Guide to the park, part II

Just a few more tips for toddlers:

1. Dog spotting

A lot of people like to take dogs on walks through the park.  Also, people walk past the park with their dogs.  If you want to see all the dogs that walk by, it is best to get elevated as high as possible.  Climb up to the highest point that will give you a clear view of the rest of the park.  Then you can wait for doggies.  You will see them for sure.

 

2. The slide, again

Last time I described how to go down the slide the easy way.  Well, here’s how you do it like the big kids.  Above the top of the slide is a horizontal grab bar.  Run towards the slide, lower your head and grab onto the bar with both hands.  Swing your feet forward, and let go.  Pretty bad-ass, but not for the faint of heart.

Here’s another tip for tougher slides.  Sometimes you’ll think you want to go down a pretty sleep slide, but then when you get to the top, it’s a little scarier than you initially thought.  Here’s the thing—if you turn around and walk away, you look like kind of a loser.  So sometimes you just need to chill at the top for a second to gather the courage to do it.  That’s fine, but if you’re going to do that, you have to make sure you don’t look scared.  Nonchalantly look around the park, like as if you are waiting for someone, checking out what some kid is doing, or looking at the ducks or geese (or dogs), or whatever.  Don’t look down the slide though.

3. The stairs

If you are just a little toddler, adults are going to encourage you to back down the stairs, crawling down with your hands on the stairs above.  Notice that the bigger kids don’t do that?  Here’s a little secret: the stairs are totally doable facing forward.  Just hold onto the handrail tight, and you’ll be fine.