Children, Playgrounds, and Parents

When visiting the playground, please follow these etiquette rules.

Rule #1. Assume responsibility for your child. Just because you walk on the playground gates doesn’t mean your child is on his own. The responsibility for his safety and his behavior towards others is yours alone. Don’t zone out. Pay attention and supervise your child. Be ready to intervene when necessary.

Rule #2. Seek the cooperation of others. There are two schools of thought when it comes to the appropriateness of disciplining someone else’s child. To avoid a confrontation with a parent of the other school, try soliciting cooperation from a child that’s behaving badly. “My child wants to go down the slide too, could you please move?” may get your further than saying “You need to move, now.” If cooperation is not given, seek out the offending child’s parent and ask for help.

Rule #3. Put the phones, smart phones, and iPads away. Children need constant supervision while on the playground, especially on a crowded one. Children can easily hurt themselves or others when they are unsupervised. Remember, you’re not only responsible for your child’s safety, you’re responsible for ensuring that he doesn’t cause injury or harm to others.

Rule #4. Let everybody have a turn. If your child has been swinging on the swing and a line starts to form, that’s your signal to wrap it up. Rather than make it a negative that your child has to end her turn, use it as an opportunity to teach her about sharing and playing with others.

Rule #5. Adhere to the age limit. There’s nothing worse at the playground than a 10 year old barreling down the slide designed for children ages 3 and under. Bring your child to age-appropriate play structures and ensure that they aren’t playing where they aren’t supposed to.

At the playground, every parent or caregiver has to be their own child’s monitor. Take your role seriously. Don’t be that parent and child combination people pray isn’t at the playground when they pull up. There’s one of those in every neighborhood, for sure