Ok I don't often bring the kids to indoor play areas at Malls or Fast food restaurants but every once in awhile we go if the weather is bad or if we are indulging at Chic Fil A and every time I go I am frustrated and annoyed. I don't think play areas are babysitters nor should people be allowed to sit at their table and send children into a play area unattended. I often wonder if Mom groups or parents are like hey let's go to the indoor play area at the mall and ignore our kids while some other exhausted set of parent deals with them that way we can go home feeling renewed and not have to pay a babysitter. Chic-Fil-A play area is not a babysitter for parents who need a break from their kids or who want to gossip about other people with their friends either in person or on the phone. Spread the word in your neighborhood in case people don't know.
Even Shawn is frustrated by this so you know it is annoying since he goes with the flow most of the time. We never allow our kids to go into a play area without one of us. Shawn and I have adopted a play area philosophy which has reduced our stress and allowed it to be fun to be with our kids. We do not intervene in any kid interactions that don't involved our children and we only intervene if a child is in danger of being mortally injured. I mean really it isn't a kids fault their parent is enjoying a book while they are risking their lives in the play area.
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Evan consistently makes me so proud at those play areas (as you can imagine there are many bad weather days here!). While other kids push others out of the way so they can take THEIR turn on whatever apparatus, Evan politely waits his turn. I often have to tell him to just go - or else he'd never get down the slide!
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