Hey…..I am far from being a perfect mom. I lose my patience, get bored reading the same stories over and over, etc. But I must say I watch my child like a hawk at a park or a public place. I would never forgive myself if something terrible happened to her because I was slacking on the job.
I took some time off during August to spend some quality one on one time with my wee turkey before her sibling arrives near the end of the year. I noticed it first at Lakeview Park Oshawa. The amount of toddlers and preschoolers running around alone at this rather large park while their mothers sit around and text the whole time was jaw dropping. Some of them didn’t even look up from their phones as time ticked on. I wanted to poke these moms and say….hey lady…..do you even know where your kid is? Can you see them? Hello? Did you know we’re steps away from Lake Ontario?
It got worse the next day when I visited McKinney Park in north Whitby for the first time. Again, a large play area, tons of kids, busy traffic on the street, and tons of texting moms and daycare providers. How do I know some adults were daycare providers? I asked the kids that were clinging to me for almost an hour looking for adult attention who they were with. As my daughter and I moved from one end of the park to another so did a group of young girls who were no older than 5. Not once did any adult inquire who I was and what I was doing with their children. I found that sad and disturbing.
I understand the need for adult conversation and playdates and get togethers when you’re home with the kids or taking care of a bunch of them. But someone has to be watching. There was a huge circle of women busy chatting and I can tell you if my daycare provider was in that circle she would have been fired that day. No one looked up or even got up for most of our time there. One little boy who couldn’t have been more than 18 months old was wondering around the park by himself.
So Lakeview and McKinney park moms, can you please put your phone down and watch your children? Because next time I will spout off.
