Over protective?

What do kids usually do when they are at the playground? Naturally they will, run, climb, crawl and like it or not at times they will also trip, fall and hurt themselves. However, in my humble opinion, this is just part and parcel of growing up,

This evening, I brought Declan down to the playground for him to work his limbs. He was climbing, crawling and running all over the playground. There were a few times he nearly tripped and fell if not for my agility in catching hold of him. 15 mins into his play, another mum brought along a boy whom I guess was about 3 years old or maybe slightly older. As the boy got nearer to the playground, he started to pick up his pace and soon he was running towards the playground. His mum then shouted:” Boy ah! Don’t run ahhh!” The boy stopped and walked towards the spring rider on which his mum helped him up. After riding it for awhile, he came down and started to run towards the main playground structure which Declan was happily scaling and of course with me following close and tight behind him. His mum goes:” Boy ah! I say no running!! If you run again we will go home!” His boy was running on the rubber mat… I was thinking even if he falls it’ll not kill him…

The boy obediently stopped and walked over to the steps. He climbed the few steps up and when he was about to scale greater height to gain access to the curling slide his mum shouted:” No! No! No!!! Not so high! You cannot climb so high! If you don’t listen we will go home! ” She looked down towards the slide and went:” Aiyoh, so dirty!! Let’s go let’s go!!” I can see that the boy was feeling so disappointed. However never once did he defy his mum. Since his mum wouldn’t let him up, he walked pass me and Declan and go down the steps. He walked to the spring rider again, climbed up and started riding it. His mum rush to him and said:” Aiyoh! Don’t climb! Later you will fall down!” After saying that she pulled him down and said:” Let’s go home!” and off they went. The boy turned to look at my toddler who was only half his age, climbing and running all over the place, with envy.

Like that, where got childhood?? Cannot climb, cannot run and hardly 5 mins at the playground he was being pulled home. I admire the boy for having cooperated with his mum fully, without any defiance. Some parents may feel so proud about such a child. I was thinking, will he grow up to be a man without his own mind? Of course I too yearn for an obedient child but I will not want a mummy’s boy. Anyway, everyone have their own parenting method.

As the sky turns dark, I had to ply his fingers open to get him to let go of the playground. You need not guess, this boy didn’t cooperate with me. I’ve let him played his share, but to him it’s never enough. So I had to half pull half dragged a crying and struggling toddler home. I brought him there fresh and clean wearing a light green pair of pants. I brought him home with a grey pair of pants, having played the good citizen by cleaning the playground on behave of the town council with his butt. Topping that, was a pair of dirty hands with 10 black fingers. In return, I get a happier child (despite him crying as he didn’t want to go home yet).