Do some parents really avoid parks and playgrounds with young children?

[MintyElephant]

Just a curious on this - I was at a family gathering on my husbands side. One of his cousins has 2 young children (we have 2 also) we were at a restaurant that had a play area outside and my children were on it, one of hers was on the climbing frame, we were chatting for a bit then she said ‘god I hate climbing frames, I hate parks, I never take my boys, they would just get dirty and climb like this, I’m going to get him off in a bit’
I didn’t have time to answer her or react as she then just changed the subject and started talking about something else.

I have never met a parent who’s said they ‘don’t like parks’ and don’t take their children to them.

We are playground lovers, as are our children, always at our local one.

just curious, any other parents who also don’t like them and so simply don’t take their children? What is it you don’t like? I honestly think she is being a bit selfish just because she doesn’t like them doesn’t mean her sons wouldn’t. What child doesn’t love a playground?

Yes I've encountered them, my sister being on of them. Some people would genuinely prefer to be at home engaged in craft activities with their children. Crazy isn't it!? I personally would find that 1000% more effort than being at the park.

Whenever I’ve been to one with my toddler I’ve encountered some not very nice children, I find often adults let there kids run wild on them and don’t watch them the same with soft play.

Yes we went to soft play once, our child was terrified and that was not due to an incident just all the adults and kids all in one area it was abosolute chaos, thanksfully they never wanted to go back

A rugby scrum was less intense, so yes we went to some playgrounds and parks but more calmer ones, and no they have no issues normally we didnt blame them when they were scared

god we have to go to the park everyday whether it’s rain or shine 😂 my kids need running around. The only ones I don’t let them go in are the play areas at service stations and airports 🤮 norovirus seems to fester there.

My eldest ds has asd and when he was smaller I avoided playgrounds because they overwhelmed him . To keep him from getting dirty id have to put him in some kind of bubble 🤣

I take my children to playgrounds but I take them to open spaces far more than the park, so the forest, a glen or the beach. They request the latter more often.

But it's not about you. It's about your children. I've yet to meet an able bodied child who doesn't love a play park.

Is it a clean freak issue or a share dont like parks
I love being out at parks expect for screaming or tantrums if its going on to long.
Kids need parks and outdoor spaces to enjoy.
Rather that than a clean child any day.

I spent so, so many hours in parks when the dc were young. We had about 3 in easy walking distance and 1 a bit further. I only really liked it if I could find people to talk to. Many memories of standing in a chilly, grey park clock watching.

Kids loved them and it's quite sweet, now they're at the drinking in parks age, to hear them reminisce about the different parks.

I wouldn’t agree. I love meeting people and chatting but I hate going to the park and actively avoid it. My DC go to a park perhaps once a month, and having to walk around after them and helping them get up and down the equipment bores the life out of me. I’d rather go to a soft play or go on a bike/scooter ride.

The cheapest form of entertainment. I will rinse it out until they are no longer interested. It has been lovely over the summer as mine have made friends. I take along my 1 ear piece, chair and listen to podcasts and therefore can be there for hours after work/ on the weekends.

Agree with this - love a park but loathe soft play, so DC only ever go there for birthday parties.

It is possibly a bit selfish not to take DC to parks, but depends what else they do really. We do seem to live in a very child-centred world where what mothers in particular do/don't want is not seen as important.

Loathe parks tbh. So boring. We are incredibly fortunate to live rurally with lots of lovely walks and DC loves charging about collecting sticks etc. We also (again, appreciate we’re incredibly fortunate) have a huge garden with swings, climbing frame, slides, massive trampoline etc so most parks in comparison are a bit crap.

DC do need to run around though and let off steam every day for at least an hour or they’re a nightmare so if we lived in a flat or had a small garden etc then we would absolutely have to utilise parks more.

ATM, I probably take them to a park once every 2-3 weeks? So they do go to them, we go to different ones in different villages though to keep it interesting.

I enjoy playing on the swings aged 43! Not to be missed! You have to live a little 😂

A messy kid is a happy kid!
Any opportunity to play is great for kids.

We regularly go to an adventure playground- risky play is encouraged and kids get to be kids!

Depends

I don’t view them with the horror some do on here but I do find them difficult. My ds was a bit mental as a toddler and would never stay on the equipment designed for him but instead try to scale things for much older children. So that was always a tad stressful. Now I have to choose my parks carefully so I don’t have two children shooting off in different directions.

Unlike others I like soft play. I get to sit down for a bit and either doomscroll my phone or chat to a friend.

I neither love nor loath playgrounds but I’d be hard pressed to keen my kids entertained without a regular playground visit. We have a decent garden with swings but both of mine need regular exercise and benefit from an outing away from the house. My eldest just turned 5 and has always been rubbish at independent play. He’s only just started to find other kids to play with at the playground so it’s always been pretty hands on for me, and pushing kids on the swing endlessly is pretty interminable, but sitting around at home while he repeatedly asks ‘Mamma what shall we play’ is far worse! My youngest is only 1 so that’s still very involved, but I think she’s more independently minded so I’m hoping it won’t go on as long.

I think people who stay in the house/at home most days must have very different children to mine. Even if you prioritised paid-for outings, they all have play areas so you can’t exactly avoid them. We love a nature walk too but harder at the moment while DD doesn’t want to be in the carrier but is too little to walk far or explore much.

But do your kids like them? They're not for adults , are they?

@Ketryne this is something I find semi fascinating (I accept I probably need to get back to work promptly!)

Even as a baby my DS seemed more settled out of the house on a pram walk and to be fair it was good for me too - it was Covid and I’d envisioned lots of days snuggled up with a sleepy newborn watching lots of movies and reading lots … the reality was very different but actually, when I had DD just under three years later that reality came to fruition as she slept around 22 hours out of 24 and her only preference seemed to be with me.

We do a lot as I do think the days go faster when you do something but given the choice I’d mix it up with an activity out to a park or something and then some time at home. But I have friends who spend days not really leaving the house … I sound critical and that isn’t the intent, I’m quite jealous actually.

I do wonder sometimes if it’s the number of children you have, as mine bicker more in a confined space and yet also won’t leave one another alone. That’s negated when you’re out of the house, but if you only have one child that’s not a consideration either.

I worry a lot that I’m not giving my children the requisite downtime and opportunities to be bored and I genuinely worry that they expect ‘big’ days out a lot but for a myriad of reasons that’s how it is for now and we can’t spend all day every day at the park!

@Ketryne I think people who stay in the house/at home most days must have very different children to mine.

I can’t imagine there are that many people who stay in the house all day most of the days with their children all day regularly though just because they don’t necessarily take them to a playground?

I guess I just mean that most places you go do have a play area, so they’d be quite hard to avoid if you do go out. Whether it’s a zoo or a stately home, many woodland areas and most towns. The exception being a true nature walk, which as I said. I do love but am struggling with at the moment due to my youngest’s age.

There are plenty of people up thread saying their kids are happy enough with a good garden, but that wouldn’t work for mine, even though we spend lots of time in ours too.

Yes I have met people who don’t like their kids getting hurt or dirty

I spent half my life at the local playground when DC were small. I mean they loved it, I tolerated it 😝 standing around in the cold wasn’t always pleasant and exciting for us, but there were often other parents I knew to chat to while helping our kids if needed which was nice in a sunny afternoon.
Going at 9am in the cold cos kids are dying to get out the house, not so much.

Do we have the same 2 year old?!

I avoid making the choice to do soft play - can't stand it. Obviously will go if it's a kid's party, but it was never the norm to go there just on a regular Saturday when I was growing up and kids can survive without it.
But parks are another matter. Being out in the fresh air, playing, working off steam. All that is important. And free.