living
AND ANOTHER THING …
I ’ M NOT A HELICOPTER PARENT . At least I don ’ t think I am . If I am , I ’ d say that I ’ m no more of a hoverer than any other average parent . Unless you ask social media . Then , as it turns out , I AM a Helicopter Parent .
I go back to early autumn for this after an afternoon at the Nicholas Sheran Train Park . Part of the play structure is what could be described as a rock climbing wall . Not a traditional wall such as the ones with lots of places for tiny feet and hands to grip as a child works their way up seven or eight feet to the top for the sole purpose of sliding down the structure , and then starting the process over .
This particular rock wall is more of a slick and smooth monolith with a few different levels , starting out big at the bottom before narrowing to a small entry way leading to the top and the rest of the structure . It ’ s slippery and not at all grippy . It ’ s a main attraction for the kidlets at Nicholas Sheran . What kid doesn ’ t like to climb ? My kids love this thing ! ALL kids seem to love it . And . I . Can ’ t . Stand . It . It ’ s not as if either of my children have tumbled off this thing which rivals Everest . It ’ s not as if they ’ ve even had a close call . It ’ s not as if I have ever seen ANY child fall off of this thing . But , it puts me into a fit of anxiety I ’ ve never before felt . It ’ s not like I get really anxious over anything else . No other feature at any playground in the city of Lethbridge does this to me . They could climb a cell phone tower , and I feel like I ’ d be less panicky than I am when I ’ m at Nicholas Sheran .
And I ’ m not alone . Whenever I see my kids make their way over to the climbing rock I also make my way over . I ’ m frequently met at Base Camp with another parent or two , standing at the bottom , fully admitting that they are waiting to catch their child as he or she misses a step and fails to navigate the whole way up , telling me their nerves are shot . It ’ s spoken between us that we all hate this feature . What goes unspoken is the fact that we all probably know we are being overprotective .
I brought this up on social media during my morning radio show on 98.1 The Bridge , and while many commenters sided with my take on the rock feature , I definitely saw more than a few “ Our society is fostering a generation of crybabies / wimps / whiners , etc .” One guy said over-protective parenting is what leads children to join Antifa , but that ’ s a WHOLE other topic of conversation .
This monstrosity is perfectly safe and up to code . I know that in my bones . If it wasn ’ t , I ’ m sure the City of Lethbridge would have taken care of it . Ripped it down already . Thrown it in the lake . The City is good that way ( keeping us safe , not tossing stuff in the lake ) as evidenced by the half dozen or so slide-less play structures throughout the city this year due to a North American safety recall from the manufacturer .
Am I a Helicopter Parent ? If I am is that bad ? Are you ? I don ’ t have time to answer any of these questions as I have to make my way outside and see which one of my children is on our rooftop trampoline .
JAY HERRINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY : JEN ALSTON , MPA ;
IMAJEN PHOTOGRAPHY @ jayherrington75
Jay Herrington can be heard weekday mornings from 5:30 – 10 a . m . on Lethbridge ’ s Home for Modern Hit Music , 98.1 The Bridge .
40 LETHBRIDGELIVING . COM NOV-DEC 2017