Playground Mom Probs: How a Simple Fall Sent Me into a Mom Rage

Last week, I fell down at the playground while carrying my son Ben. It was one of those moments that happened in slow motion.  A guttural “Noooooo!” erupted from my mouth while “O Fortuna” played dramatically in my mind like I was in the trailer of a mommy horror movie. I lost my footing and had to contort my body midair to avoid falling on Ben. I maintained my hold on him until I hit the ground, and he rolled out of my arms. He was wailing, but uninjured. I was embarrassed by my clumsiness and in pain from hitting the ground so hard.playground mom pinnable

After sitting on the ground for a few moments to regain my composure, I was overcome with another feeling: ANGER. I was angry at the mom standing across the playground who did not come to my aid – who did not even ask if Ben and I were okay. There was no way she could have missed that fall and all of the screams and tears that accompanied it. And yet, she did nothing. I spent the next thirty minutes on the playground being pleasant around Inconsiderate Playground Mom. On the inside though, I was just wishing I could cut a b**ch. (Yikes! End inappropriate moment of mom rage.)

A week later, I am still appalled by her lack of compassion. And if my voodoo doll of Inconsiderate Playground Mom worked, then a week later she’s appalled by her sudden onset of uncontrollable public flatulence. (Okay, now I’ll REALLY end my over-reaction.)

After a second incident a couple of days ago with another rude playground mom, I knew that I needed to vent. I considered writing a guide on playground etiquette, but I have no authority to tell others what they should and shouldn’t do. (Let’s be real, the pile of unaddressed thank you notes from various events sitting in my nightstand drawer do not make me the foremost expert in etiquette.) Instead, I will share with you my Playground Mom Wish List. I’m not preaching … just wishin’ and hopin’.

I wish that all Playground Moms would watch their children.

This one sounds like a no-brainer, right? Not exactly. I am constantly surprised by how many parents just let their children run around Lord of Flies style. We don’t all need to be helicopter moms on the playground (check Facebook, talk to your friends, have some “me” time while your child is distracted), but please at least be AWARE of what your children are doing.

If your kid is sitting on the bottom of the slide throwing wood chips or rocks at another kid, please reprimand them. If your kid is terrorizing another kid on the swings, please make them stop. I know that kids are going to be kids, and it’s hard to prevent them from doing these things, but we can at least intervene when they do. Please don’t put another mom in the awkward position of having to police your child in order to defend her own.

I wish that all Playground Moms would be friendly.

Listen, Playground Moms who can barely crack a smile when my son runs up to you and your children: often I don’t feel like talking to you either. While it is sometimes nice to have a conversation on the playground, most of the time I just want to watch my kid play. Small talk can be a chore to me too, but if we are standing 5 feet from each other for an hour while our kids play together please muster up the energy to exchange pleasantries.

Playground_nombI wish that all Playground Moms would treat the playground like a classroom.

I don’t mean that I want you to review the quadratic equation while your kid is on the monkey bars. I just wish that everyone would spend some time on the playground teaching your children how to treat others with respect. I see the playground as a place where I can teach my son to be the kind of man I want him to be. It is a place where he can learn that he doesn’t always need to be first. It is a place where he can learn that it’s not right to pick on children because they are smaller than him or because they look different than him. And, it is a place where he can learn to help others up when they fall.

The mom last week didn’t have to rush over to Ben and me like a paramedic when we fell, especially if she needed to stay by her child’s side, but she could have called out asking us if we were okay. Isn’t compassion a lesson that we all want our children to learn?

For moms like me with young toddlers, the playground is often one of our only daily interactions with other kids. It would be nice for it to be a positive experience.

What are your playground pet peeves? What would be on your Playground Mom Wish List?

Marie
Marie is the owner of Little Hometown, a company specializing in locally themed baby swaddles and apparel. Prior to opening her business, Marie was a professional event planner turned stay-at-home mom. She spent nearly a decade living in New York City, where she met her husband, Jeff (a New England native). Early in their relationship, Marie told Jeff that New Orleans is the only place where she would want to raise her children. As soon as she got pregnant, they started shopping for houses. They moved back in December of 2012, welcomed their son in 2013 and their daughter in 2015. Marie now spends her days entertaining her kids with silly songs, desperately attempting to stay organized, and balance her life as a work-at-home mom.

8 COMMENTS

  1. These are so true! Nothing wrong with teaching kids while playing. And the playground is a wonderful place to teach compassion, sharing, etc. I too, fell on the playground. I was following around my then 20 month old and I was 7 months pregnant……and not ONE person checked to see if I was OK. Not that I needed it or wanted it. But if *I* saw a pregnant person fall (or anyone, for that matter), I would immediately check to see if they are OK.

    • Exactly, Natalie! In your case I would have been even more furious I was by the lack of assistance after I fell. How can people not ask a pregnant toddler mom is she’s okay??

  2. I was at chick-fil-a and my then 3yr old boy was playing. He plays rough so I was keeping a close eye on him and reprimanded him a few times for being rough. He was pulling on a little girl’s shirt bc he wanted a hug. I asked him to stop. Anyway, this girl’s grandma was in there and kept pulling his hand away from the girl. then, before I could get in there to ask her to stop, she SMACKED my sons hand! I have never felt so much rage in my life. I angrily explained to her that you do not hit other people’s kids and she made excuses about how my son was acting. I told her she is a grown woman and needs to learn to control herself and let me worry about my son. All the parents who saw all this, asked if my son and I were ok.

    I think the hardest part about having kids is the altercations with other people.

  3. Hopefully, you’ll have more good experiences than bad. I was recently at the playground with my nephew when another little boy cut right in front of him on the steps to climb up. Before I could even complain about it, the boy realized what he had done, backed away and gestured for my nephew to go first. He did this without anyone telling him he should. You’d probably like his playground mom!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here