Slides and Roundabouts

So the physio said we needed to get to a park on a regular basis and I took her words on board.

Absolutely drank the words in and digested them.

It was my job to get this kid down to the park as much as possible and if I did the rewards would be great and if I didn't well then I would be to blame for not giving him the chance to build his climbing skills up.

The thoughts lay heavily upon me and I knew I just had to up the game and so the search for a park with a slide began.

Our local park is ok but has no slide,the search had to go further.

I pondered and thought and wracked my brain for days thinking of a park with a slide and it was while I was in the swimming baths that I gazed out of the window and saw a slide,from that moment I knew we needed to visit that park and that slide.

Half term came and the weather was lousy until today when the sun reappeared again and I decided we would go sliding.

For only eleven am the park was packed.

Children in summery clothes were dashing around everywhere whilst the grown ups sat grouped around the sides of the park,glancing at their phones whilst looking increasingly hot and I bet a lot of people were wishing for just a bit of shade,even though for days and days we had all been wishing for sun!

I plonked down on the grass and straight in front of us was the slide,a big wide silver shiny slide,with chunky steps....as far as slides go this was a safe slide.

Safe enough for me to say

"Go and play

And for me to just sit back and watch,not very often that happens and we were both making the most of it.

Go and play ~ what magic words!

And so I watched.

And Chips played on the slide!

Up and down he went,gaining more and more confidence with each go.

I felt it was a job well done and we were both so happy and then Chips found the roundabout and the story changed.

We both stood and watched the roundabout and the children playing on it.

Finally it slowed down and Chips got on and at the same time so did two young boys who were perhaps just a year or so older than Chips and they were fast kids,kids who spun roundabouts fast.

And this is the bit that hurts me,I knew that this could be dicey 

for Chips but I looked at him and thought maybe,just maybe he will be alright.

He wasn't.

As the roundabout span faster Chips just couldn't hold his body on and he fell off spectacularly,smashing his head on the floor as he did so.

I scooped him up and sorted him out and thankfully the soft play surface had saved a much worse accident happening.

A lovely lady came over and offered Chips a drink and some sweeties.I couldn't take my eyes off the open can of Heineken she was carrying,it was after all only twelve noon.But hey ho at least she cared enough to offer help,the only one on the park who did.

The two boys who were pushing the roundabout were devastated and it took some doing to convince them that it wasn't their fault.

But was it my fault?If so I'm so sorry  and yes I did feel pretty shook up by the incident.

Sometimes its a hard call to make with my little one.

I don't want to wrap him up in cotton wool but I don't want to put him in situations that are dangerous for him.

Blooming playgrounds,I hate them!

But its at these very places that Chips will learn to negotiate play equipment and make his muscles stronger.

I may hate playgrounds but we will be going back and we will go on the slide and yep we will go on the roundabout,perhaps at a more gentle pace though and perhaps with me standing a bit closer,,,just in case.