“I've succumbed to the idea that I should pack things that are healthy, but I know they won't eat.”
It turns out some “unpopular opinions” are more popular than parents think.
That was certainly the case for Beth Crosby, who goes by “garbagemom” on social media.
Crosby, a Los Angeles mom to a 9-year-old daughter named Grace, took to her Instagram account on July 25 to share what she believed to be an “unpopular opinion” about taking her daughter to the park.
And she didn’t mince her words when she said, “I don’t play with my kid at the park. Period.”
“I’ve already played with my kid all day by the time we’re at the park,” she continued. “When we go to the park, that’s MY time. The park? That’s for kids.”
She went on to criticize parents who play with their kids at the park for making her (and other parents like her) look bad.
In the caption, Crosby described herself as an “active AF parent” who loves spending time with her daughter — whether it be playing games, baking, going for a bike ride, reading or watching a movie.
“So when I decide to take my kid to the park, honeyyyyyyy that is MY TIME,” she wrote.
“My time to talk to other park parents, scroll my phone or just stare off into the distance and let go of the mental load for 2 seconds,” she continued.
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Crosby added that the park is her daughter’s opportunity to either “play on the play structure and entertain herself” or “build social skills and ask other kids at the park to play.”
A live poll on Today.com proved that she’s not alone.
Of the more than 400 votes (as of Sept. 25), only 5% said that they “always” play with their child at the playground and 14% said they “never” do.
The other 81% either “sometimes” did or only did when there were no other children at the playground.
Crosby’s ‘unpopular opinion’ had parents divided in the comments
At the end of her video, Crosby welcomed other parents to agree (or disagree) in the comments.
And that’s exactly what the internet did.
“Agree!!! My son loves making temporary friends at the park + I enjoy watching the magic of childhood. There is no room for adults in that pure play!” one parent wrote under the video.
“My contribution is planning the trip to the park and maybe bringing some fun extras like chalk or bubbles. They can figure it out from there,” another parent wrote of her visits to the kids playground.
But while some parents agreed with Crosby, others found her opinion a little harsh.
“Don't judge those parents too harshly, you never know what their story is,” one parent wrote.
“I worked lots of weird hours as a healthcare professional. I wasnt a stay at home mom and wasnt home all day with them so when i DID get to take them to the park, it was our time,” she added.
“I DO play with my child at the park. He has Cerebral Palsy. He has trouble doing some things. He can’t climb stairs alone so I go on the slide with him. His balance is off, so I swing with him,” another mom added.
According to parenting expert Dr. Deborah Gilboa, parents aren’t obligated to join in at the children’s playground.
“You’re there to make sure the kids follow safety rules and to help if someone gets hurt, but you don’t need to be the swimmer,” Gilboa told Today.com.
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“Is it ever OK to play? Sure, if you and your child want to, go for it. But there’s no obligation,” she added.
