The terrifying playgrounds of the past

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Is this a picture of the plane that used to be at Wheaton Park, the plane that used to be at Cabin John Park, or neither? Does anybody know when Wheaton &/or Cabin John removed their planes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a merry go round I know of. One time a dad spun it ridiculously fast, and I was afraid a toddler would get killed by the hand rails if they attempted to get on board.

There is a merry-go-round near us. I hold my breath when I see a kid lie on his back, hold on to the rails, and extend his head out. A neck injury waiting to happen!

There's one at Van Dyke playground in Fairfax city

[Anonymous]

The Cathedral school playground still has a dangerous feel to it(in a good way). Also, Rocky Run in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is this a picture of the plane that used to be at Wheaton Park, the plane that used to be at Cabin John Park, or neither? Does anybody know when Wheaton &/or Cabin John removed their planes?

that looks so amazing!!!! where did they go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow I now remember the metal slides that used to get super-hot in the summer.

Also, remember when swings had solid wooden seats that could clock you hard in the head if you got in the way?

Which meant you only got in the way once, if at all.

I do remember someone falling off the slide after hitting the bump wrong. I believe that resulted in a broken arm, and a cast everyone could sign. It wasn't a catastrophe. Nobody was sued. The kid was told to be more careful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those were the days!

We still have a mini one of those at my neighborhood playground in Montgomery county and kids love spinning on it. I keep wondering if some lawsuit happy idiot is going to u

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As usual, only the ones who survived are posting.

Same for seatbelts, and running around all day without supervision, and biking everywhere without a helmet.

You ALL survived without trauma, since you are here and posting about it.

The dead children can't post.

My dad's a surgeon. We were early adopters of helmets in the 80's because he saw enough head trauma cases during his ER rotations.

[Anonymous]

There's a merry go round at Silver Spring Intermediate (International?) Park at EW Hwy and Takoma, I think? I think technically just over the line in Takoma Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We had one like this on our playground. It was our Jupiter 2 spaceship from Lost in Space.I was always Judy

The one on our playground was a Little House on a Prairie. I was Laura, and liked to hang out in the "attic".

We visit rural KS every summer and the park has one of these. My kids looked in wonder at it the first time they saw it. My 9 year old said it looked mildly dangerous! They love playing on it when we visit.

[Anonymous]

As a child of the 70s, I remember a lot of my classmates having broken arms and legs. In my kids' class, not so much. Still, I think I had the idyllic childhood. Less worry, less supervision. It's almost impossible to create that now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a child of the 70s, I remember a lot of my classmates having broken arms and legs. In my kids' class, not so much. Still, I think I had the idyllic childhood. Less worry, less supervision. It's almost impossible to create that now.

You're comparing apples and oranges (your remembered lack of worries as a child vs. your worries as a parent now).

I remember a lot of broken arms from my childhood in the 1970s too.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I'm with the camp that there is a reason things were made safer. We used to be friendly with a couple that went on incessantly over how neurotic everyone is about parenting and how the old way was better. Mom was advised to have a C-section and doctor shopped until she found one who was more "old fashioned." Things went wrong during the birth related to the reason a C section was recommended and they sued. Their second kid got injured on at a waterpark. They didn't sue only because they were told they didn't have a case. It is all fun and games until it hits home and then even the most "laid back" "Old times" parent seems to find a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As usual, only the ones who survived are posting.

Same for seatbelts, and running around all day without supervision, and biking everywhere without a helmet.

You ALL survived without trauma, since you are here and posting about it.

The dead children can't post.

I feel sorry for your children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where's the mulch?

http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/dangerous-playgrounds-1900s/

Don't see any mulch. Also don't see a problem w/ having mulch. Probably would have saved a lot of kids.

Falling and busting your skull, or breaking your arm, is not some rights of passage required for kids to grow up. It also doesn't make you tougher, or more coordinated. No, it just leaves you injured. With potentially long term effects, depending on how bad the fall was. Is this something we should glorify?

[Anonymous]

You all are the same people who can not believe some mom would put her kid on their lap to go down the slide. "Don't you know how dangerous that is?!" You'd screech through your keyboard.