I am so frustrated. It’s a beautiful day. All the parks with water features are open now and it will be heaven for the boys. The only problem is that most parks are not enclosed. How difficult can it be to put a fence around a playground?
The problem is that my little Whirlwind is almost three but the size of most five year olds. With that comes the speed factor. He’s fast. And he’s a runner. It has always been tricky with him in the park. Quite the workout. The day where he will be able to outrun me is getting scarily close though. A bigger problem is the baby. The baby is almost not a baby anymore and will be walking unassisted within weeks, if not days. He can also enjoy some of the facilities the playground has to offer. It’s a problem that he can’t because I can’t take my eyes off of his brother for more than a second.
In the late summer last year, I stood next to the playground, feeding the baby. Keeping an eye on The Whirlwind. I looked down for a total of three seconds to put the baby back in his stroller, glanced up halfway through the process and noticed with a sinking feeling that The Whirlwind is missing. We eventually found him and I am eternally thankful for the lady who stopped him before running into the street. She apologized for scaring him. Lady, my child is alive thanks to you... please don’t apologize!
Needless to say, every time we go somewhere, I go with this terrible feeling that he will just pull away and start running. It has happened so many times, I've lost count. Every other day you read in the news how another child wandered away and was found drowned nearby. That is my fear. I live with that fear every day. As I sit here, my frustration in finding safe playgrounds is making me want to cry for the dangers this child unknowingly puts himself in every day.
And I don’t know if it will ever get any better. Right now, it’s just getting worse. Seriously, I pay taxes... just put a damn fence around the playground!
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