Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Playgrounds make me emotional

There I said it.  Playgrounds make me emotional.  And you know what?  They are everywhere.  Taking your kid to the playground is pretty much at the top of the "this is what normal parents do" list.  There is a playground just down the street from our house.  We drive by it almost every single day.  But we never take our kids there.  Never.  And every time we drive by it with the kids in tow, one of them will almost always say "I want to go to THAT playground Mommy".  And I just say "someday sweetie".

You see...when you have a physically-challenged child, playgrounds are a completely different experience.  No "sitting on the bench and chatting with the other moms" for me.  Nope.  I'm either helping Ben "climb" or catching Ben at the bottom or I'm on the friggin' thing with him.  And if there are a lot of other kids there, well, we usually hang back and watch or just decide to go home and try another time.

So we drive around neighbourhoods and find playgrounds that work for Ben.  And we've found a few.  Playgrounds with lots of steps and not so many ladders...because Ben can climb steps.  Playgrounds with just one big play structure instead of many small ones so I can keep an eye on both Ben and Daniel.  And most importantly, playgrounds that aren't very busy.  Because bigger kids seem even bigger when your main method of transportation is crawling.  And Ben gets easily intimidated by bigger kids.

So yeah.  Playgrounds make me emotional.  They make me sad, angry, and frustrated on occasion.  But sometimes, they make me happy...like when we went to the playground with "Sarah", Ben's CE friend.  And it totally worked for THEM.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Cary! I have identical twin boys who both have cerebral palsy and I know exactly how you feel! I remember last summer I took my boys to the playground and I was pushing them in the swings. I watched a little girl about the same age as them walk up the steps to a slide and go down all by herself and I burst into tears. At that time I wasn't sure my boys would ever be able to do the same. This summer is a bit better as my one sons has learned to climb up stairs and slide on his own but my other son who is more affected by the CP still needs a lot of help. We stick to the quiet playgrounds too!

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  2. GOOD MORNING CAREY!
    I AM AN ADULT WITH THE SAME TYPE OF CP AS BEN AND WHEN I WAS HIS AGE. I AM SURE THIS BOTHERED MY PARENTS AS WELL... HOWEVER, WHEN I GOT OLDER I DID USE THE PLAYGROUND LIKE YOUR PREVIOUS COMMENTATOR'S SON BUT A LOT OF TIMES... A LOT OF TIMES THE KIDS WOULD GET TOO ROUGH AND I WOULD END UP FALLING.. THIS STILL HAPPENS NOW WHEN PEOPLE DPN'T PAY ATTENTION.. IT SUCKS TO HAVE BALANCE ISSUES BUT AT THE SAME TIME ITS GOOD TO LET HOM DO THESE THINGS.. JUST LOOK AT HOW WELL E IS DOING WITH THE PLAYGROUND THING..

    BEN WILL GET THERE DON'T FORGET HE'S NOT 4 YET AND HE WILL GET THERE..

    MELISSA

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  3. Playgrounds, Mom's groups, malls, schools, ice cream shops, toy stores, fast food restaurants... oh, the list goes on. Makes for a difficult day. I share your sadness. You are doing a great job appreciating your son, he looks full of joy to me. Well put.

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  4. Well, I think the solution would be...to make time for more play dates with Sarah!

    Playgrounds with Hailey don't bother me at all (well, maybe they bother my back) but as far as the other kids, I love to see Hailey around all of the other kids it makes me smile!

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  5. It's true. That's about as normal as it gets, and that's exactly why it hurts so bad. :( Thanks for the insight!

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  6. Totally agree with Stacie. There are certain places where it hits me harder. Right there with you!

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  7. With that beautiful success with Sarah, and your fine discerning eye for what kind of playground works for your family - I hope you can let go of those playgrounds that don't work and those children who don't get to play with Ben. Barbara

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  8. Hey Cary,
    Did you see Ellen's post today? Made me write to my city council members to see if we could get one in Portland!
    http://www.lovethatmax.com/2011/07/equal-fun-at-playground-for-kids-with.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ToTheMax+%28To+The+Max%29

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  9. Playgrounds, mom get togethers, those indoor playplaces - yes - they make me emotional sometimes too.

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