Seesaws: Why Have They Disappeared from Our Playgrounds

Seesaws are rapidly becoming a plaything of the past.

As the father of a 2-year-old, I’ve spent a lot of time in playgrounds over the past couple of years. But I am amazed I never really noticed until recently that there weren’t any more seesaws.

I only really had to think about it for about a second and realized that the lawyers had won again. A little research on the internet confirmed my suspicions. The New York Times wrote last year:

“Fear of litigation led New York City officials to remove seesaws, merry-go-rounds and the ropes that young Tarzans used to swing from one platform to another. Letting children swing on tires became taboo because of fears that the heavy swings could bang into a child.“

This isn’t just a New York issue, but a national one. The article goes on to say:

“The old tall jungle gyms and slides disappeared from most American playgrounds across the country in recent decades because of parental concerns, federal guidelines, new safety standards set by manufacturers and — the most frequently cited factor — fear of lawsuits.“

It doesn’t take much imagination to picture how a child might get hurt on seesaws. I’ve seen more than a few close calls with toddlers walking too close to the swings. But that’s not a product liability issue just poor parenting, so I guess the swings should be safe for a little while longer.

When I was going to elementary school in New York City in the 1970s my parents let me take the city bus alone to school starting in the second grade. I think the first milk carton kid put an end to that. But do we really need to make sure everything is so safe for our kids? The playground always seemed like a little oasis in a crazy world.

The last sport I would want The Kid to play these days is football because of worries over concussions. So maybe I am as guilty as the next parent for wanting to shelter my child so no harm could come to him. But risk-taking and the thrill of physical accomplishments seem to be critical aspects of childhood and growing up to be a well-adjusted adult. Hopefully, I’ll be brave enough to let my son take his own risks in the years ahead.

Mark Spellun writes the blog Natural Dad, where a version of this first appeared. Photo: © Andriy / Adobe Stock.