Playground Safety

Kids love to climb. It helps build their strength, coordination, and depth perception while allowing them to see their surroundings from a different perspective.

Recently, when I took my kids to play, I let them run around the playground and then climb on top of the slide to slide down. I stood there waiting for them to cruise down the tunnel slide, which usually takes about a minute, or maybe two if the top of the slide is crowded with other kids waiting for their turn. However, my kids didn’t show up, and I began to feel anxious.

The tunnel slide was designed by artists to resemble a large cardinal bird. Children must climb up, enter the wooden bird, and then slide down the tunnel. While it sounds fun, it becomes unsafe when there are twenty kids inside the bird waiting for their turn.

I went to the back, which is the climbing area of the bird, to check if my kids were still waiting for their turns. I spotted my son and thought, “Okay, they’re still here.” However, when I looked for my daughter, I couldn’t find her. I asked my son, “Where is your sister?” He replied, “She’s stuck!” In a panic, I asked, “Stuck where?” He said, “She’s stuck in the tunnel.”

I hurried to the exit of the tunnel and called out her name. She replied, frightened and crying, “Mama, I’m stuck.”

I asked her why she was stuck—whether she was scared to slide down or if something else was going on inside. She explained that some kids were sitting down and blocking the tunnel, preventing her from getting down.

I lost it! Where were their parents? I thought. Who in the world lets their kids sit inside a tunnel slide and doesn’t check on them?

I climbed up the slide like a kid, yelled at the children, “Get out of here NOW,” and helped my daughter get down.

Since then, every time we visit that park, I tell my kids to avoid the tunnel slide. I just want to avoid any drama.

However, yesterday, while scrolling through social media, I came across an announcement from the park about some kids’ activities happening this weekend. They highlighted, “And we have an amazing bird tunnel slide!” I couldn’t hold back, so I replied to their advertisement, stating that it is not safe and that my kids had gotten stuck in there.

Just a few minutes later, other parents who had experienced the same frightening moment I did replied to me. They agreed with my concerns and shared more troubling news about the playground. I was shocked but relieved to know that I wasn’t the only one.

Here’s what they said:

My concern is how many children and parents must suffer before the park authorities make changes to the playground.

I must take initiative and email them.