So my two older kids love to climb. They will climb anything. Lately, they have been climbing our wooden play structure in the back and hanging out on the top (not the very top where the peak of the tarp is - but I don't expect that's far behind...). They also climb our 6-foot wooden fences and sit on them, or on the roof of the shed (which is about the same height as the fence).
I've never been the type to stand there spotting them or even forbidding them to go up. We have no tall trees so they have to climb something, right? But my neighbours are a little freaked out by the whole thing. They can't see that my kids are actually very good climbers and b/c I'm not out there yelling, "Oh be careful!" and "Watch out!" they've actually learned to climb.
I've made two rules - they may not climb when DS2 is in the yard with them as he is too little and will just get frustrated at being left down on the grass (he's 4 and a climber himself but not tall enough yet for the fence and play structure) and they may not climb when we have friends over, as I would hate for them to teach this to kids who are not allowed. I'm thinking of another rule as I type here that if there are neighbours out in their yard, they may not sit on the fence and watch what they are doing (i think our neighbours did have privacy in mind when the fences were built!
).
Do you think that I'm being too lenient in letting them climb like that? One of my neighbours was shocked to see them up so high the other day. I guess I've never really thought about it. Dh thinks it's okay too. What do you do in your family? Any other thoughts on this?
Thanks!
I've never been the type to stand there spotting them or even forbidding them to go up. We have no tall trees so they have to climb something, right? But my neighbours are a little freaked out by the whole thing. They can't see that my kids are actually very good climbers and b/c I'm not out there yelling, "Oh be careful!" and "Watch out!" they've actually learned to climb.
I've made two rules - they may not climb when DS2 is in the yard with them as he is too little and will just get frustrated at being left down on the grass (he's 4 and a climber himself but not tall enough yet for the fence and play structure) and they may not climb when we have friends over, as I would hate for them to teach this to kids who are not allowed. I'm thinking of another rule as I type here that if there are neighbours out in their yard, they may not sit on the fence and watch what they are doing (i think our neighbours did have privacy in mind when the fences were built!
).Do you think that I'm being too lenient in letting them climb like that? One of my neighbours was shocked to see them up so high the other day. I guess I've never really thought about it. Dh thinks it's okay too. What do you do in your family? Any other thoughts on this?
Thanks!
