After our usual Saturday morning breakfast and marketing, we made our way back home and took the route which passes by the playground as K has requested to go. We give in to her almost every Saturday as that is usually the only day of the week that she does play at the playground. The rest of the days, I think she's too famished from school to want to go or she just wants to go home because the hubs always asks her if she would like to go to the playground and K would say no. 

So anyway, before I digress any further, I want to share an incident that we saw at the playground today. A mother with 3 daughters were there too and 1 little girl was playing on the monkey bar, which she managed to cross successfully. When the 3 sisters saw it, the oldest one tried but failed miserably. She then helped her 2 sisters by carrying them up but at one point, I think one of her sisters hit the pole. Then started the tirade by the mother. She was scolding them and saying things like if you can't, don't try! Don't be a kaypoh blah blah blah. She was making the girls miserable, in my opinion and I later commented to the hubs that she shouldn't bring the girls down to the playground then. I think the parent of the other little girl and a couple seated on the bench at the playground were surprised too by what she said. 

'If you know you can't, don't try.' Really? I was always told if cannot, try, try and try again. When K does something for the first time, especially when it involves play, I let her try the first few times before I ask if she needs my help. If she has to fall, I'll try to make the fall less painful but I want her to have a go at everything first unless she's too afraid to do so.

Maybe the lady has only daughters and tend to be a bit over-protective? I don't know but play does involve a bit of fall, scratches and all. Let's not bubble wrap our children and when they grow up and have to face the world on their own, all they know is to run back to daddy or mummy when they face any obstruction.