Why weren't parks this fun 20 years ago?

Springtime just seems to get better and better around here, with a string of balmy, beautiful afternoons this week, perfect for spending time outside in the fresh air and sunshine. We spent the afternoon the other day at one of the local parks, one where I used to play when I was a kid. They rebuilt the playgrouind a few years ago and it blows the doors off of the old slide and monkey bars rig they used to have.

The first thing the kids jumped on was like a newer cooler version of the old merry-go-round. It was shaped like a ring, spun on a hidden track underneath, and was tilted at an angle so that if you were spinning on it by yourself you'd get crazy speed-ups and slow-downs depending on whether you were on the downhill or uphill side of the thing. Laine quickly applied the principle of conservation of momentum to realize that she could walk on the thing in one direction to make it spin in the other direction. I feel cheated for being born twenty years too late to be able to ride on stuff like this without getting weird looks from the other parents.

James, on the other hand, went for a classic: the slide. He's a brave little guy these days, just climbs right up on his own and heads right down the slide with no need for coaxing, weedling, pleading, or pushing (unlike his sisters who used to like to sit there, ready to slide, blocking all the other kids for about an hour before mustering the courage to get up and walk away because the slide was too scary). I'm so proud of my little man.

The real attraction at this place was what replaced the old swingset. This thing was a work of art and a climber's dream. Ropes, hand-holds, bars, seats, ladders, and thingamajiggies all webbed together into an awesome contraption that the girls played on for the better part of three hours without a single complaint. I think that might set a record. The only time they did protest was when I tried the thing, and that was just because I was trying to take the seat that they wanted.

Side note, not park related: James seems to have some magical ability to attract and charm girls of all ages. Every time I turn around he's using his little cherub grin to enchant another female friend. Family, friends, neighbors, strangers, old, young, whatever, doesn't seem to matter. Girls love to chase James.