Playground Kids
I found myself at the park, again, for the fifth time in five days. I watched my sons ramble around the playground navigating new alliances with an equal mix of street smart and subtle cooperation. And I couldn’t help but feel so proud. Somewhere in my suburban upbringing I also found this skill set. Growing up alongside six siblings on an acre of land surrounded by acres and acres and acres of open land. Neighbors on BMX bikes and companions I wouldn’t pick but fell in with because of geography. If you lived on our street, we were friends. It’s a crucial set of skills, playground know-how. Getting along. How many of us grew up wandering the neighborhood and playing? Roaming freely, riding our bikes and building alliances?
According to data from Pew Research in 2018, “about 46 million Americans live in the nation’s rural counties, 175 million in its suburbs and small metros and about 98 million in its urban core counties.” Many of our children live in dense urban areas where outside natural spaces are always communal and frequently full. The downside is swing drama and germs. The upside is limitless. Children who would’ve never seen each other at school, church, or anywhere else are thrown together to toss discarded playground toys back-and-forth or navigate climbing up the slide when everyone else wants to climb down. Playground kids learn the nuances of boredom versus ephemeral creativity. Playground kids are just a little bit neglected, just enough to teach them how to fend for themselves in a fenced, rubber topped microcosm of life.
Playground kids learn to be flexible, tough, aware, and open minded. Anyone willing is an immediate friend, and there are parents and nannies; caretakers and grandparents on the sidelines eyeing those that aren’t.
