Taking your child to the park is one of the great parental joys of life. Watching your child play with other kids, laughing and making friends is a wonderful sight.
But the laughter can turn to tears in a matter of seconds. A taken toy or bonk on the head are enough to ruin your child's good time. For a parent, dealing with the event that caused those tears might be more difficult than dealing with the crying child.
Playgrounds today are filled with children from different backgrounds, ages and parental instruction. Some parents take an active roll in their child's interaction with other kids and some do not. Problem is you will not know which parent you are dealing with until you start talking to them.
A little sample:
How should you handle the situations that will arise during a trip to the playground without causing other parents to draw battle lines in the sand$%:
Bumps, Bruises, and Bullies
Children are pure energy machines. They move from place to place and occasionally make contact. What can you do when the tears start$%:
First thing you should do is calm your child down. Most of the time a kiss and hug are enough to sooth your child's tears. Do so in a calm manner. Flying off the handle will not do anyone any good, and will only make your child more upset. Always assess what happened before approaching anyone. Accidental bumps and falls are going to happen. A feel soothing words to your child is usually enough to dry his tears for accidents.
Now, how should you handle the intentional events$%:
Teaching your child to walk away from someone who is trying to hurt them is the first thing you should do. If another child is being abusive to him, having him leave the location is usually enough to defuse the situation.
If the other child continues to follow your child, have him come straight to you. In some extreme cases, this might not even be enough to stop an aggressive child. Be cautious about reprimanding someone else's child. Many parents take that as an insult to their parenting skills. Your best course of action is to ask the child to leave your child alone.
If you do have to approach a parent about their child, remember to be calm. Don't accuse them or be insulting. Ask them nicely to intercede. It does no good to verbally attack another parent and it would be a terrible lesson to teach your child.
If the other parent becomes abusive, gather your child and his things and leave. There is no reason to put up with an abusive person or to subject your child to one and staying to deal with an angry parent could be dangerous.
Stolen toys
What do you do if your child's toy is taken$%: The first rule of the playground is all toys there are considered fair game. An older child understands the concept of sharing. Younger children cannot stand having their toys touched, much less played with, by another child.
Using playground time to teach your child about sharing is a terrific opportunity. But remember disagreements over toys are going to happen. To guarantee your child's toys come home take a few precautions before you go to the park.
Be sure to put your child's name or initials on all of the toys you bring. It will make getting ready to leave easier. But the best way to keep an irreplaceable toy from being lost is to not take it to the park. Choose toys that can be easily replace.
Going to the park should be a joy for children and parents, a day of sun and fun. It is your job to help make that happen.
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