For the love of swinging

I really have a love/hate relationship with parks. One the one hand, it's so nice to be outside and get the boys doing something. I always think that if I take them to the park they will run and be wild so when we get home they won't need to run and be wild in the house. Not so. Going to a park with swings most definitely turns into a fight at some point of the outing. Here's what happens:

The boys make an immediate bee-line for the swings. All three of them beg to be pushed on the swings from the minute they find out the park has swings. If I make them wait they ask every five seconds, "Has it been a minute yet?"

Sometimes I decide I don't want to push them yet so I can convince Will to do it for me. This only works for a few minutes though because he hasn't quite mastered pumping on the swing yet so he inevitably starts asking to be pushed as well.


They spend the next while in a swinging bliss. I have yet to meet any other kids that love to swing as much as my own.

(You can tell the only one I helped get ready this morning because he is the only one matching. They also like to kick their shoes off the minute they get to the park.)

And now we get to see what happens when I finally get tired of pushing and tell them they need to go find something else to do.

"Go down the slide!"

"Go play in the sand!"

"Go find a friend to play with!"

"Go play on the monkey bars!"

Oh man, it's tough having such a mean mom.

But then, they finally reach acceptance and the park becomes a happy place to be once again.



(P.S. These boys sure can't wait for their dad and mom and to decide they are ready for more kids. They want a little baby to play with!)

Comments

I swear you're describing my kids!

And I'm jealous of your sunshine. I woke to snow today.
Jess and Jason said…
I think all children are like that. I know mine are!

One of the greatest joys in my life was the day Ryan learned how to pump on the swing. I actually took a bunch of pictures and videos of it. I spent 6 years fighting with the swing and I was happy to have finally won the fight!

(He still asks me to push him sometimes, but I am a big jerk and tell him no!)
Jess and Jason said…
PS Don't let them trick you into another baby until you are ready because they will not help with the diapering, feeding, or midnight rocking (even though they may want to help)!!

The family is ready for some new babies though, so get cracking!
Frances said…
Oh man...the swings. One time I thought, "I'll just push them till they ask me to stop and we'll just see how long that takes." No lie...I reached about 30 minutes and gave up. Best work-out ever!

Please learn to swing by yourselves kids!!!
Saimi said…
At preschool we tell the kids they have to swing on their tummies and do it themselves. It works! Otherwise it's teacher push me, teacher can you push me, teacher, teacher......and so on!

Cute pictures of your boys!
Jess and Jen said…
That's why I love to go to parks without swings! Kids that can pump are great...so much less work!
Lokodi said…
Are you sure you didn't have Gabe with you? I swear, your boys must be related to mine...oh wait, they are. Gabe is a swing king. I'm a mean mom too. I get tired real fast of pushing him. He screams and cries when I tell him to go play with something else too.
What's up with the amazing weather out there? It's been raining and cold for days here and next week isn't going to be any better.
That's funny you should say something about another baby because I just asked mom the other day if you were pregnant again because you had mentioned you felt sick in one of your previous posts. Good luck with that decision. I keep chickening out on the whole "another baby" thing.

Lindsey
Marcy said…
I just love the pictures of your boys in your header. I've probably said that before. So sorry about your bad news of the other day. I was looking forward to buying your book, etc.

My sanity as a mother sometimes revolves around a timer--so the kids know they have a certain amount of time to do something they want to do that I don't want them to do for an hour. They are probably going to be traumatized by the ding of a timer the rest of their lives.

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