Pushing Swings

On weekdays when I stay home with the little man (usually due to someone being ill or some other unforeseen circumstance) I try to run errands or take a trip to the park, which are always more pleasant on weekdays.

Yesterday at the park I put William in the bucket swing next to a sweet red-headed little guy that I guessed was 9 or 10 months. His dad asked me how old William was and I shared that he turns the big UNO this week. "You'll be there before you know it!" I said to his little guy. Oops, he was 13 months old. I learned some rules from this playground trip:

Playground Rule #1: When dealing with other parents don't assume anything. This includes age, because when you underestimate as I did, it's as if you're calling his kid under developed or scrawny. Not a good idea. I tried to explain that William is a beef cake and I have limited contact with kids this age, so it's hard for me to tell. I even threw in a "well, you know I work full time" all in an attempt to overcompensate for calling his kid small. I have no idea what working has to do with this.

Playground Rule #2: When asked if your kid does a certain trick, answer slowly. When the parent stops agreeing with you, simply pretend that is the extent of your child's development in such area. For example, I was asked if William is walking, to which I responded no. The next question was the standard follow-up question: Is he talking? "Oh yeah, he says mama and dada and hi and our dog's name and bottle and boom and shhhh and birdy..." Then I stopped myself, because I realized where this could lead and did the polite request for his child's language development. "No, he's not talking yet. We really hoped he would be by now, but he's just not talking." Head shaking followed and within minutes the child was removed from the swing.

Playground Rule #3: No matter how hard you want to, don't stare. This is extremely difficult for me. I stare. A lot. If someone is yelling at their kid too much, I can't help myself. If grandma calls a boy "stupid," you better believe I'm staring. William has picked up this habit and spends most of his time at the playground staring at the big boys. Not a good way to make friends.

So, that's our lesson for the week. A few rules to help you get by on the playground without getting you and your baby beat up. I have a feeling the list will expand once we learn more about playground politics, and if you have any rules of your own, I'd gladly take them.