Canberra mother calls for parents’ facilities at playgrounds

A social media rant about a playground’s lack of amenities for parents by a Canberra mother has received thousands of likes and sparked debate over the design of playspaces.

Lauren Dubois recently took her young son to a new Canberra playground - where she was confronted with 32 degree heat at 10am and all sorts of difficulties.

Subsequently, Dubois sat down and wrote a tongue-in-cheek rant on her Facebook page, The Thud, on Parks for Parents - and the post has since resonated with close to 5000 people online.

Dubois wrote “park designers clearly give no f**ks about parents.

"They go all out for the kids, and that's great, but honestly, you could give them some grass, some sort of platform to jump off, a few sticks and they'd be set. You really don't need to try so hard.

"But what about the poor b*stards schlepping these chilluns to the park? What do we get?

"A couple of metal torture racks (benches) that are only ever sizzling or frozen. There's no in between. Either way, you're going to be injured sitting down.”

Dubois went on to explain how she would design a park with parents in mind, adding “ergonomic seating in a material that won't leave second degree burns on your thighs. Bamboo would be nice. I'm seeing some sort of reclining action as well.”

She also commented about lack of shade, “this is Australia. I don't enjoy feeling like a lamb shank in a slow cooker while I watch my kids eat chip bark.

“A nice patch of shade might stop the sensation of skin cancer crawling along my arms as I sit and roast.”

Dubois' Facebook rant.

Among the mother's other complaints was the fact that on the whole, playgrounds are often un-fenced, “kids run at traffic like mums run at an ALDI Bonds sale.

“It's impossible to sit and relax when you've got to stop a hit and run every four minutes because this fun place designed to make kids want to run around, is sitting riiiight next to the main road.”

She also added that all parks should come with a cafe or coffee cart, something countless parents will no doubt agree with.

Finally, Dubois shared her preference for grass areas rather than sand and woodchips, concluding “I have so much sand in my house. I swear to God, there's sand in my BED.

“Why are my children always coated in it? F**king chip bark is just as vile...

“Grass or soft fall. That's it.”

Since the post, Dubois’ message has resonated with thousands of people online, who have added their wishes for playgrounds.

Many people said it would be useful if playgrounds added toilets - while others reinforced the idea of the use of a coffee cart.

Click here to view the post on Dubois’ Facebook page.

Main image courtesy of The Thud/Facebook.

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