Swingers
Until Bob was nearly 3, when I sold our house, kicked his useless sperm donor to the curb, and moved us into an apartment, he had a swingset. (A kick-ass swingset said useless sperm donor had shelled out $400 worth of drug money for, despite the fact we needed money for groceries. But I digress.)
When we moved out of the apartment complex and into a real house, we had a tiny backyard and lived within walking distance of two major parks with nice playgrounds. So the question of procuring a swingset was kind of a moot point.
Now we've moved to our own real house in another neighborhood. We have an enormous yard and getting to the nearest playground is no small feat. So pretty much from Day One, the yard has been whispering "swingset" to us every time we look at it. And lately, with the addition of the huge yard and the pending Moosebaby, it's gone from a whisper to more like a scream.
So I suggested this weekend that the grandparents should pool their funds and buy Bob a swingset for his birthday this year. Which opens up a whole new can of worms.
I don't want to get Bob a crappy aluminum A-frame swingset. Yes, it was plenty good enough for us when we were kids, but I want something that will last, is less likely to kill one or both of my children before they reach high school, and isn't a total eyesore. The wooden sets not only fit the bill on all counts, they can also be added to in the event Mom and Dad come into some mad money. (As if.)
I found a wooden set at Wal-Mart for $288. It's the same set my sister bought for her kids, and it's decent. If all the aunts and uncles and grandparents kick in some cash for the cause, and I throw down about 100 bucks, it could be in our yard in time for Bob's birthday party in 12 days.
The question is, should we solicit the funds now, buy the swingset, and hide it in the garage until such a time as we can get rid of Bob for a couple of days and come dangerously close to divorce putting it together?
I mean, it would kind of suck to be presented with a picture of a swingset at your birthday party, and be told "this is what you're getting. You should be able to play on it in the next two weeks. Happy Birthday." Yeah, that would definitely suck.
Nothing makes a parent cringe like the words "some assembly required."
When we moved out of the apartment complex and into a real house, we had a tiny backyard and lived within walking distance of two major parks with nice playgrounds. So the question of procuring a swingset was kind of a moot point.
Now we've moved to our own real house in another neighborhood. We have an enormous yard and getting to the nearest playground is no small feat. So pretty much from Day One, the yard has been whispering "swingset" to us every time we look at it. And lately, with the addition of the huge yard and the pending Moosebaby, it's gone from a whisper to more like a scream.
So I suggested this weekend that the grandparents should pool their funds and buy Bob a swingset for his birthday this year. Which opens up a whole new can of worms.
I don't want to get Bob a crappy aluminum A-frame swingset. Yes, it was plenty good enough for us when we were kids, but I want something that will last, is less likely to kill one or both of my children before they reach high school, and isn't a total eyesore. The wooden sets not only fit the bill on all counts, they can also be added to in the event Mom and Dad come into some mad money. (As if.)
I found a wooden set at Wal-Mart for $288. It's the same set my sister bought for her kids, and it's decent. If all the aunts and uncles and grandparents kick in some cash for the cause, and I throw down about 100 bucks, it could be in our yard in time for Bob's birthday party in 12 days.
The question is, should we solicit the funds now, buy the swingset, and hide it in the garage until such a time as we can get rid of Bob for a couple of days and come dangerously close to divorce putting it together?
I mean, it would kind of suck to be presented with a picture of a swingset at your birthday party, and be told "this is what you're getting. You should be able to play on it in the next two weeks. Happy Birthday." Yeah, that would definitely suck.
Nothing makes a parent cringe like the words "some assembly required."
posted by Mitzi Green at 12:19 PM
1 Comments:
GAWD...good luck. I almost did kill my husband when we were putting the trampoline together. Mr. "I don't need to read the directions".
Post a Comment
<< Home