Mom Says I Am Not Allowed To Play Any More

I mentioned how I was at the park, right? Well, I am still there and I have placed myself in time out for the safety of my children.

There is a small playground at the park, consisting of one slide, three swings, four teetertotters and one merry-go-round. The girls, of course, wanted to ride on the merry-go-round. I was encouraged by cheers of "faster faster!". Being the dutiful father, I, of course, complied.

I gave one last mighty heave and turned around to make sure the bikes were still where we left them. I noted that the screams coming from my children were nice and loud. I assumed they were happy.

I turned around and found Daughter #2 clinging on for dear life, legs stretched straight out behind her like a girl caught in a tornado!

I stopped the merry-go-round and hugged my crying daughter, thankful there were no parents there to judge me.

Once she calmed down I offered to play on the teetertotter with her. Daughter #1 was laying in the grass, wanting nothing to do with our "fun".

We got situated on the teetertotter and began to gently teeter and totter. I had scooted way up the plank to make up for our sizeable weight difference. She was just telling me how it was okay if I bumped her in to the air when I hit the ground a bit hard and she went careening off the totter and in to the bark chips.

I once again collected my crying daughter and surveyed the park to make sure there was no one on the phone to child protective services.

So now I am sitting on the merry-go-round. Dispite my daughter's pleas that I give her an "Underdog" on the swingset, I am staying firm. I think I have learned my lesson. But, at one minute of timeout for each year of age, I still have about twenty minutes of thinking to do.