why don't people "muck it up" anymore?

[DaddyCool]

We live by a very nice park. Big, playing fields, forested area, formal gardens, kids play equipment, squirrels, four full time gardeners etc. It won Britain in Bloom a few years in a row and there are no hazards. No horrible stuff like used syringes or condoms. Not even any dog poo. I keep my eyes open for these things!

It?s always empty . We take DS there everyday or at least DW takes DS there on weekdays and me on weekends. DS has a few sets of mucky clothes and so do we and we go over and get muddy and play with a ball and have a great time. The only people I ever see with young kids are Dad?s who look extremely bored and spend all of 10 minutes pushing their kids on the swings or Mums on their way back from town plastered in make up and wearing three inch heels who completely by-pass the park and go straight home.

The park is surrounded on all sides by townhouses and terraces mostly made up of young families and it?s a pretty decent area so why don?t we see anyone? I don?t understand why people don?t take their kids out and do this kind of thing anymore. Is it that?

1. People think they are too posh these days to do this?
2. People feel there are hazards and don?t want to take the risk?
3. People can?t be arsed?

I don?t understand it. Does anyone else have any views?

can you blame them!

daddycoolatthepark

God help America if that's the standard of recruits into the FBI these days!

we go out to our local park virtually every day that I am at home with the boys. Its pretty well maintained (alhtough there are rogue dog owners who don't clear up) and fairly well used - although midweek in winter I am frequently the only one in the playpark. I am often surprised thought that I don't see more people I know down there - but perhaps they are more imaginative than me about their kids activities!

Daddycool I knew it was you the lucker in our Park

Marina and wobblyweeble what a shame about southwood park we used to go there when we were children cause it had a good playground what is fairyhill park like?

p.s. wobblyweeble you are welcome to join us on the meetup see my post below, quite a few of us going coldtea is arranging it

Just realised that wobblyweeble is toomanypushchairs trying to fool me

there is a park opposite ds's school and we , and loads of other people, go there every day after school.I have been there this morning with ds2 and his little pals to play in the snow.it's great . a very well used park.

Carla - sorry for late answer, I mean Cutteslowe Park in North Oxford.

Vess. We lived in West Oxfordshire for 5 yrs, we moved when the boys were 3 and 5. I have some wonderful memories of halcyon days in Cutteslowe Park, riding on the little trains.

Oohh I'm feeling all nostalgic now.

yes, the trains were nice, there was also the aviary, the duck pond...great place. Feeling a bit nostalgic too - we live in Dubai at the moment. The parks here are close to perfection - very clean (no dogs allowed), great playgrounds - but you can't cycle in them - nothing bigger than a tricycle is allowed. There's only one where you can play football. And you have to pay to get in - very small amount, though. Must be terribly expencive to maintain, because all the greenery the trees and the grass have to be watered all the time, otherwise nothing will grow. If you lift the grass, there's sand underneath - the desert! Probably not relevant to this thread, because going to a park here wouldn't qualify as 'mucking it up'.