by Chris Read
Hello there. My name is Chris and I blog over at Canadian Dad. I was excited when Candace agreed to allow a Dad to invade Pleasantville and couldn’t wait to share some Dad stories with all of you!
One of the things I’ve noticed in my brief travels as a father, is that Moms and Dads generally have a difference of opinion when it comes to how adventurous we want to let our young children be. The best example I can think of is when you bring your kids to the park. Like an Olympic event, every park station carries it’s own degree of difficulty. The only problem is that they don’t post those degrees at parks like they do on TV.
My wife and I are usually on the same page with our parenting strategies but once we get to the park we turn into completely different people. I am in the “You Can Do It Without Me” camp, while my wife is more concerned about the kids safety and well being. I know how that reads funny and makes me look like a monster who doesn’t watch his kids but I assure you that I am standing very close by while they explore their limits.
In my opinion, the only true way to determine whether your child is ready for the crazy monkey bar stairs is to let them have a go at it. The funny thing about my mentality towards letting my kids try things out, is that I am as afraid of new things as they come. Just the other day I went zip lining for the first time and it took me a good 2 weeks to convince myself that it was a good idea.
It’s entirely possible that this is my logic for letting the kids express their inner daredevils. Don’t get me wrong, I can helicopter with the best of ‘em, I just don’t want my kids growing up with the same fears and insecurities that I have.
We’ve since devised a plan of action in our house, where I will take the kids to the park while my wife stays home to take care of the cleaning. A couple things here; Firstly, anyone who has taken kids to the park by themselves knows that it is no easy task. The second thing is that my wife likes the cleaning to be done in a certain way that I have never been able to duplicate. The setup works out for all of us, especially considering that I am essentially a 33 year old boy and still get excited about the park.
Please don’t misunderstand me, this is not an attack on over protective parents or even my wife. The parental instinct to protect our kids from harm is a very strong one and it’s not easily manipulated. In fact, I love that my wife is so protective of them because to me, her love for them is one of the sexiest things about her! Everybody parents differently and this is just the way I have chosen to do it.
This whole story was brought on by a video I shot at the park the other day. When I showed it to my wife, I laughed at her cringing as my 2 year old daughter climbed a 7 foot tall rock wall, only to go to down slide backwards on her stomach. She has since directed me to never show her videos like that again! As you will find out if you visit my site, I am a big fan of videos and wanted to share that one with you today!
A final funny note. The last 7 or so seconds of the video are blurred because my daughter ran over to a set of stairs that even I find to be a little too advanced for a 2 year old, so instead of hitting stop, I panicked and ran over to stop her. Hypocrite much, hahaha! Here’s the video!
Thanks again to Candace for letting me share a piece of my world with her readers! I’m a huge fan of Life in Pleasantville and this has truly been an honour.
Chris is father to two wonderful toddlers and husband to one of the best daycare providers in the land. You can find him writing at his home site, Canadian Dad, and also over at the PTPA. Please feel free to stop by and say hi on his Facebook and Twitter pages, which are his homes away from home.
Hubby and I are on slightly different pages when it comes to the park. While I am in the camp to let them try things (and both my boys are excellent climbers) he likes to push them a little too high on the swings for my liking. I have visions of them letting go of the chains, flying through the air and breaking their neck…..l
Hahaha, not laughing at the neck breaking, just the thought of them screaming “Higher, Higher!” while you look at him with a stern face. I absolutely love watching parents interact at the park!
While my gut is screaming at me to argue with you and try to convince you the same things I do my husband……but why bother…you all have proven that my kids aren’t quite as breakable as I think they are. Seriously good for you, as long as you catch them before they hit the ground and teach them to look before leaping…..well who am I to stop it?
I will always catch them!
I love your videos. The park can be a dangerous place but for the most part parents know their kids best and it is a safe place to explore and grow. I am more worried about things like the openness of the space and the lurking pedophiles. I have no issues with how high my child climbs, but I need eyes on her everywhere because she can be too trusting.
I would say heck to the no but you can see you are right there to drop your phone and grab her if need be. It is the same thing over here. Tobei lets them do things I wouldn’t. I just look away and cringe and let daddy do his thing.
Differences is what the world is all about! If we all were too over protective, what a funny world we’d live it. Although I cringe at the things DH let’s the kids do, they always come out safe!
Great post as always!
Tammy
http://inRdream.com
Hilarious Chris. I love your writing and always enjoy hearing from the “other side”. It explains a lot! I appreciate that my husband’s and my parenting style are totally different (I might lean towards the protective side…). It’s good for the kids. So far, no major boo-boo’s while I’ve been away. Besos, Sarah (
Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo)
Always love your posts! You guys sound a lot like us!
thanks for sharing great one!
I am a mixture of both. I will let them try things but only if I think they may be able to do it. And I am right there next to them to catch them when they fall. hehe!
Love your post Chris!
I know how your wife feels. My heart stops for a second whenever I see the kids doing something I conceive as a little dangerous. Nice to see you over here today, Chris.
Oh Chris, just priceless. I too am like your wife. Cleaning must be done how I’m used too or I just redo, and I’ll gladly avoid a park trip with my two little daredevils. That rock wall would of had my skin crawling with nervousness, but I would just sit back and see what happens since they are both crazy kids!
My dad was the primary play-care-giver in my life so we ran wild and free. I’m sure his secret desire was for one of us to be a boy (he had 4 girls) – we did just about anything we wanted to, no safety net was needed. I believe that because of this, I am much like my Dad and let my kids explore the outer edges of “playground safety” and encourage their adventurous spirits to soar.