"There's someone here who can help you." "Is it Batman?"
We stopped by the mall playground again yesterday. This is not an uncommon occurrence since I’ve worked out a system of stopping at the mall while I’m on my way home from running chores. Specifically, I needed to grab some things from the nearby big-box store, and as long as I was out I swung by Culver’s for frozen custard. I frequently go to Culver’s for frozen custard “as long as I’m out,” even if “out” means going across the street for gas while Culver’s is across town. It’s not like I’m addicted to the stuff, but when the flavor of the day is Peanut Butter Dream, that’s hard to resist even if my man La Monte isn’t working the drive-thru so I can order a single-scoop and actually receive the equivalent of a triple-scoop. Anyway, the mall is on the way home from Culver’s so it feels like I’m accomplishing two important tasks for driving much further than otherwise needed.
The playground was fairly busy yesterday with maybe a dozen kids using it at any one time. The play area is fairly small, maybe 15 x 25, which by my math amounts to .839 hectares of play area, or 10.7 rods of play area per child (2105 mL Canadian).* This means crowds can create problems if older or rambunctious kids are careening about like sugar-buzzed balls on a bumper pool table made of candy. Fortunately everyone seemed as under control as young children can be, unlike last time when a tot flung his 1/8th scale dump truck wildly about the playground. Most of the kids also looked to be age six or younger, at least until we were ready to leave and a boy resembling an 8-year-old Eminem arrived, complete with baggy pants, wife-beater, and ball cap. He played nicely enough, though he looked as sullen as possible for an 8-year-old boy to look while climbing miniature castles and gigantic insects, and the only real threat he posed to anyone is if he tripped and his gold necklace inadvertently slipped off his neck and struck someone.
The playground’s castle has a somewhat steep slope leading in and out of it. This slope is a favorite for big kids to perilously zoom up and down, but since everyone was fairly calm, Abbie took the opportunity to try climbing it. She isn’t much of a climber, and was having some trouble figuring out how to scale it. Then, at the risk of sounding like a grandmother, a very nice boy took it upon himself to help her up and down the slope. 6-year-old Nicholas grabbed her hand and helped her walk, or helped push her from below if she was trying to crawl up the incline. I usually had to help her back down since Nicholas couldn’t comprehend how a toddler could have so much more trouble going down a hill than going up it. Nicholas spent almost the entire time we stayed at the playground helping her move about, taking her hand and helping her up when necessary. At one point, she actually grabbed his hand when she thought she needed assistance, which I thought was pretty darned cute. Nicholas assured me that he helps others a lot back home. Apparently he’s originally from Des Moines, but now lives in Wisconsin; he’s just back in Des Moines visiting his aunt. I thanked him profusely for being such a good kid, but I guess that’s what I should expect out of kids from the same state that gave us frozen custard.
* Before you trust my math skills too much, keep in mind that I originally thought she would drink almost two gallons of milk per week, and now realize that she’ll only drink slightly more than one gallon in a week. I’m currently hoping she can finish the second gallon I bought over a week ago before it goes bad.
The playground was fairly busy yesterday with maybe a dozen kids using it at any one time. The play area is fairly small, maybe 15 x 25, which by my math amounts to .839 hectares of play area, or 10.7 rods of play area per child (2105 mL Canadian).* This means crowds can create problems if older or rambunctious kids are careening about like sugar-buzzed balls on a bumper pool table made of candy. Fortunately everyone seemed as under control as young children can be, unlike last time when a tot flung his 1/8th scale dump truck wildly about the playground. Most of the kids also looked to be age six or younger, at least until we were ready to leave and a boy resembling an 8-year-old Eminem arrived, complete with baggy pants, wife-beater, and ball cap. He played nicely enough, though he looked as sullen as possible for an 8-year-old boy to look while climbing miniature castles and gigantic insects, and the only real threat he posed to anyone is if he tripped and his gold necklace inadvertently slipped off his neck and struck someone.
The playground’s castle has a somewhat steep slope leading in and out of it. This slope is a favorite for big kids to perilously zoom up and down, but since everyone was fairly calm, Abbie took the opportunity to try climbing it. She isn’t much of a climber, and was having some trouble figuring out how to scale it. Then, at the risk of sounding like a grandmother, a very nice boy took it upon himself to help her up and down the slope. 6-year-old Nicholas grabbed her hand and helped her walk, or helped push her from below if she was trying to crawl up the incline. I usually had to help her back down since Nicholas couldn’t comprehend how a toddler could have so much more trouble going down a hill than going up it. Nicholas spent almost the entire time we stayed at the playground helping her move about, taking her hand and helping her up when necessary. At one point, she actually grabbed his hand when she thought she needed assistance, which I thought was pretty darned cute. Nicholas assured me that he helps others a lot back home. Apparently he’s originally from Des Moines, but now lives in Wisconsin; he’s just back in Des Moines visiting his aunt. I thanked him profusely for being such a good kid, but I guess that’s what I should expect out of kids from the same state that gave us frozen custard.
* Before you trust my math skills too much, keep in mind that I originally thought she would drink almost two gallons of milk per week, and now realize that she’ll only drink slightly more than one gallon in a week. I’m currently hoping she can finish the second gallon I bought over a week ago before it goes bad.
posted by Matt at
9:17 PM
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