A lesson in social etiquette ...
As my sister and her family’s visit to Rhode Island coasted to a leisurely pace during the last day of their stay, my grandnephew, on the cusp of turning six, voiced his preference for having lunch at McDonald’s. “Let’s do it!” he said, uttering his latest pet phrase, hoping the location had a playground on site.
My mother and I hadn’t stepped foot in a fast-food restaurant in years, so welcomed the novelty. Two iced coffees. Fries all around. A cheeseburger for her, fish fillet sandwich for my sister, and a Big Mac for me. My grandnephew ordered a Happy Meal and reaped the dividend of a miniature, Sweet Pea toy commemorating ‘The Secret Life of Pets.’
No playground on the premises. After lunch, spurred on by his approval, I drove us further along Pawtucket’s Newport Avenue to the entrance of Slater Memorial Park. Not far in, we discovered a playground for him to let loose.
Sidelined on a bench while he amused himself on the elaborate slides, the scene which played out before me, wafted nostalgic memories of a rewarding teaching career whose latter years were entrenched in the third grade classroom.
At various intervals, swarms of boys and girls anywhere from 3 – 12 years of age and various ethnicities, converged at the playground and vied for their place in the sun on the equipment. Those feisty young ladies pulled their own weight with no compunctions. If someone happened to dawdle in line, the one in back spoke up to facilitate the flow of operation.
During that hour and a half, there were no territorial squabbles; no pushing or shoving; no bossing. The only whimpering occurred from minor injuries sustained during play. My grandnephew actually slid off a swing which hit him on the back of his head. He, along with the rest of these youngsters, took their lumps in stride without a parental pit crew mollycoddling them.
Pure of heart with no hidden agenda, these children conducted themselves admirably without adult intervention.
It bodes well for adults to follow their lead in public.
“Let’s do it!”
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I think it's great to watch kids have a fun time at a playground once in a while. Watching them all the time might become a drag. I agree that kids have a way of quickly developing a social structure that works for them in small groups. But my memories of that large gravel elementary playground in a bad neighborhood with lots of bullies was kind of, at times, a little like, Lord of the Flies.
Ron