Why I hate playgrounds...seriously

After breakfast, Cailey, Ben and I walked to Cailey's school. FUN! On the way home, Ben and I stopped to play at a nearby playground for an hour...yes...a full hour. I hate playgrounds (indoor and outdoor)...isn't that sad...who hates a playground? Well, I do (I don't think I am alone, either). Here's why:

1. They're DIRTY - and I don't just mean dirt dirty...I mean sick, snotty, poopy kids DIRTY - gross - yuck!
2. They're hot - okay this only applies to outdoor playgrounds. No shade? Who designs these things?
3. You get splinters in your hands. Again, who designs these things for kids?
4. You get rocks/wood chips in your shoes. How is that any fun? Unfortunately, both of my kids are tactile sensitive and we spend most of the time dumping their shoes out.
5. It seems that playgrounds attract a lot of kids that are rude, mean, bad, and won't share toys - even after we share our toys. The parents don't seem to notice or they don't care. Apparently, good manners are checked at the sidewalk/door.
6. For the parent, playgrounds are very boring...sorry, but the slide and the swing lost it's allure many years ago :o) I would be okay if the kids could play and I could just read a good book. But, Ben is still too little to "play" and the playground is still too big for him. I can only take so much following him up the little steps, through the tunnel, and down the slide (over and over and over and over and over....)
7. Most of the ones around here have several firemen poles with a long drop from the platform. So, I stand very close to make sure Ben goes down just the slide and doesn't try to step off the edge of the platform and seriously injure himself. Every few minutes, my heart stops because he got just too close to the edge.

So, when I say we stayed for a full hour...that just proves how much I love him and that I am vying for the Mother Of The Year award...HA HA HA :o) :o)

After the park, we walked the 1 1/2 miles home. The long walk (around 3 miles round trip) was good preparation for the Bolder Boulder marathon on Memorial Day...more on that subject later.