For the past seven years, trips to the playground have been a hand-on experience. My kids are 2 years apart, so just as my older typical child was old enough to run around without assistance, the younger was big enough to want to play. Except that she was not ambulatory.
Imagine a rambunctious kid crawling around the play equipment. Independent walking didn’t alleviate my stress because she had no self-help nor safety concepts. Those came last week.
I see other moms clustered together, talking shop. I have always been the shadow of my child. It was nerve-wracking and boring all at the same time. I mean, you’re glad they’re enjoying themselves, but it’s not any fun hovering around your kid making sure she doesn’t walk off the platform because she can’t see the dropoff.
The city nearest to us installed an inclusive playground that is on our path between home and therapy. This playground is awesome. It has wide ramps and low slides in addition to the regular slides and games. There is even a therapy-grade arm-powered swing. She gets excited every time she sees the sign, so I have to route away from it on the says that we can’t stop to play.
This past Friday I experienced something extraordinary.
I sat.
The whole time (minus the diaper change). It was sublime.
Photo Courtesy Astacia Carter