Something magical happens when a child’s foot touches a playground, everything comes alive!

One of the hardest moments for me as my son got older was when he no longer wanted to go to the playground. I knew the time would come, but I held onto every last moment I could. I would just sit and watch as he played for hours on a single jungle gym.

As adults, we are constantly rushing to the next thing we have to do, yet a child can run, jump and slide on one apparatus for hours and still cry when it was time to go home.

My mom and stepdad owned a folk music center that was in the middle of a park. My son would hang out with my mom and when the time came we would open the back door and there was the most beautiful park. For hours and hours, my son would swing on the swings and play in the dirt. I would watch the games the kids would play with a simple slide. The excitement of sand in their hands, hair, and sometimes mouth.

The only way to get my son back indoors was the sound of the ice cream truck. The ice cream man who knew exactly what he ordered every time.

I watch the kids in my class run toward the playground with the same excitement. Jump onto the swings, rush down the slides and hide in a tunnel. It is a part of childhood that comes and goes so fast.    

The playground reminds us that the simple things in life bring us so much joy. That laughter should not fade because we have grown bigger. We need to continue to teach our kids to enjoy the simple joys of life, no matter how old they are.  Always remember to run, swing, jump, laugh and live…just like we did on the magical playground.