Do you let your dc climb "up" the slide?

[Cutie Patootie]

I do. I don't see what the big deal is? I do teach them that they may not climb up the slide when others are using it, etc...but if it's just us or there is no one playing on the slides, I don't care. I am constantly seeing parents snagging their kids off the middle of the slide, on the way up , saying, "we do not climb up the slide". There isn't usually anyone else playing on the slide, so maybe it is for my "hearing range" benefit? I don't know, just wondering.
I do know that 2 or 3 trips up the big slide for my 2 yo wears her out wonderfully.

So, do you think crawling up the slide is a ?

ETA: I always "spot" my kids when they are going up.

[alicia622]

I think climbing up a slide is part of being a kid. If there are others wanting to go down, than I don't let G climb up, but I don't see anything wrong with it.

[mackysmama]

My kids always climb up the slide. I think it is AOK unless someone is waiting to go down the slide. I don't see what the big deal is about this and I've also seen lots of parents saying no to this.

My dd, at 18 months, could climb one of those big enclosed slides REALLY fast and then I'd have to figure out a way to get her down. That was a little tricky.

[Martha_2sons]

I'm in the same boat as you. If no one is coming down, why not go up? I do sometimes feel conflicted when I'm allowing my son to do it and another parent is telling her child not to, especially when I get the hairy eyeball like I'm a bad mom for allowing it.

[TwinMom]

Definitely. We have two slides in our back yard on which they often have races, to see who can get up faster. At the playground, I don't care as long as there's not someone who is trying to come down the slide at the same time, especially if that kid can't see anyone trying to come up, in the case of a tube or twisty slide.

[momileigh]

Originally Posted by Martha_2sons

I'm in the same boat as you. If no one is coming down, why not go up? I do sometimes feel conflicted when I'm allowing my son to do it and another parent is telling her child not to, especially when I get the hairy eyeball like I'm a bad mom for allowing it.

exactly

[hubris]

Up, down, it's all good.

Saying "we don't climb up the slide" seems like a pretty nice way to teach kids not to experiment. How limiting! Assuming there isn't already somebody coming down it, WHY NOT climb up the slide?

[ThreeBeans]

No.

They can of course do anything they like on the playset in the back yard (and they frequently do )

But I believe in teaching courtesy on a public playgrounds, and they are not allowed to use the slide in a manner that might be dangerous or inconvenient for others. Going up a slide certainly falls under that umbrella.

[Luca'smum]

I let my son climb up as long as no one is waiting to come down. It is a bit awkward when the other parents around me are telling the kids they can't climb the slides. I remember when I was 5, I was playing at the park with my friend and I could climb the slide and she couldn't. So I got to have twice as many turns as she did because it took longer to walk around to the ladder. She was so mad she bit me so hard she broke the skin on my arm. That didn't stop me from climbing the slide but it did stop me from playing with her again.

[kkeris]

If there are no other kids going down, of course! I see no reason not to allow it, unless she might be causing inconvenience to others.

[graye_pearl]

Ds knows he can only climb up the slide at a public playground as long as nobody else wants to use it. If we see another kid coming over to slide down, he moves out of the way.

He's got a playset at home with a slide, and climbs up it all the time

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans

No.

They can of course do anything they like on the playset in the back yard (and they frequently do )

But I believe in teaching courtesy on a public playgrounds, and they are not allowed to use the slide in a manner that might be dangerous or inconvenient for others. Going up a slide certainly falls under that umbrella.

Nothing irritates me more than when my 2 year old is waiting to go down and there are 7 & 8 year olds climbing up the slide or clogging it up on purpose. I'd rather just teach him that slides are meant to slide down, not climb up.

[tm2840]

I'm the "other" chooser.

If we are at home with just family they can climb up our slides.

If we are playing at the elementary school playground we never climb up the slides (even when no one else is around) because that is the school's rule. DS will likely go to that school next year.

If we are playing in a park with other kids, no climbing up. My son is seven so he's bigger than many park kids and it can be hard to get around the smaller kids at the top of the slide if he DOES climb up. I wish other people's kids wouldn't let them climb up because I also worry (especially on spiral slides) the he'll be sliding down and won't notice a two year old just starting to climb up and the little child may wind up clobbered by my son as he's coming down).

It's also kind of "laziness" on my part. If they are all sliding DOWN the slide and climbing UP the ladder it requires a lot less intervention ("Let X go down the slide. Y, you may climb up now, no one is waiting. Be careful sliding, always yell down the spiral slide to let those at the bottom know you're coming down - oh, be careful little Z! X just said he's coming down and you don't want him to land on you!").

There are days I'm just not up to that level of supervision and interaction, especially at 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

And the final reason for the "other" is that I do sometimes act inconsistent and let them climb up public slides when there are only a few other kids around, it's going smoothly without a lot of intervention and no little ones are near the slide who may try to climb up and get hurt.

[captain crunchy]

dd climbs up, slides down any old which way she wants to

We do model being respectful of others and if children are trying to slide down, dd almost always backs down the slide without being asked or whatever ---

I have gotten the "hairy eyeball" too when dd is climbing up a slide or playing with other equipment in a way that is perceived "wrong" to other people (even if nothing is being harmed, no one is being hurt or inconvenienced) --

It's a park sheesh.

[mamazee]

I really try to regulate my daughter's play as little as possible. Unless I see some kind of immediate safety concern, she does what she wants. So I put yes unless there's someone sliding down - as that's an immediate safety concern.

[MtBikeLover]

As long as no one is trying to go down, I see no issue with letting them climb up the slide.

[Carolinamidwife]

Like most of the other posters I have no problem as long as my kids are being respectful of the other sliders. I have often been the recipient of the hairy eyeball and I don't care. I prefer to teach my kids to approach obstacles from many angles, telling them there is only one way up and one way down is, to me, like telling a kid to color in the lines.

[ThreeBeans]

For those of you who are getting the hairy eyeball, has it occurred to you that parents are being forced to keep their kids away from the slide while your child goes haywire on it?

[lolar2]

We're not at that age yet, but-- I figure I would allow it if we were the only ones there, but not if there were anyone else around or if there were a posted rule (I see them at a lot of playgrounds) against it.

[captain crunchy]

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans

For those of you who are getting the hairy eyeball, has it occurred to you that parents are being forced to keep their kids away from the slide while your child goes haywire on it?

Well, it is my opinion that no one is forced to do anything (in *normal* situations, I am not speaking of like, political prisoners and such) --- parks are to be played on and my child is free to play however she likes so long as she is respecting others and staying safe ---

If someone is across the park feeling "forced" to keep their child away from the slide, to me that is their issue for not speaking up, not mine. In other words, a few seconds of observation would show them that I help dd stay respectful of other sliders (in that she moves or I help redirect if others want to slide) -- Also, if their child wanders near the slide, I will usually ask the child if they seem to be holding back "did you want to slide? You can take a turn!" (in a friendly way, then explain to dd the child is wanting a turn and dd has had no issues moving aside) ...

So I really don't understand the mindset of "forcing" someone to stay away from anything -- other people's fear of asking a question is not my concern -- I could easily say those people are trying to "force" my child to play the way they dictate -- but I don't -- I mind my own business, act friendly, make it known (without actually taking their hand and leading them to the slide) in my mannerisms and words that anyone is free to use the slide (dd has never had an issue sharing it) --

Where is get the hairy eyeball in my understanding of what I have seen and heard is when a parent is lying to their child or saying some nonsense about it being against the law orthe "park people" are going to come get them in trouble or some such, and then dd is climbing up the slide and the kid wonders why she can do it -- continuing a deception a parent started in order to keep their kids from doing something they don't want is not my job. I really respect (even if I don't understand) when parents simply say "I don't want you to climb up the slide for ______ reason" and explain that dd is doing it because I said it was okay. Strange, don't get the hairy eyeball from them.