that’s not safe

Last updated on: November 3, 2015 at 12:28 pm by Anne Kennedy

that’s not safe 2015-11-03T12:28:24-04:00 Anne Kennedy

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Monday we all went together to take two of the children to their well baby appointments. In general we have tiny children and so were astonished to discover that the baby is in the 30th percentile for height. “What a giant” said the doctor sardonically. We all laughed together.

Never mind that she, the baby, had thrown up a mere half an hour earlier.
Stupidly, we thought we’d make a day of it.
Pick up the house, get in the car, go to Wegmans for a serious stocking up, buy something for lunch, go to a park and then end up at the doctor to round out the whole day.

So of course it was raining as we wended our remarkable way out of Wegmans. I say remarkable because I can tell so many people are remarking on us in their own minds. I generally plaster a smile to myself as one adjusts a mast or something, grab a couple of hands of children and talk cheerfully to Matt or Elphine as we pass in front of the checkouts, not making eye contact but noting the startled mothers with one or two children in their carts, the bemused boomers who gently lift their eyebrows to the heavens, the gentle grandmothers who usually smile and sometimes say something helpful like “you sure do have your hands full.”

The rain rained long enough for us to decide to eat our lunch in the car. Matt has a rule about this. A rule that says “No Eating In the Car Ever.”
“You value the cleanness of the car over the health, well being and happiness of your children” I always say, “I’ll clean the car, I promise.”
“No you won’t. You always say that and then you never do.”
“That’s true” I ripost (its the same conversation every time) “but this time I will for sure clean the car.”
So we ate in the car and only the baby shredded her delicious ham salad sandwich all over the seat. One out of six is very reasonable. And we drove around looking for a park. Up a hill, round a bend, up another hill, back the opposite way, round another bend and then
blecheheheeeeee.
“What was that?” said Matt cautiously.
“The baby threw up.”
Turns out ham salad and cookies don’t sit well with her on a windy car ride. And I’m not the kind of mom to drag around a lot of extra clothes and diapers and stuff. I don’t carry anything for children except a tiny book about a bunny and horse and a chicken who get left out of a parade and so make their own parade, a better parade. And I have a pen and a piece of paper. I don’t carry bottles or sippy cups or snacks or anything. Certainly no extra clothes.
“We’ll just take her to the doctor naked, “said Matt.
“Oh, that’ll be good,” I say, “perfect.”
But the park has a lou, so we clean her up a little and remove all the offending garments and then go play at the playground.
Except that the playground is awful. Awful.

Only Marigold has a good time because she’s too little to know better. There are swings and a sort of climbing thing that if you fall off the top of it, you can’t possibly get hurt. And there’s a thing to throw a ball through (except there’s no ball), and a very very safe bouncy thing that you can sit in and sort of jiggle around, and a stupid little house. And then, as I watch my children wandering around looking at the lame lame set up, I realize, there probably are no fun play grounds left in America.

You can’t have a high slide because you can try to jump off or go up the wrong way. You can’t have a see-saw because its so easy to fall off at the top, or hurt the other kid by coming down yourself very sharply. You can’t have a merry go round because once you get it going really fast and get ready to jump out, you can fall and scrape yourself. You can’t have monkey bars because you’ll definitely fall when you’re in the forth grade and break your arm. And even though you and your mother didn’t dream of suing, some other mother did and so there are no fun play grounds left, at least in Binghamton, at least the ones I’ve seen.

And so on the one hand we’re kind of shocked by the whole idea of children at all, and on the other, we’re terrified that anything will happen to the few that we have. We follow them around on playgrounds and everywhere saying ‘do be careful dear, don’t climb up there, don’t do that, don’t swing too high, don’t do that’ and then we bring them home and let them play angry birds (well me, I let my kids play angry birds but I feel really guilty about it). And so they learn not to take any risks, except maybe on the internet.

On that note, I’m going to go tell the child I hear meddling in the kitchen to Stop It, risk or no risk, naked or clothed, vomitous or not.

Life Going On

Culture Watch

Previous Post

May 21, 2012

monday morning haze

Next Post

May 25, 2012 seven boring boring quick takes

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Children in Conversation culture watch Daily Devotions Demotivations with Anne faith alone for the grandparents GAFCON In conversation with children In the News Kitchen Notes Lambeth Learning Notes Life Going On Men are Human Notes from Home Pictures Reading the Bible Saturday Links Sermons Signs of the Apocalypse The Bad Word Association The Prayer of Jonah Travel Notes Uncategorized Witless Wednesdays Work and the Christian

Select a Month June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am a precious stone, tested and chosen. Believers will never be put to shame when they trust in me. What am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A rock A foundation A living stone A cornerstone

Books by This Author Books by Anne Kennedy

See All Titles »