Return to the Park

This past week’s glorious weather set off a series of celebratory events in our household.  Yard clean-up began; a basketball net was ordered; summer clothes were pulled out of storage; and various balls and bikes were dusted off to be reincorporated into neigbhourhood play.

The biggest event of last week, however, was our return to the park. After months of monotonous TV watching, and staring out the window at a bleak winterscape, the return to the outdoors was a jubilant one.  Very close to our home is a gem of a park:  small in scope, it has all the usual features – equipment, a wading pool, picnic tables and adequate running space. The park is fully enclosed and has a large gate that is always closed and carefully monitored by all parents present. This feature adds to feeling of safety at the playground and also creates an otherworldly aura; inside the wire fencing of the park, it feels like an alternate universe within Toronto where greenery abounds, and childrens’ play and laughter reign supreme.

Our inaugural foray into the park also revealed, to me, the immense changes my children had undergone over the course of winter. My daughter, who only last summer was content to observe her brother’s antics from the comfort of the baby swing, was now a full-blown toddler, whizzing up and down the slide and digging vigorously in the sand.  My son, stronger and faster than the year before, was now a fully socialized being, talking animatedly with his friends from school and the neighbourhood gang.  I witnessed, on Thursday, my son’s first experience with social pressures, as he attempted (successfully, in my opinion) to divide his attentions equally between the kids from his Montessori and his neighbourhood buddies.  I could tell, however, that after his initial pleasantries were completed with this school friends, that he was happy to return to the comfortable company of his buddy from across the street.

Being at the park also gave me some respite from the intense nature of winter’s at-home play. Keeping my kids entertained over the long snowy months had often been a challenge, and required much effort and creativity on an ongoing basis.  Relaxing on my park bench, chatting with my neighbour and friend, I fully appreciated the sun’s warmth and the sweet sounds of my childrens’ giddy laughter.