My Side of the Sandbox

Playgrounds, the social gathering for children and tired parents. They exist at school, in your local park or maybe a swing-set is set-up in the backyard. Magically a place children go to for their energy release, free thrills and sadly at times, a bad case of the Bully Blues!

Yes, we've all scabbed our knees and had pebbles in our kiddo running shoes. How many times have we looked in wonder at older kids mastering the swing or scaling the monkey bars? "I could do that, I can be like that big kid." Then we climb with authority until we call for Mom or Dad to 'lower us down' before we get the infamous 'first broken arm at the playground.'

It's also the land of Bullys. Yes, the BULLY joins the nerds, athletes, pretty girls in frocks, nervous kids who hide behind their babysitters legs and the brats who push ahead in line. They are all there...the same people you'll be working with 20 years down the road. But the 'Bully' is out to target you. He and now 'She' will taunt you to get off your favorite piece of apparatus and maybe shoulder you on the way to the teeter-totter. Beware the 'Bully'.

The swings were often my first choice and, as an adult...I still do 'the swing thing'. Yes, I admit to this. I love to go to the seaside where the park is, kick off my flip-flops and rock those legs back and forth to soar to new heights. Why? Why, because it brings back the memories of saying, "I can go higher than you can...betcha I can! Bet my whole lunch and my gummy bears too!"

Things are different now. It's always 'Pervert Alert', 'Stranger Danger', 'Pedophile Last Seen...'... it's just not the same. The actual playgrounds are 'state of the art' designs; not these wooden totters, canvas swings or dirty sandboxes. They actually create a work of art! But, with all the colour and newly developed childproof activities, there is always a 'fear' to leave your child alone. NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE IN A PLAYGROUND. Not in my day...nope! We could spend the whole day off school at the playground while our parents went to the supermarket. Sad.

I don't see those round metal creations anymore..the ones that go around while you hold on with other kids. They spin in circles ..fast, faster...even faster..until you feel your stomach going up and nausea setting in. Kids who yelled, "LET ME OFF! LET ME OFF!", simply fueled the fire of the kids pushing that monster machine. And how about those fat kids that came down the slide right after you and just rammed your small body into the dirt? Those kids will be your competition in '20 years!'.

The tire swing was always my favorite but, there would only be one and often there wouldn't be one at all. To get on it was a triumph! But to get on a tire swing and go over a lake only to let go and splash down was the best! You had to go far beyond the playground for that wonder year moment!

Today, when I walk past a playground and see kids going from one colourful ride to the next, I have to smile. I miss that innocence, I even miss the Bully, the Nerd, the Nervous Kid and the Girl with no fear. They're still around me but they're older now and maybe they come back to remember the tire swing too?

"Can't we stay just a liiiiiiiiiiiiiittle bit longer?...pleassssssssssse!!"