Kids Today

I took my kids to the park yesterday. This isn't a major event and typically I wouldn't blog about it. But I noticed something yesterday that found me thinking, "I MUST blog about this..."

My daughter decided to swing, so we headed to the swings together. Shortly after my daughter sat down on a swing, the girl next to her, whose mom walked halfway across the park to help her stop the swing, fell out of it. Backwards. The mom was already heading back to her gaggle of friends who were harassing her in Spanish, so she did not notice her daughter (about six) holding her elbow and crying. I asked if she was okay, and she looked at her mom walking away, then nodded her head, "Yes."

I then saw NOT ONE, NOT TWO, but FOUR other children fall out of the swings. Two were too young to be on the swings alone. (And the parents were no where to be found). One was plenty old enough, but still fell backwards. The other fell off the swing backwards with parents RIGHT THERE. She was also old enough to swing alone...about three...but she could not. I then saw a girl, about three, sit on the swing and grunt until a parent came and started pushing her.

What is wrong with kids these days?!!!

I can't imagine having a child that can't sit in a swing without falling out. Keep in mind that the swings were not even swinging! Are kids today so uncoordinated that they can't sit in a swing or get it going themselves, or, I don't know...ASK for someone to push them? I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but then quickly realized I shouldn't be surprised at this since I see how parents coddle their children. Granted, my kids started MyGym at the ages of two and one year. I remember going to the park and watching my two year old daughter scale a ladder effortlessly and then see a 5-6 year old not know how to climb up. I'm not sure how this happens. If you can't get your kids into programs, or don't feel they are necessary, at least take them to the park! Play with them. Push them in the swing. Let them climb the ladders. Because if you wait too long to get your kids active and into doing natural kid activities, there will be a mom at the park with your much too old kid, just looking for something to blog about. Oh, and because they will look like a fool at school...should they attend.

Also, stop letting your kids run free at the park if they are under two. What are you, crazy?