Here are some pictures of the park.
Fun Tyrannosaurus Rex slide.
Castle with mote.
Pregnant, purple Pterodactyl in the Tot-Lot (designated are for 2-5 year olds) .
It is a very fun park, with bark chips as the ground base, instead of sand or rubber pieces. It is a well built playground, and I feel it is very safe, even for my 16 month old to climb on and run around. Of course, there are areas that I won't let my little girl play on, but for the most part, it is safe.
Yesterday, I let Jader play on a part of the playground I had previously set as off limits. It was a rubberized netting section that children can use to climb up to one of the slides. There are also stairs leading to the slide, so this net isn't the only way to it. I knew she'd have a hard time climbing it, and was even prepared to watch her fall from it before she learned to maneuver on it. I asked my friend, 'How far do you let your children go before you stop them or help them?', to which she replied, 'Until they get hurt, or learn how to do it'.
Well, needless to say, I don't necessarily agree with that 100% because as parents I feel like we are responsible for keeping our children safe and for helping them make decisions that keep them safe. I don't want to hold their hands through every little thing, but I am not willing to sit back and watch my child take a stumble, time and time again, until she finally learns how to do it. Especially after I watched her fall down five stairs three days previous. **
However, I let Jader play on the netting and saw her take a little stumble. She promptly stood up and went to try again. The second time she got all the way to the top of the netting, and while attempting to climb on to the platform, she slipped and fell back through the netting and landed on her bum, then on the back of her head into the bark ground base. It was probably a 2 1/2' to 3' drop, and it frightened her.
After I got her settled down, she promptly went back to climbing the netting. Well, I drew the line there and told her she could try it again when she was a little bit taller. Letting my daughter become independent and allowing her to try new things, whether they hurt her or not, is a new for me as a first time mom. It is difficult. However, it is incredible to watch my child grow and learn and develop. I am grateful for a 'mother's intuition', and I feel very fortunate to have this sweet child in my life. I want to protect her and keep her safe, while allowing her to explore and learn. I feel it is a delicate balance which takes patience, love, energy, and guidance from above.
(**In our home, a split entry, Jader only has to climb down six stairs at a time. When we went to our friends house the other day, she went down the six stairs at their home, then turned around to walk away, and fell down the other five stairs of their full length stairwell. She did not get hurt. Of course, it scared her, but I think it hurt me more to see her fall than it actually hurt her to fall.)
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