Mind the tree

Today we were playing outside in our garden and a woman visitor of one of our neighbours decided to teach Sunnyboy and his friend how to use the slide. She went on and on: "Don't climb up the slide", "Don't go down the slide head first", "Do it this way", "Don't slide too fast".

She also gave him instructions on how to eat: "Drink some water after you have a bite of toast it helps you swallow".

Her concern for his well-being included his feet: "Haven't you got any shoes? You might stand on something prickly".

Sunnyboy just ignored all this and eventually I had to ask her to give it a rest because, despite her good intentions, it was becoming extremely unhelpful. One piece of child safety advice she gave though I thought was worth sharing. As Sunnyboy walked past a tree she shouted out "Mind the tree!".

This evening I read a post on Free Range Kids called When the Playgroup Mommies Think You're a Slacker. This post is well worth reading if you're one of those parents who let their children walk past trees without protective clothing and close adult supervision.