All They Want To Do Is Swing!

[Heidi]

I don't push kids on swings.

If they can't do it themselves, they have to find something else to do. They can try, they can play on and with the swings, they can swing themselves on their stomachs if that's the way they can get up there. I have even been known to ignore someone sitting on

I don't play with kids outside much, either. I will throw and catch balls, I will sometimes draw with chalk or splash in water, but that's about it. Otherwise I watch babies and read on my Nook. Or simply soak up the sun and enjoy watching them play.

Gosh, I thought I was the only one! I once heard a Montessori teacher say "when your body is ready for it..." I love that. lovethis I DO NOT push on swings, I do not put children on climbers. If they can get up, they can get down ( I will, however, encourage...you can do it, I know you can!).

I remember my now 19 yo suckering other parents at the playground into pushing him......"Mean mommy" would not do it.

I also remember him swinging on his tummy. I think that must feel a bit like flying....

[SilverSabre25]

Gosh, I thought I was the only one! I once heard a Montessori teacher say "when your body is ready for it..." I love that. lovethis I DO NOT push on swings, I do not put children on climbers. If they can get up, they can get down ( I will, however, encourage...you can do it, I know you can!).

I remember my now 19 yo suckering other parents at the playground into pushing him......"Mean mommy" would not do it.

I also remember him swinging on his tummy. I think that must feel a bit like flying....

Oh tummy swinging is awesome!

And I love the Montessori philosophy; I never realized that not pushing them/letting them do it when THEY are ready was Montessori, but now that you mention it, it's obvious!

(I remember swinging on my tummy, it's a lot of fun. I also loved twisting the swing up and spinning, and straddling it and riding it like a horse )

[Heidi]

Oh tummy swinging is awesome!

And I love the Montessori philosophy; I never realized that not pushing them/letting them do it when THEY are ready was Montessori, but now that you mention it, it's obvious!

(I remember swinging on my tummy, it's a lot of fun. I also loved twisting the swing up and spinning, and straddling it and riding it like a horse )

YES! and it was so cool when your feet could touch the ground, you could pump, and then, ironically, the next thing is learning to jump off as far as you can! I felt like an Olympian when I could "stick" a landing off the swings or with a "penny drop" off the horizontal bars. Thanks for reminding me!

[Heidi]

I can't imagine that amount of stuff in my backyard. I don't think my neighbors would be too happy with it and my hubby would not want to mow around it. I also don't have swings anymore due to kids getting hit by swingers. It only took a couple years of doing childcare to figure out that swings and a group of preschoolers don't mix well. I personally don't feel that little ones need all that "stuff" to play. Even today the daycare kids here have a lot more "stuff" than my own kids ever did. As far as swinging them, I wouldn't do it either. They would either have to learn themselves or find something else to do.

When I was 5, I was at a playground on one of those swinging horse-things. A toddler ran in front of me, and I mowed him right over. I am 47 years old, and I can still remember how his mother screamed at me for being a terrible, mean little girl!

I was apparently supposed to stop in mid air...... funny what you remember. Luckily, she didn't ruin swinging for me entirely, but I do remember going home crying.