So, fellow parents and future parents, are you aware that rubber gets hot in the sun?
I remember learning this fact when I was about 8 or so. It was August and I'd climbed onto my neighbor's tire swing, only to jump off again immediately. Because it was HOT. I also remember how much it hurt to run on their driveway when I was barefoot. Because the pavement was HOT. I solved these issues by avoiding the tire swing in the afternoon and putting on shoes when I played in their driveway.
My parents did not sue the neighbors, nor demand that they put shade over the tire swing or their driveway. Obviously my parents would have failed as New York City parents. Some New York parents are suing the city because their BAREFOOT children burned their feet on playground rubber mats this SUMMER. Apparently these parents didn't know that rubber gets hot in the sun and that allowing their small children to run barefoot on it would be a bad idea.
Am I just getting all mommy superior or are these parents INCREDIBLY STUPID? (Which may be obvious from the fact that their children ran around long enough on the super hot rubber to get actual burns. I mean, my kids love to be barefoot but um, they have this aversion to pain that causes them to avoid the driveway when barefoot and tell me if their food is too hot.)
Would you ever let your kid run around barefoot on a New York City playground? Would you not understand that the rubber matting would get hot?
I'm sure we've all had our incredibly stupid parenting moments. But don't normal people feel ashamed of them? Or should I have sued Cheerios over what happened to my dining room when I left ten month old Ironflower alone with a box of them?
Now various groups are demanding - despite the signs at the playground stating that kids should keep their shoes on - that New York replace all the rubber matting. And add more shade to the playgrounds. (What are they going ask for next, monitors so that the children of lazy parents can't wreak havoc? (Actually, if they do that, I will so go into the city to use the playgrounds).
What do you think?
8 comments:
You can't fix stupid.
I'm with Travis. Totally.
Sigh.
A little to Hitler esque for me. But I do confess to dreaming about licenses for creating children...in the same line as fishing permits and driver's licences.
I would love to see places have IQ requirement days- especially places like parks & pools. Places that know that they don't have to make you kill 5 trees just to sign waivers saying you won't sue, because they know you aren't a moron and you actually have children bright enough not to throw things at Lions or hop barbed wire fences only to be decapitated by a roller coaster.
Places that ALLOW exceptions to the rule because they know that the rule doesn't have to apply to responsible, literate parents. You know the kind of parents that ruin it for us all- the ones that don't blame a water park for their 4 year old drowning in the wave pool while they sunbathed and downed draft beers, so now your 4 year old isn't allowed in the wave pool- even with you right next to him.
IQ days would include people that don't blame others for their lack of common sense, decency, parenting skills, or ignorant children. The kind that don't expect the government to raise, protect, educate, feed, clothe, and house their kids while they watch cable TV on their big screens.
Those people do exist, right?
Just not-apparently- near New York City public parks.
I don't see anything wrong with adding more shade to the playgrounds.
Around here we don't go to the park from May to September because the equipment gets too hot. A friend of mine's kid got a nasty burn going down a slide a few weeks ago.
Should you make your kid wear shoes at the park, sure of course... but if the equipment is too hot to play on when your child is dressed appropriately for the weather then maybe they should put up some shade sails or close the playground when the slides are hot enough to cause a 2nd degree burn.
As a New York City mom, this makes me so sad. We are fortunate enough to live across the street from a really great shaded park for toddlers . But I would NEVER let my kid be barefoot there - even in the fall. As a semi-intelligent mom I realize that one of the things I gave up in raising my child in NYC is that they just can't run around barefoot. I mean, geez, it is New York City. My biggest fear is that the City will just get sick of dealing with stupid parents and shut down all the great public parks that all the city kids live for. My hope is people won't judge a whole city of moms by just a dumb few.
For the first time, I'm gonna disagree with you.
Okay, see, my kids are known for their shoes falling off that the playground. My daughters regularly lose their shoes while on the swings. They pump their feet and their shoes fall off. In order to get them, they have to stop the swing and walk over to them.
There's also the cases where they're playing tag or even playing train and the one behind steps on the other one's shoes by mistake and it comes off. I had that happen at the mall just today.
If we had these grounds, my kids' feet would be burned as a result.
I think it's insanely stupid to have ground on the playgrounds that can get near 200 degrees in the summer sun. Aside from the feet issue, how many times do children fall down in the playground? If kids fall, they're likely to get pretty severe burns to their faces, knees, arms, etc even if their parents have duct taped their shoes to their feet.
This reminds me of the lady who sued McDonald's over being burned by her coffee.
I don't see anything wrong with adding more shade to the playgrounds.
Around here we don't go to the park from May to September because the equipment gets too hot. A friend of mine's kid got a nasty burn going down a slide a few weeks ago.
Should you make your kid wear shoes at the park, sure of course... but if the equipment is too hot to play on when your child is dressed appropriately for the weather then maybe they should put up some shade sails or close the playground when the slides are hot enough to cause a 2nd degree burn.
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