Play: October 2007 Archives

While many of the fires burning Southern California are beginning to die down, smoke and ash still hang in the air, irritating young lungs. So, with red flag warnings in mind, it seems like a great time to do a quick roundup of top indoor mall play areas.

I don’t know about you, but the malls have saved me from the insanity of being locked inside with toddlers on the hottest days of the summer, the few rainy days and certainly the current hideous outdoor conditions that will hopefully be coming to and end by the weekend.

As I’m sure every Mom knows, all the Westfield shopping centers have these awesome mini parks somewhere in the mall, usually strategically located near the food courts. Some are better than others; they each have their particular charms. Here are my faves, please add to our list!

*Topanga (Canoga Park) The newly remodeled Topanga Mall boasts what I consider the Cadillac of mall playgrounds. Not only is it near the food, it’s right next to the brand new Carousel, representing the ultimate in one-stop toddler entertainment.

*Westside Pavilion (Los Angeles) This mall is not owned by Westfield, but it has one of the best playgrounds around. The play area, filled with giant, climbable fruits and cookies, has a reputation among Westside Moms for being a Petri dish of germs. But it’ll keep the kids occupied for hours. It’s also right next to the food.

*Fox Hills (Culver City) This play area is fairly standard, but it’s new and what I like best about it is it’s a lot less crowded than the other ones. It’s also just down the escalator from Old Navy. One downside – it’s nowhere near the food.

I didn't hang out at playgrounds too much before becoming a parent. But now that I am one and know my neighborhood parks like the back of my hand, I have discovered a phenomenon that really annoys me.

It's the hovering parent. This term has lately been used a lot to describe mothers and fathers who insist on going on college and work interviews with their children, or at least insist on being involved in applying to institutions or job opportunities. But I'm talking about the six-foot-plus Dads and well-into-their-thirties Moms who insist on climbing up the play structure behind their toddler, or worse, riding down the corkscrew slide with their bundle of joy sitting on their lap.

What is with these people? Did they not get enough playground time as children? Are they trying to test the equipment load factor? I admit, I've been known to relax in a big-kid swing once in awhile during playground stops with my children. But you'll never catch me trying to stuff myself into that narrow fiberglass slide.
My theory is that we parents -- myself included -- are becoming more overprotective. In the old days, parents were relaxed to the point of child endangerment. I was talking to another mother recently about finding an elementary school, and she was saying that her own mother had signed her up at the closest local public school -- as mine did -- without giving it a second thought. "She was pretty much oblivious,'' she said. A former colleague told me a story once about how he used to go out into the woods in northern California with his friends and spend hours doing things like trying to set army men on fire.

Sure, kids can hurt themselves doing this stuff, but there must be some balance in how much we protect our children. They have to be allowed to make mistakes. How else will they learn? Believe me, I'm as paranoid as the next parent about anything happening to my precious angels. And it makes me angry that the world has changed to the degree that our kids can't walk themselves to school anymore. But I draw the line at following my kid onto the jungle gym!