Beyond Your Backyard

May 24th, 2007 by Kelly

In my other “other” life, I do a lot of Internet scanning for the latest and greatest in “Stuff” - everything from what’s all the rage in kitchen appliances to the next “It” toy for the office. As I was mining the Net yesterday, I stumbled across a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article about Rainbow Play Systems and those monstrous swingsets that are rapidly taking over everyone’s backyards.

I don’t often vent, so bear with me. And this certainly isn’t an indictment of those who own them, because frankly, I’m probably more than a little jealous. If money and space were not factors, I would be all over that catalog like white on rice.

But, here goes: there is a world beyond your backyard. We are blessed to live in one of the most outdoor-activity-diverse regions of the country. From snow in the winter to surf in the summer, there is never NOT something to do. My initial reaction in reading this article was to the trend to purchase larger and larger sets. And I’m not sure whether that’s the parents just trying to one-up their neighbor, or kids begging for the best. Whatever the case, some people are actually spending more than $40,000 on these swing sets. This? Boggles the mind. What are we, as parents, going to do for these kids when they get older? Buy their first McMansion?

I know it takes a lot of effort – especially when there’s more than a single child involved – to get out and about. And for the most part, people aren’t spending $40,000 for a play system on a routine basis…yet. But my advice? Take advantage of the school playground, the park playground, the beach, the bike paths and the zoo. Then you’ll have some money to spend on the inevitable arrival of the ice cream man. Just avoid the “Wolverine” (from the X-Men) ice cream bar. Trust me, there is nothing tasty about that invention on a stick. Go with the bomb pop. It’ll remind you of those days when our parents let us scamper about all over the rusty metal contraptions we called swing sets - those things we used to try to tip when our swings got going high enough. Good times, good times.

Technorati Tags: Kids’ swing sets, Rainbow Play Systems, summer activities