Playground People

When Elise was about nine months old and just beginning to learn how to walk, we decided to check out the small playground a few blocks away from our house. Little did we know that that one trip would turn our family into a bunch of hardcore Playground Junkies. She loved everything about the playground -the swings, slides, sandbox, push toys, tunnels, climbers, playhouse - there wasn't one thing she did not play with; not one thing she didn't love. Marty and I had so much fun watching her go from thing to thing - enjoying each aspect even more than the last - and had so much fun playing with her too. All three of us had an absolute blast.

We have been Playground People ever since. Our house is conveniently situated within walking distance of at least 5 playgrounds, and is within a quick drive of at least 10 more. Our weekends tend to consist of playground hopping between chores, errands and other activities. Almost every day after work we try to squeeze in a quick playground trip before dinner or before bed. Being Playground People is more than just liking playgrounds though. I mean, who doesn't love taking kids to the playground? It's that we know pretty much everything about every playground within a 10 mile radius of our house. We know which playground has the swings that go the highest, the slides that are the fastest, the one with the best toys and the one with the best climbers. We know which playgrounds have the best shade for hot, sunny days, and which are the best to go to when it's cold and windy. We know which playgrounds have bathrooms and where the closest bathroom is to the playgrounds that don't have them. We know which playgrounds are too crowded on nice weekend days, and which playgrounds are never crowded at all. We know which are the best for play dates, which ones tend to have older kids who run over the little ones, and which have teenagers who hang out on the adjacent basketball court using foul language.

Not only do we know about all the playgrounds near us, but we also know where the closest and best playgrounds are in relation to the homes of our friends and family. Because we hit the playground while we're traveling too. We even know where we can find a good playground or two when we go on vacation. And we do not believe that playgrounds are reserved for perfect weather. We get bundled up in the winter and hit the playground on a regular basis. We go to the playground right after it rains - towel in hand ready to wipe up the wet slides and swings. And as you can imagine, Marty and I are not passive playground parents. I can't ever remember a time that we've just sat on a bench watching Elise play - we are always right there in the action. We are truly, truly playground junkies.

Given the amount of time our family spends at playgrounds, naturally Lucas has come along with us for many, many playground adventures since he was just a few weeks old. In a sling, in the Bjorn or in a stroller, Lucas has been there, watching his big sister and parents having fun. But then finally the day came when we thought he was old enough to get in on the action. Swing time! The strange thing is - he didn't love it. In fact, he actually kind of hated it. We Playground People were perplexed by this, so we tried several more times for several more months thinking it was just an off day, but it turns out he just doesn't like swings. Sometimes he didn't cry and sometimes he even seemed like it wasn't so bad for a few pushes, but for the most part it just wasn't his thing. And then when he started crawling, having Lucas at the playground wasn't my thing. Crawling and the playground just don't mix. It is just too tempting to have your face so close to the ground. I spent countless afternoons scooping wood chips out of his mouth and trying to convince him not to eat sand. Not exactly the playground fun I was used to, and he didn't really enjoy it either.

As you can imagine, we were all shocked and scared. Was Lucas NOT a Playground Person?! What on earth would we do with ourselves? Then about a month or so ago, we were at the playground one afternoon and Marty let Lucas slide down the slide. And at that moment a new Playground Junkie was born! He LOVED it - going down on his bottom, his belly, head first...he was hooked. It didn't hurt that this also coincided with when he began walking. Suddenly, the playground had so many more possibilities for him, and standing up, he was too far away from the wood chips to try to eat them. He even (mostly) stopped trying to eat the sand in the sandbox! He still isn't wild about the swings, but as for everything else the playground has to offer, he is in love.

The Molloy Family is thrilled to say that we now have a family of FOUR Playground People.