Mom Defends 'Lazy' Moms at the Playground Who Sit on the Bench

Yahoo

19 hours ago

Don't judge those parents who sit on a bench at playgrounds. That's the message one mom wants to emphasize.
'I've never felt a need to get on the equipment,' Amanda Teixeira, a mother of three, tells TODAY.com.
Teixeira, whose children are 2, 4, and 7, shared her thoughts on Instagram after reading a post captioned, 'Parents at the park should get off the bench and play with their kids.'
'NO,' Teixeira responded on Instagram. 'God forbid we … let the playground be for kids. A space where they get to experience some freedom, explore, interact and engage with other children without their parent breathing down their neck.'
'I'm not saying to never intervene, play with or support your kiddo,' Teixeira wrote on Instagram. 'I'm just highlighting here that IT'S OKAY if you don't want to be the adult scaling the playground!!'
The mom added, 'I didn't think this was a controversial take but I've said it before on here and have been called lazy.'
On Instagram, parents said they hop on play equipment because they're concerned about older kids roughhousing, structures with drop-off sections, and children who lack climbing abilities. Parents who sit back wrote that independent play is important and allowed adults to rest.
'Sorry, it's labelled 2 to 8 years old. I can't go on it due to legal reasons.'
'Never, ever interrupt children at play. Let them be bored. Let them get creative. Let them make new friends. Their parent is not their court jester. The playground is meant for children to play, not the parents.'
'I'm fine with folks sitting, as long as they're paying attention and not on their phone. The park is not the place to zone out.'
'Kids are really good at assessing risk and they do it better and are more careful, when you are not around.'
'Nope. I was at the park yesterday and my nephew just ran right into someone on the swings ... They need to be watched.'
'That can be nerve wrecking, I will do some hovering at a new park when they're young around these spots, but once they show me they are good, then I go sit down.'
'Agree, however if your kid is struggling to play well/nicely with other kids you do need to take some form of action.'
'Those of us who are SAHMs go right to the playground for a mother freakin' BREAK.'
'As a former preschool teacher, THANK YOU! If you can see them from where you're sitting, you're close enough.'
Teixeira tells TODAY.com that she is her sons' primary caregiver, therefore, 'Getting out of the house is just as much for me, as it is for them.'
While Teixeira says she helps her youngest child climb the steps on play structures, she doesn't hover so he can play on his own — and she can rest.
'My kids don't say, 'Mommy, play with me' or 'Mommy follow me,'' she adds.
Teixeira notes an unfair 'perceived judgment' from moms, both on and off the bench: parents may shadow their kids to keep them safe or sit down to work or catch a breath.
Teixeira acknowledges that raising three children has made her loosen control in certain situations, though at larger parks, she is much more vigilant.
'It's been a journey to figure out what allows freedom for my kids — and me — so we're all having fun,' says Teixeira. 'They are in their element and ... I'm enjoying that. I don't need to make everything a teachable moment, but if I see them in trouble, of course I will intervene.'
This article was originally published on TODAY.com