Questions by Imbi
"Playground" [July 23, 2006]
- Were you a child that enjoyed playing at a playground?
Yes. We had a playground near the house, but far away to be away from continous control, and my gram had one in front of her house.
- Did you often?
Yes, Whenever my mother wanted to get rid of me and wanted to pay a quarter.
When I was at my grams, I didn't go often, because being with her was great. But when I wanted to practice something i went, and sometimes she or someone else went with me to help me.
- What was favorite item?
Hmm... favorite... When the boys were not there: the car. They had a real car and one was allowed to take it into parts. I used to love to sit at the steering wheel and imagine I could drive.
(I never went for a driver's license. LOL!)
Later they had a kind of air slide you could hang on. It started on a rather high tower and went downwards. It took guts to use it. It was meant for the older kids, but I loved using it.
- Were you ever afraid?
I can't remember. Well, coming home and finding my mother angry because of dirty clothes...
- Can you tell us your memories?
Well, we came to live in that part of town when it was still considered a village. The school was built when I was young. In the middle of the wheatfields!!
Then they built a street with very expensive houses and gave a name to the group of trees: parc". People came there to enjoy the shadow. Especially elderly people, who had their little houses nearby.
There were lots of little children and lots of nuns and priests who cared for the families. Someone had the idea of a playground, and it was arranged in no time. It started out with a couple of swings, a kind of turning thing one could stand on, and sand..
Soon it developed into more, and as there were always mothers present, all children were watched.
Whenever my mother wanted me to be gone, she told me to go there, and I was a very obedient child, so I did.
Then the playground became larger and a little swimmingpool, including a supervisor who was keeping it clean, and that made people think it was better to have children pay.
It was just a quarter.
Then there came even more playitems, making the playground also suitable for older children ... etc etc...
I used to go there a lot. There were almost always children to play with.
- In case you have children: do you often go to a playground?
We have a playground, a little one, between the houses. When the children were little I went with them almost every afternoon. Untill I had another baby. I never wanted to leave the baby alone at home, even though it was some metres away. The children loved it there.
- What so you dislike your children doing?
I didn't like them to experiment at heights when they were unable to oversee the consequences of their actions.
Always watched the equipment carefully. If I didn't trust the swings, they were not allowed to go too high.
- What do your children like?
The girls liked everything.
Nyo didn't like heights, turning things, swings..
The other boys liked climbing best, and sliding.
- Do you have playground items in your garden?
Yes, the swingstand is still there. And we had sand, a climbing castle with a little slide.
And in the summer one of those little inflatable swimmingpools....well... the toes could swim. LOL!
- Did you ever have phantasies about a playground? Please share:
Yes, I wanted to have a little house on the playground, so there wouldn't be a need to go home.
I phantasised about swinging right over the toppole, and then one day i asked the supervisor if it could be done, if it would be safe.
He said the cables were locked in right fina and that I should hold on the swing very well. I should only do it in full spoeed, so the swing and me wouldn't drop at the top point.
I tried, and it went over and it was huge fun! So that was a phantasy come true.
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