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Let Adults Hang Out at the Playground (Even if They Don't Have Kids)
Filed under: Opinions
What would you do if you saw a man hanging around the playground and he didn't have any kids there?
Well, soon that question may be moot. Miami Beach is just the latest locality considering legislation that would make 19 playgrounds "children's play areas" -- i.e., strictly off limits to any adult not accompanied by a kid. Laws like that are becoming more and more common, according to nonprofit playground promoting organization, KaBoom. But are they making our playgrounds -- and children -- any safer?
The opposite.
"You should be able to go outside at lunch and sit in a public park and watch the children play," says KaBoom spokeswoman, Alison Risso. That's not just civil, it's safer. The more eyes on the street -- and the swings -- the better.
And yet, listen to this. A grandmother I know, Rochelle, went outside to read in her Manhattan neighborhood. The spot she chose was sentimental. "It was a park that my kids played in when they were little, so I was on a bench." But when she looked up from her book, she saw the parents "glaring" at her. "I got uncomfortable, and I left," Rochelle says. It was only then that she noticed the sign at the entrance: No unaccompanied adults allowed.
She was mortified to realize she disobeyed the rules. I'm mortified to realize these rules exist. Mortified to live in a society that thinks it is wise to always think the worst of every adult. Remember the story from this past spring? California parents noticed a guy lurking in their local park. A mom wrote on the neighborhood list serve, "He does NOT have children and pretends like he does and is there to do pull-ups. He takes pictures of the kids with his phone."
Soon 40 terrified parents were meeting with the police. The local news put the suspect's picture on TV. The police started tracking him and discovered (drum roll, please): He WAS doing pull-ups. And he was using his cell phone's stopwatch to time them.
Not to take dirty pictures of kids.
KaBoom's Risso lives in Silver Spring, Md. There, too, a middle-aged man recently started coming to the playground, solo. One of the moms finally ended up talking to him.
Turns out he's a refugee from the earthquake in Haiti. He's new to the country, and alone. He thought that by coming out to sit in the community, he would become a part of it.
Won't he be surprised to learn that, increasingly, this doesn't make him a neighbor. It makes him a criminal.
Related: 'I See You Have a Family Decal on Your Car. Now I Will Kidnap Your Kids!'
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
8-22-2010 @ 1:37PM
Graham Charles said...Here's the fine point being missed: there's *no* ban at "parks": San Francisco bans childless adults only from its tiny gated play areas that are a small part of a *few* parks. You can sit just outside the gate, you can walk your dog in the park, you can lean on the fence and take pictures. And the many parks with unfenced play areas have no such restriction.
I don't worry about predators, but I do get annoyed by hipster 20-somethings who won't take turns on the swings -- because they're only playing at the playground *ironically*, after all.
Reply
8-31-2010 @ 8:20PM
Chad said...All these laws regarding single persons at playgrounds are ridiculous. You can't possibly protect your children against every threat. Are kidnappings and child molestation more common today, or is it just that due to the likes of Nancy Grace and her ilk that we hear about it so much more often? My proposal is that it's not more common today. Furthermore, what does a child molester look like? Do they wear hockey masks and carry a machete? Or do they look like most of the adults that your child will interact with when you're not around. Your child's coach. His teacher. His school bus driver. The babysitter you hired to watch him when you're not there. And you can't be by your child's side all the time. So, the thing to do is not pass laws and post signs. The thing to do is to teach your child not to talk to strangers, never get in a car with someone they don't know. Never accept candy from strangers. All the common sense things that people in my generation, many of whom are now parents of young children, were brought up with.
And remember that no matter how close you are, you can't protect them all the time, but you can teach them to be trusting, but wary.
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9-24-2010 @ 1:40PM
ray said...As a father of 3 young children i agree with this law. i live across the street from a schoolyard/park. My wife and i know most of the children/parents from the school and neighborhood. i'd rather be safe than sorry. if i hurt someone's feelings because they were excused from a park i can live with that than have one of my children missing/dissapear. i am not saying that we must live in fear of the worst, but that we must be aware of our surrounding and protect ourself and loved ones. To the people that oppose me on my opinion, i hope you have children. As a parent, i cant believe anyone is against this law. Also to the people that disagree, if there was an instance that a child did go missing the first person YOU would look at is that guy/girl that was sitting by himself/herself in the park and guess what......... ITS TO LATE!!!!!!!!!!
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11-18-2010 @ 10:23AM
Jessica said...It's quite sad that this is what it has come to in our country. TSA agents are allowed to fondle a kid through a checkpoint but men are arrested for playing chess near a NY playground. In the UK they've gotten so ridiculous about pedophiles that they've actually told people they cannot take pictures of their children if there are others in the photo, unless they ask every parents permission. We pay for things like parks and the TSA yet not able to have a say with how we use it or how they conduct themselves. What are we giving up for the sake of security?
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6-12-2011 @ 10:47PM
Entropicage said...As someone in their twenties who likes to go to a playground to PLAY... I find this absolutely ridiculous. Why is it that when we reach adulthood we're expected to stop enjoying play?
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