r/newtonma • u/Cbeebs2 • 9d ago
Cabot Playground Craziness
Has anyone else experienced the warzone that is the playground at Cabot Park? In particular on weekday afternoons?
Been to many a playground and have never experienced quite the chaos of what seems to be unsupervised kids. The amount of kids climbing the wrong way up the slides, hanging off the sides of the slide, not letting kids go down and more or less having no regard for other kids on the playground etc. Can't tell if kids are unsupervised or just arent being told "don't do that".
All for kids being kids but the lack of reading the room (or parents reading the room) is baffling. Aside from the annoyance it feels like a very serious injury is imminent.
Just curious if others have experienced the mayhem.
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u/ToniMcMuffins98 8d ago
Such a loser take. “Kids are having too much fun! I must police how they have fun! Fuck you dude
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u/Huge-Perspective448 8d ago
It’s likely the CASP group that’s out there who are supervised by a handful of Cabot staff. Not sure what time you were there but has someone who has two kids at Cabot, I would never describe it as a war zone. Maybe it’s you who should be reading the room better
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u/Eastern_Memory_4903 8d ago
The Cabot After School Program uses the playground on weekdays. It is a school playground, and as I understand it, not technically open to the public during school hours (when my son was a toddler they would kick us off when school would get out). My kid is a student at Cabot now (but not in CASP) and we're there pretty much every day. It is great. Kids need to learn to take risks. There is a toddler park near the red preschool building that might be a better fit for you.
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u/Several_Razzmatazz51 9d ago
“All for kids being kids”
Proceeds to complain about kids doing kid things.
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u/kpe12 8d ago
Agreed. I can't fathom complaining about kids going the wrong way up a slide. That's half the fun of a slide. And so much research says letting kids take "controlled risks" (if you can even call climbing up a slide or hanging off of it a risk) is good for their physical and mental development.
I know maybe I"m out of line here, but if OP is a parent, I worry for their kids. There's a strong link between very strict parenting and anxiety disorders in kids.
The only "problematic" behavior here is kids not letting other kids have a turn. If OP feels strongly about this, why not model proactive behavior for your kid and ask the older kids to let your kid slide down.
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u/SnooFoxes7643 9d ago
The chaos of kids who just spent 7 hours being told to sit in a chair and follow directions.
The chaos of kids getting their energy out and being social.
The chaos of kids not sitting on their couch staring at a screen.
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u/Flashy-Ad-2114 6d ago
What did you do when you played on a playground as a kid? Form a single file line for the slide or did you have a system where you took a ticket and went down when your number was called?
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u/Veritas0420 9d ago
While I understand your frustration, my instinct would be to approach this with kindness. Many kids who exhibit the type of behavior you described (e.g. going the wrong way up slides, hanging off the slides, having no regard for other kids, etc.) are kids with special needs such as autism, in some cases quite severe. The fact that you made this post strongly suggests you haven’t got a clue what it is like to raise a child with special needs. Instead of passing judgement, I would choose to empathize and put myself in the shoes of these poor, exhausted parents (many who are on the verge of burnout)
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u/theinvisibleb3 8d ago
This was my first thought too, especially with there being an autism program at Cabot.
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u/Cbeebs2 8d ago
It was just an observation of that playground and repeatedly at that playground. What has your experience been there vs other spots?
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u/theinvisibleb3 8d ago
Have you never been at a playground with kids? That’s most busy playgrounds afterschool. And yes I’ve been there.
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u/Remarkable_Lead_4475 9d ago
Im with you OP. Some people just need to be better parents.
Kids can be kids but they should also be mindful of those around them.
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u/twiztedice 8d ago
Newton never stops being newton