Empty Playgrounds

Yesterday was just a beautiful day - all the way up to 13 C which is mid 50's F. Sunny, a bit breezy which can be nippy, but nice none-the-less. And bonus - my son had the day off from school. After zipping through the house in the morning doing chores (my ploy to let it warm up a tiny bit more!), we headed outdoors and played around the yard. Good thing we did too because today it is right back down to 2C (35F).
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After lunch we went down to the basketball court. Now, our basketball court is less than ideal, but we won't complain because it is paved and a place to play. It is the center of the farmers market. So - one basket is in front of the tables - and the other basket is... right by the road. If you miss that basket - the ball goes into the road. So - we generally only use 1/2 the court. Except right now that 1/2 of the court is full of gravel from snowplowing and tons of broken beer bottles. Sad really. And gravel is slippery when you are running and the last thing I want is for my son to fall on the gravel and then get cut up on the glass. They will get that all cleaned up once the Farmer's Market opens. The good news is that the middle is still good and my son loves to dribble the ball and play keep away. So, we went down there and played and played and played. He is actually pretty good at it!

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After a bit we decided to go check out the playground. It isn't very often that other kids are there either - see the photo... empty. Eventually 1 boy was driven up in a mini-van and he hoped out and the 2 boys played for a bit. He knew my son and was happy to have a playmate. After running around to go up the slide just 4 times the other boy was really out of breath. On the 5th time the horn in the van started honking and he had to go. It is really sad to empty playgrounds, ball courts and out-of-shape kids. Where are all the kids?

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I'm no super athlete, but we do enjoy playing outdoors. And even though the playground may look boring to an adult, play does help develop muscles in kids. And fresh air is good for all age groups! I like to TRY to do pull-ups on the monkey bars, ha! I like to jog around the outside edges. And I like to play with my son. We have a good time... I usually don't bring knitting or reading or something else to do (but sometimes I do). I enjoy this moment in time when he is a happy 5 year old anxious to play at the playground with Momma. If other kids happen to be there - so much the better - he loves to play with other kids too, if they would only come out to play.