Dear lady at the park

I took Bo and Sascha to the park yesterday. Every time I pull into the parking lot, Bo gasps as if we have entered Disney World and says, "Oh, Shasha, yook--we are back at the Maumelle City Park! Thank you, thank you, Mommy!!"

(Actually, we are always at Marlow Manor park, but whatever.)

We have been 5 or 6 times over the last few weeks and managed to find ourselves totally alone the first 3, mostly alone the 4th (one little boy who swang the whole time), and completely NOT ALONE the last 2 . . . like . . . playgroup central for one and Grandmas' treats the next.

Now I am a reasonable and rational (mostly) person and have no ownership in the park (at all since it's not even our neighborhood's park), but I do believe that there are a few common courtesies to be followed. I think they can best be summed up by the following: It is not your responsibility to ensure that my kids have fun at the playground. It would be nice, however, if you did not make it NOT FUN for them to be there.

That's right, inappropriately dressed grandma, I'm looking at you. (And shoot, CG members, I may have, probably was judging too.)

If you cannot let your sweet granddaughter actually play on the relatively safe equipment without calling her over to evaluate the pros and cons of each time up the "rock wall" to the slide, then DON'T COME!! Each gasp and "OH NO NO NO!!" and "I just CAN'T DO THIS if she does that!" and "That is NOT how you climb or slide or walk over the bridge" and "Don't play over there because there are kids already there!" made ME miserable. I can only imagine how that sweet girl felt. In the end, we left. I could not handle her.

(Or the thought of one of my kiddos contributing to the delinquency of grandbaby's play.)


So, thanks. We left early. We got home early. We (and by we, I mean they) made more of a mess. I am still undecided on my cleaning delegations, so I got to clean more.


Plus, I had set apart that time to read a little. But I was too busy watching you panic to read.


And it is a really. good. book.