Do You Allow Your Children to Climb up the Slides at the Park?

As long as no kids want to go down the slide, what is the big deal? I think some people like to act superior about this "rule" while others ignore their kids when they run or throw wood chips.

If my child was in no way potentially creating a hazerdous situation and some mom decided she was playground cop, I would be very annoyed.

Denise: Mother A is a Liberal and Mother B is a Conservative??? I love how we can jump to THAT conclusion. I would have just said Mother A maybe has a better vibrator... SHEESH! Ok I'm a little off track here... I do let my kids do that if nobody else is at the park. I don't allow them to do it if other kids are trying to go down the slide, and if another kid was climbing up while my kid was trying to go down, I would politely say something to the kid but not try and block the slide, just make my kids go to the swings or something. Some parents just need to take a chill pill and stop embarassing themselves.

Mother B was a freak. I let my son climb up the slide, even when he's not alone, but he is to climb up only when no one is trying to slide down. Blocking other kids is rude :)

I think kids should be kids!!!! I am a firm believer in letting my kids climb up the slide, down the slide etc. My oldest is a climber, so he also climbs on the sides of the structrues etc. If someone else is there, then of course--he doesn't climb up the side. But if its just him, I say go for it.

** I have seen the ultra loud moms who yell and scream about following the rules at the park etc. I'm like-- " WHO says??? Who makes up the rules at the park? Who decides what is RIGHT or WRONG??? Its all a matter of opinion unless the park has a clearly,designated sign that tells the kids they specifically can not do something, its all about opinions.

M

When no other kids are there or on it, yes. I let my kids climb up.
Why not?

I have NEVER encountered, any Moms, that had a problem with that whether they were nearby or not.
AND, many kids do that at the park we go to.
The parents, keep an eye on their kids for the most part.
If a kid is doing that, when other kids are on it and if younger, I politely tell the kid to 'please be careful, there are other kids there..." in a pleasant voice and with a smile.
I have never had a problem with that or because of it.

Wow, that Mother "B" you witnessed, she sure threw a tantrum, huh?
Egad.
Bad example.
For adults and children.

I let my kids climb up the slide as long as there are no kids trying to go down the slide!! LOL ~ that lady sounds crazy!!

Yes, if no one else is around (but they aren't big into slide climbing). I do not like it at all though when kids are climbing up the slide when kids are trying to go down. That is unsafe and rude.

Mom B is crazy. Even during a time where she SHOULD be upset, Mom B must learn to control her temper. GEESH!

Not to be confused with "M. B.", of course! LOL:)

If anyone ever dares to try to parent my kid while I am vigilantly watching him (unless they KNOW him) I do not take it very well...and climbing up the slide when no other kids are trying to use it is just fine. I don't mind if my kids do it, and I sure as heck would never prevent someone else's kids from doing it either (unless kids are trying to come down, at which point I would politely remind them that they need to let the kids come down.)

Like you and others, if there's no one at the park OR on the structure... absolutely. Have at. But our rule is once kids start climbing on the structure, it's down only.

If there ARE kids trying to slide and one (or more) children keep going up it I'll shout to other people's kids (smiling voice shout, you know the difference; "Hey honey!" versus "Mom Voice" versus "Danger!" versus "Angry!"), regardless of whose kids are going up or coming down, but not if there's no one else on the slide! And definitely not all mom-voice or angry, much less not let another child play!

I've only ever once had a parent get all ticked off about it (with hundreds of "Hey Honey! There's kids going down the slide! You need to go around and come up the stairs or someone's going to get hurt!"), each and every single other time the parents have totally backed that up. The one time the parent got all ticked off "Well I let my kid.... blah blah blah." someone else's kid apparently said screw it and came down. Predictable result. Blood and tears from the child going up the slide. (bit through his lip when his feet were knocked out from under him and his face smashed on the side of the slide).

Of course the mom thought the slider was my kid. There was a bit of a row between her and the other parent who came running up. The mother whose child was bleeding called 911 and was just generally being a pain. The slider and his parents left after the row, we hung around for awhile. Of course, the paramedics when treating the child, one of the first things they said was "Oh! Honey. Guess you know to come down the slide instead of going up it, now, don't you?" The mother was not amused.

Now, I really do have no problem with kids going up slides, as long as there aren't other kids on it (like I said, I let my own kid do so). There's not always blood, but there's frequently major crashes and tears. Public parks are for everyone to use, you don't get to hog the slide (going up it, or just sitting at the bottom and refusing to get off of it, standing on someone's side of the teeter-totter so they can't go up, or get down off of it -again, perfectly fine to walk a teeter-totter if there's no one ON it-, no walking behind swings, etc.) Common sense safety rules when you're playing in a public space with other kids, your kid doesn't own the park.

Only if there aren't any other kids on the slide, or in the vicinity. I've seen too many collisions that way. Yeah don't see what the big deal was, some people are just crazy.

There are lots of people who want to go up the down staircase. I don't know of any kid that hasn't tried to go up the slide. So what.

Mom B was too tied up with her "rules". If I were to confront her I'd ask her if she ever drives over the speed limit. Who doesn't? Then I'd ask her why she breaks the "rules" too.

Good luck to you and yours.

I don't allow it, my daughter was going down a slide a kid was going up and he hit my daughter in her face. Big bad accident, slides are to go down not up. That's why they r called SLIDES! I hate when kids don't play the way things are meant to be played on.

I do not let my charges climb the slides. They have to sit and slide down. But I don't even pretend like I get to make the rules for kids that I am not in charge of.

In general climbing up slides can be dangerous, you never know when someone else will slide down the slide and knock you off. Or you might topple over the edge.

But I'm different that a lot of parents that I see out there.

I play it by ear, sometimes they are chasing each other up the slide, like especially those tube ones. If kids are sliding down then I will just tell mine to go up the stairs and slide down so nobody gets hurt. If mine is sliding down and there is someone climbing up I would either tell the climbing child to go use the stairs bc he could get hurt by the children sliding down or tell my child to wait a minute, no biggie, it's a park for cying out loud. I think the arm flailing mama sounds like a major control freak or someone having a really hard day!!

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I don't care if my kids go up the slide. Unless they can't climb up it - I won't help them do it. They know they can't climb up if other kids are coming down. Kids work these things out themselves very easily.
My biggest issue is that any other mom is going to go and correct my kid. The only time I have ever chastised someone else's kid is if they were hurting my child and their parent did not step forward and do something about it. To me, that is a big no-no and if I were mom A I would've told mom B to please not correct my kid. He has one mom and does not need others.

Mother B is a crazy person! I allow my child to go up the slide if noone is on it. Big deal. And for what it's worth, I am a conservative, maybe I have liberal tendancies because I lean more towards Mother A, lol!

sure as long as there are no other kids that are playing on it. If other kids are on it, then no, they know not to do that

I don't let my kids do it at all cause they forget they can't do it when other kids are there.

Wow, if there are no kids trying to go down the slide and not coming up the stairs for the slide then I would not care if my child went up the slide. I have only had to say something to a child (mom wasn't there) just saying hey let's take turns on the slide and that always works. But if my child isn't trying to go down the slide I could care less.

Exactly... when they are the only one playing in the park or on that equipment... I allow my daughter to do as she wants - but once others come to play, no more going up the wrong way or hogging something.

Kinda surprising about the actions of Mother B

i agree, mom b = psycho! i don't allow my son to climb up the slide, unless he's the only one there. but i sure wouldn't get all gangsta on somebody who did let their kid do it...what other people let their kids do isn't my concern...unless my son is trying to go down the slide, and then, "sorry honey, but someone is going up the wrong way, so it's not safe for you to use it the right way, right now. you will have to wait for them to get out of the way, won't you?" :)

Wow, that's crazy! I agree with you.

No, kids need consistency and climbing up the slide is a dangerous activity. Especially when other kids are present. They can get knocked off and really hurt by a big kid sliding down fast. They need to have the same rules all the time so they can learn them.

As kids get more responsibility for their actions they have a lot more to remember and if they are in the habit of doing it one way it becomes part of their routine and not a thinking, pondering moment.

No - Slides are to go down. When I was little I was standing at the bottom of the slide, getting ready to climb up it, and another kid came sliding down hitting their foot into my mouth. I lost 2 teeth that day.

I do not ever want my kids to have to experience that b/c it did tramatize me (and still bugs me today).

Well, I don't let my kids climb up the slide, but I would also never discipline another person's child unless that child was hurting mine. As I tell my children, different families have different rules.

IMO, it's a playground and there for kids to have fun & exercise & be kids. If no one is getting hurt (or at risk of getting hurt), then it's fair game.

So, our rule is, you can climb up the slide as long as there's no one at the top wanting to come down. If you don't know or can't tell if someone is coming down, then don't climb up.

The mom who screamed about the other mom's kid climbing up was way out of line (again, imo).

My kids are only 1 and 3 and they are not allowed to climb up the slide. Maybe when they are older I will allow it (i remember doing it as a kid) but not now. However, just b/c I don't allow my kids to do it, I certainly do not butt into other kids play and not allow them! That is RIDICULOUS!

Ooh. Mom B sounds awful.

My 3 yr old - I discourage him from climbing up the slide. He always asks for my help climbing up the slide and I tell him that he needs to go up the stairs. When he's 5 and climbs up the slide on his own, as long as he's not bothering others, I don't see what the big deal is.

I would rather my daughter not try to climb up the slide (only because she tends to slip and fall and get hurt when she has tried), but I would never start making an issue if someone else was letting their kid do it - Mom B sounds a tad off kilter. On the other hand, sometimes I've had to say something to kids trying to do it because the slide is covered (like a tube) and the kids that are trying to climb up can't see that there are kids coming down and vice versa - plus their moms are not paying attention to what's going on. But then I've been more like, "Hey guys? How about we not climb up the slide? Because other kids could come down and you won't see each other and someone is going to get hurt."

I let my son climb the slide when no one else is at the park. However, is there are kids not with us, then NO climbing. It is the unspoken rule I no longer have to yell about, whew!

My kids are never allowed to climb up the slide part. It's dangerous and there's a reason that slide companies, schools, preschools, and playgrounds have rules against it. Even when your child is the only child on the playground.

With the situation you're describing, there are different issues going on. One, you give your child conflicting messages. It's okay to ignore safety rules if you're the only one there and there's no one else around to notice. Two, Mom B was in the right and was trying to keep ALL of the children safe. For all you know she's seen serious injuries. Three, Mom B should have used a different tactic in getting her message across. Four, Mom A should have listened to her.

Mother B needs to "chill out" a little. No matter how hard she tries, she'll never get all the random kids and moms that frequent the park to comply to that "rule". She'll make herself crazier than she already is trying!

Climbing up the slide is not that big of a deal.

This same question was asked a little while back - you can search the archive. It got an amazing number of truly vehement responses.

I allow my son to climb the slide. I was at a large park (probably 6 slides) for July 4. There were probably 50 kids on the playground. Almost all the kids were climbing up the slides - very few going down. I would guess ages 3-10, not a one got hurt. Not a single parent got involved. AMAZING (in a good way).

Nope, I believe the slide is for going down.
There are plenty of other things to climb on that are meant for climbing on at the park. How Mother B went about it was wrong though.

I don't let my kids go up the slide. the slide is for going down. that's what i was always taught. you might think you are the only kid around and accidentally get hurt if your not. Ive seen it happen. but going off on someone is ridiculous.

Since my daughter is only 2 I try not to have 2 sets of rules, so for now, no climbing up the slide. When she is older than yes if no one is around. As frustrating as it is to watch kids climb up the slide when my daughter is trying to come down, I still don't say anything, except for maybe, can you let her come down please?

I am a pretty over protective mom, but even I let my youngest climb up the steps as young as age two, I just always followed him up or had his sister follow him so he was safe. I do enforce the no running on the playground because accidents happen, kids can get bumped into, and on the above ground area there are openings they could fall through.
/Guess I read the question wrong...no I do not let my kids climb up the slide portion, it has never been an issue, my kids listen to me when I say the slide is for going down only, they have never questioned it. I would not freak out over it though...

Personally, I think a parent is fighting a losing battle when they tell their kid they can only play on the playground in a polite mannerly fashion. But I have a real problem with the mother at our playground that says "no! It is not the right way to use the slide", in an angry voice, and acting like the kids (mine especially) is "BAD" for going up the slide.
Who says the slide is made ONLY for going down anyway?

I agree with JessicaWessica and Flo O. I always tell my son to go "UP the steps; DOWN the slide!" and hopefully loud enough that others hear. If that doesn't work, I redirect my own child to a safer activity or say it is time to go somewhere else.

I was injured on a swingset as a child - bad enough to land in the hospital for stitches. Granted not on a slide, but I would still hate to see someone get hurt for not using the equipment properly.

At the same time, I don't think I would do/say anything to the other kid/parent. Maybe I should. If enough people put their foot down and take a stand for what is right, there would be more respect for the rules (and for our elders) than there is now. Just saying...

Sounds like Mother A was a liberal and Mother B was a conservative maybe...

KIDDING, People! Wow! Some people just don't get humor! :)

If my kids were the only ones there then I'd allow it. Accidents can happen any sort of way. I've seen kids get hurt from others not waiting until the slide was clear before sliding down. I always try to maintain my cool, but I don't know how well I would have done if someone was harassing my child. Unfortunately, my kids might have seen mommy beat up someone.

ewww, wacko! lol I don't have a problem with her nicely saying something to the child in case he's never been taught and it is a safety issue. I would personally say something as I'm a teacher and quite frankly, just really used to correcting children. lol But, that said, her behavior was absolutely uncalled for and just awful in front of children.

I agree with JessicaWessica's perspective

Slides are for going down. Granted it's a playground and kids should be kids, but there is always a safe, proper way to conduct themselves in the park as well as other public places in a manner that does put others in danger, as well as themselves.

When I'm at the park the kids are running up the slide without care for other children who want to enjoy the slide. They are wild and going crazy, granted being kids, but that doesn't excuse their behavior. Parents need to teach their children order with explanation. Safety is the #1 concern.

No child should have to wait to come down because another is running up the slide. That is a hazard.

Parents the park says supervise your children at all times, whether the sign is posted or not, think safety!!!!!!

Ummmm that's really obnoxious of Mom B to tell someone else's kid not to climb up the slide, not to mention going off on the mom. Now, if I were there & saw the kid about to fall off, then I may say out of reflex, "watch out sweetie" or maybe "be careful climbing on that slide" or maybe if I could, run over to try & catch the kid before they fell off if they looked like they were about to fall off just out of a reflex action & for concern; but I wouldn't blatenly order someone else's child not to do something & go off on the mom telling her 'why' she can't do that. We used to climb slides all the time when we were kids, no one told US we couldn't do that. My mom didn't want us to coz she said it "wasn't nice" but that's about all as far as my experience goes. If I had a child trying to climb the slide & I looked away for a moment & someone said "oh be careful hun" or something like that which makes me look up for my child, I'd definitly go over & see what was going on if it concerned my child in that instance but I wouldn't get all huffy about it, I'd find out what it was & I'd even thank whomever it was for being nice & helpful b/c that someone was just trying to help out then I'd address the situation w/my child as an added measure but I agree w/you, Mom B overstepped her boundary the way you described the situation!