment as it's being hogged by much older children, even though there's a play park for older kids literally next to it. The parents just sit there and watch as their kids stand on the swings with their muddy shoes, then the babies have to sit on the mucky seat.

No doubt the "gentle parenting" lot will be along to tell me about how the children are just expressing themselves. And it's not the children's fault, it's the parents not teaching manners.

We already have a "they are just expressing themselves and you're meeeeean to not facilitate that" brigade. It's been most fun

@Jellybabiesforbreakfast

It's the way of the world now OP...bad manners and entitlement.

Where do you all live that you come across all these wierdos? It's not the way of the world around here. Most people (including the children) are well-mannered, friendly and considerate of others.

If you're not experiencing it, it's probably you doing it

I was in the supermarket yesterday at a self service till and a little boy about 6 had a big stick that he deliberately launched towards DD, she was taken aback and said to him not to be careful as he could hurt someone. He held it downward after that, it didn't need me to hiss and embarrass him, he just got carried away in his moment of pretending it was a sword I suspect. Even my DD realises this and understands that younger children are impulsive.