Monday, April 21, 2008

The heartbreak of playground season

The summer-like weather we've been having has been really therapeutic in a lot of ways. It feels good to be outside so much and the girls love it. But with it comes playground season and this is always a mixed bag for me.

Today I met some friends at a playground near us. They were excited to show me this one as we hadn't been to it before. As soon as we pulled up, my heart sank. The protective "stuff" they put below the equipment was recycled tires. From an environmental and safety standpoint, probably a very good idea but have you ever tried to push a walker or a wheelchair through that? It's like running in soft sand. And the play structures themselves were these hemmed in mini-towers with ladders, tires to step across, gangways all interconnected and next to impossible to penetrate with any kind of adaptive equipment. At the entrance to the play space there was one long ramp that was wide enough for Hannah's walker, but once she got to the end there was nowhere for her to go. The novelty of walking back and forth across that while everyone else climbed and scrambled and scurried wore off pretty quickly.

While I was trying to help Hannah maximize the experience, Isabelle kept coming over and grabbing my hand, asking me to help her check out all of the structures her friends were on. I don't blame her: they were pretty cool. But I couldn't leave Hannah so Isabelle had to stick close to where I was or swing on a swing. My friend J was great about helping Isabelle try out some of the equipment and kept checking in to see if I needed help which I SO appreciate. But on some level it made me even more frustrated that I need help and can't take care of my girls on my own.

On top of all of this, Hannah was (and has been for the past week or so) particulary unmotivated and cranky. She hasn't been eating or sleeping great and I think she's working on her molars again. Isabelle is in the same boat but she has the strength and coordination to push past that and plow ahead like a typical two year old. Hannah on the other hand just wants to be carried or walk holding my hands with little or no interest in pushing her walker.

I thought I was getting better with all of this stuff. I had been so excited about the gains Hannah has made and felt so hopeful about the future. I guess it's the same as her own developmental progress: two steps forward, one step back.

2 comments:

Katy said...

I think everyone has those moments. Especially when our kids seem to be "boycotting" the things they need. Still, it can suck and I'm not even at the playground stage yet.

Jacolyn said...

I feel your pain. We are going to a birthday party tomorrow at a park where we will most likely know only the honorees (2 yr old twins) and I'm a bit anxious about it. Do I take Grace's walker or not? How will people react to her?

Hey, I owe you an email and we need to chat. Let's do it soon.