Moms & Dads

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Do you stick up for your kid at the playground?


Here was the scene: My 3-year-old at the playground Monday. At one point, an eager boy about his age pushed him as he readied to launch down the slide. Nothing mean – the other boy was just wanted a turn. I shouted, “Hey, no pushing!” Then I realized the boy’s mom was next to me. I braced myself for her reaction. She apologized instead. Everyone moved on.

playground.jpg

But it raised a question for me: Should we intervene on the playground? If so, when? Where’s the line?

I try to resist doing so. That voice inside my head says, “He needs to learn to speak up. I can’t always be there.” Still, there’s a competing voice: “But he will only know it’s wrong if I say so.” There’s another issue: what if someone is hurt? And I don’t want it to be my kid.

We probably all have a story from childhood on this point. Here’s mine: I was on a seesaw with a friend, who was much smaller (I was a pudgy kid). It seemed like fun to smash the seat into the ground. Next thing I remember, my slight friend was lofted into the air. He crashed into the metal bar, chipping a tooth.

If only someone had stopped me.

Categories: Matthew Strozier (59)


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About the authors
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby.


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