What In The World?

Almost completely ignoring the fact that it snowed again and that's gross there are more important things to talk about today.

An area park (not one I've ever gone to or really would ever go to but still in the vicinity) was a victim of vandalism. Not just graffiti or something like that, which is a problem in it's own right. Someone, some people glued RAZOR BLADES to playground equipment. On slides, and monkey bars so unsuspecting children would CUT themselves while enjoying the park. A 2 year old was cut and that is how they were discovered.

Actual photo of some of the razor blades

There are two major issues here to be discussed.

What on earth were these vandals thinking?! This takes normal playground damage to a new level entirely. I may have a bias because my job for years was for my city and one job was driving around to all the parks in the evening and weekends. I would track attendance, report damages and just be a presence. I cannot count the number of Porta-Potties that would be tipped and or set on fire any given year.

I just don't get it. What sick pleasure do you get out of destroying things for other people?! Public property and parks are one of the things that make our society on a whole nice to live in. Why wouldn't we want to treat them well?! I suspect a lot of the perpetrators are in their teenage years and while I understand a need to rebel why destroy parks?

I just don't get it.

Our parks are mostly wood chips or gravel not that foamy stuff. 

The other issue is the term "helicopter parent." All these articles these days talk about how parents don't let kids experience life on their own and that we are too over protective. I get it. My brother and I weren't allowed to do a whole lot on our own but going to parks was on the approved list. I mean we could go to 2 parks both within walking distance to our house and we had to go together but we were allowed to go by ourselves.

Grace over at the camp often talks about her playground philosophy is different than the other parents of youth and while my guy was pretty little last summer and really couldn't do anything on playgrounds except run around, this year is different. And I was leaning toward the not totally hovering on the play structure with him kind of philosophy. Then this happens with razor blades and I am completely rethinking my entire thought on the matter.

The reason parents hover isn't because their kid can't climb well and their afraid they'll get hurt. (Well... entirely.) But it's because hoodlums have possibly glued razor blades to the equipment. A scraped knee I can deal with. Bump on the head? That's a part of life. But being deliberately cut by a razor blade crosses my "chalk it up to experience" line. What's a parent to do? There's no way to win.

I know we have to prepare kids for the world and not completely protect them but if I can't even trust a playground I think I am going to have some real issues not being overprotective.