Do you let your DC climb up slides in the park?

[rosie79]

My ds who's 3 has always been really into climbing (like most kids this age!) and for as long as he has been able to has climbed up slides in parks as well as sliding down them. He always waits his turn if it's busy and doesn't climb up if someone is about to slide down. I have always let him do this as I know that he knows his own limits and has yet to have any accidents, he is careful. Our parks are rarely very busy either. However, I have often heard other mums say to their kids as they try to climb up the slide "no dear, go up the normal way" or the "proper way" or similar words to this effect, or worse "you'll get the slide dirty" !! So their shoes doen't make it dirty if they slide down?! .
It doesn't bother me what other parents let and don't let their kids do, that's their choice, but to imply that my child is doing something wrong or abnormal and give me funny looks or say stuff extra loud so I hear them, that's annoying!! surely in playgrounds children should be able to use the equipment however they choose to, exploring and being adventurous? Isn't this what childhood is all about? With a bit of adult supervision it isn't dangerous. Am I on my own in feeling like this?

Slidesavers unite! I'm not an uptight jerk and I resent your implication!

Muddy slides ain't slippy. I don't care about kids climbing up slides when no one's waiting and when their shoes are reasonably clean. And there's nothing else I have ever cared about at the park (don't think...)

But after your kid's finished smearing muddy footprints up it, along comes another kid speading out her jacket to dive bomb down it and she grinds to a halt half way down. And so does the next one, and the next one.

Ah the controversy!
This is great, interesting to know what goes on inside the m inds of the tut tutting parents! now I know...
He he he call me sadistic but I would hate it if all mums agreed on this, oh the pleasure I get out of watching mums who think this is wrong get all worked up and flustered watching my ds nimbly and quickly climb up the slide

Tigermoth I agree I have watched small children having great fun bumping into each other at bottom of slide (usually the shorter slides) and make a great game out of this with no-one getting hurt.

rudely and obnoxiously you mean

So...all us lax-slide-climbing-apologistas with badly behaved children and terrified of coinfrontation have actually said we don't let them do it when there are children waiting to come down, etc.

I have my playground rule, about which i am vigilant and merciles - and tell other children as well as DS: No Throwing Sand In The SaandPit. Now there's a rule which really gets to the heart of social etiquette and consideration.

And now, Enid, just to make your night, I shall e mail BossyKate, my comrade in arms on this issue!

no seriously if you're wondering what is going through my mind its not isn't that child 'nimble and agile' .. my 2.5 year old can climb up a slide in record-breaking time ... no rather I think 'what a little brat doesn't s/he have any manners or social graces.. no patently not'

well you did want to know

I have quite often seen unsupervised little boys (whose parents are presumably smugly congratulating themselves on how well they are letting them play alone/developing independence/not smothering them etc, probably while reading Heat) completly hogging the slide by climbing up and sliding down the same way while other children wait timidly at the top. It just isn't fair or nice or kind.

Thing is most parents don't let their kids climb up the slide when there are other kids there, so if you have one parent that lets their kid do it it displays a 'Idon't care what the etiquette is my child will do as they please attitude' which lets face it is going to rub other people up the wrong way. Slides are for sliding steps are for climbing, do what you like on the rest of the stuff but don't climb up the slide its a PITA

'There's a huge diference between offering a bit of guidance about social niceties and dictating how they play'.

well said Lact8.

You know, where are all these muddy slides BTW? I have never come across them in the local playgrounds around here and ds has certainly never made any muddy

Blu - I also spend my time telling all the children to stop throwing sand in the sandpit. But I happily let mine climb up the slide

LSCAs of the world unite

You have nothing to lose but the respect of all the 'non climbers'

Mine climb. It tell them not too if they are pissing the other kids off.

Ds will climb just about anything atm. Slides are the least of his worries Or for that matter, mine

Not only would I either not let DS muddy up the slide / or wipe it clean, but I have been known to take a bit of waxed paper to rub over a non-slippy slide so that the 'brats' of all you tutting mothers can slide down ever faster!

Yup I think all of us slide climbing hippies have said we don't do it if its causing bottlenecks and trouble, so whats the problem?

Is it cos we is smelly hippies?

"I have watched small children having great fun bumping into each other at bottom of slide (usually the shorter slides)"

Aye, I bet the smaller slides. Try it on slides more than 6ft off the ground then come back and tell us how hard your kids are!

But Blu, if you were in the park it wouldn't piss me off because you don't let your kids do it when other kids are there.

Its the ones who do let them do it when others are around that get on my nerves

at never seeing a muddy slide

I don't dictate how my children play but i do teach them that when other children are around there is away of playing that doesn't ruin it for anyone else.

yeah, is it cos I is a smelly 'ippy?

No, it's because we have seen lots of situations where kids climb up the slide and prevent other children using it.

I encourage my kids to throw sand in the eyes of others.

'Probably while reading Heat' Feck me. Theres a nice generalisation.

Of course all you tutt-tutt-tutt monsters have Prospect peeking out yer Boden knapsacks.

People get very defensive on this issue, I see. Wonder why?

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Repeat ad nausem.......we don't do it if it causes bottlenecks..........

The point is, don't boast about how you don't bother supervising your children in public places by saying it's some philosophical point about parenting.

lol Twigtwoolett ;-)
I shall be more careful with how I phrase my posts! Didn't mean you lot would be thinking ds is 'nimble and agile'... but he does have manners and social graces, so as I've said, wouldn't be doing it if there were other kids waiting their turn.

sorrell you're right, that behaviour isn't fair or nice or kind and definately bad etiquette, there is a difference between what you described and a kid climbing up the slide when no one else is on it and then waiting his turn.

What's Heat? ;)

I did say, if nobody else is there, your kid can do what they like - a la the tree falling in the forest
but lots of people don't care what their kids are up to and think that as long as their precious one is having fun, nobody else matters.

Boasting? God, I wouldn't dare boast. I'm far too crap for that. When did I boast?