Posted: 7/12/2010 8:00 AM
I've always loved swinging, and still do. It started with a wind-up baby swing when I was just days old. My mom says I could sit in it for hours, and would cry whenever it slowed down. Then came the bucket swing at the playground, and then elementary school, where I would spend the entire recess swinging. Whomever invented the swing was a genius!
Now I don't swing as often, but get to experience the beauty of it in my daughters' eyes. We play outside everyday, and our Backyard Discovery playset, the Highlander , has two belt swings and a two-person glider for tons of swinging fun!
Lately, that's where my daughter Maya goes to escape... the swing set has become her refuge. When I told her a few weeks ago that one of her best friends was moving across the country, she ran to her swing set. When I told her just days ago that her grandmother, my mother-in-law, had passed away, she ran in the backyard to try and swing her sorrows away. When I asked her why she loves to swing, she couldn't quite explain it, other than she likes "the feeling" swinging brings.
I know that feeling very well.
The feeling of control.
The feeling of freedom.
The feeling of weightlessness when you're at the peak and about to come back down.
The feeling that if you swing just a tiny bit higher, you could touch the fluffy white clouds above. It really is the closest thing to flying.
Maya has mastered pumping her legs now so I no longer need to push her in the swing, which makes me a little sad. She's growing up way too fast. She loves to push her younger sister, Maura, which allows me to just stand back and soak in all their laughter and happiness. The other day, during one of these moments, I was reminded of a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson that I had to memorize in elementary school, in maybe 4th or 5th grade. Though it was written over a hundred years ago, there's something about this poem that never gets old.
The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside -
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown -
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
However, as fun as swinging can be, it's always important to play it safe. Did you know that, according to a study done by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission , most injuries on public playground equipment are associated with climbing equipment and swings?
To help keep kids safely swinging, parents should:
• Locate the swing set in an area free from obstacles at least 6 feet from any structure, such as a house, fence, shed, or trees. Swings should be even further away! The distance between the front and rear of the swings and any nearby structures should be equal to twice the height of the top bar from which the swing is suspended.
• Make sure the swing set is restrained with anchors to keep it from tipping over while in use.
• Provide a shock-absorbing surface underneath the swing set. Options include mulch, pea gravel, and shredded rubber, among others materials.
• Secure infants and toddlers in their toddler swings with the swing's restraint system, if provided.
• Make sure these restraints do not let the child slide under or through, as that could pose a choking hazard.
• See that S-hooks are entirely closed.
• Maintain the swing set by oiling moving parts, checking nuts and bolts twice a month and tightening as needed, checking that equipment is safe and in good working order and replacing parts that are broken or deteriorated.
• Never leave kids unattended!
And children should be instructed to:
• Use age-appropriate equipment. Toddlers should use bucket swings until they're around 3 years old, since they don't yet have the stability, balance, and coordination of their older counterparts.
• Stay a safe distance from other kids on swings, not swinging sideways or walking in front or behind moving swings.
• Never ride with more than one child to a swing, unless the swing is made for that purpose. Like a glider, for example.
• Never stand or kneel on the swing. It's made for sitting!
• Hold on to the chains or ropes with both hands.
• Wait until the swing comes to a complete stop before getting off. No jumping!
Hope these tips help you and your kids have a swingin' good time this summer!