Splash Pads for the Win

Can we just talk for a bit about the unsung hero of Summer Break? The Splash Pad is the best thing since chocolate milk. Let me tell you why it ranks in my top 3 summertime must haves right along with books and sleeping in. The first reason is obvious. It is hot outside, so hot in fact that getting out in the heat of the day for playtime in an excess of five minutes would surely result in imminent grumpiness. My makeup melts. My hair wilts. My children claim that their legs no longer work. So what is a Mom to do after naptime when the heat reaches its peak? Splash. Pad.

My youngest is just two and a half and he is overconfident and underskilled when it comes to water. He can’t swim, but he’s pretty sure he could breathe underwater like a fish if he really really wanted to. My four year old isn’t a strong swimmer either. She knows just enough to be dangerous. What this means for me is that taking them to the pool on my own might lead to an ulcer, or more gray hairs at the very least. At the splash pad they are in a gated area with no deep water. They can run around to their heart’s content while I can actually sit and relax. I can’t even do that at the park (my children are accident prone when it comes to slides).

So while they are wearing themselves out and having a blast, I’m enjoying every second of it too. I mean sure, I have to remind the toddler not to drink the water every now and then, but that’s pretty much a given.

Another reason Splash Pads rock is that they are a prime place for the kiddos to practice being social. All the smart parents have the same idea which means guaranteed playmates. It also practically guarantees that my two year old is going to crash into another kid at some point or have to share when he doesn’t want to. Never underestimate the opportunity to be there to teach them how to handle these moments. Want to know one of the biggest lessons my four year old is reluctant to learn? We still need to apologize even when it is just an accident. Honestly, most adults still need to learn this lesson. One of my nightmares is that my kid is going to be the one that knocks a smaller kid down on the playground and half-heartedly hollers “sorry!” over their shoulder.

The best part about the Splash Pad though is when my kids drag me off of that bench and ask me to come play with them. Before you know it we are running from pirates, on a museum tour featuring fountain sculpture, or just stuck out in the jungle during a storm. And really it doesn’t matter how crazy you play with your kids at the Splash Pad because everyone else is there with their little ones too and they get it. It’s all about that solidarity. When you’re reminding your toddler for the thirteenth time not to drink that water, there’s something awesome about making eye contact with the mom across the way and exchanging that smile and nod that means “I’m with you girl.”