Stick it

One more story before I go to bed! 

I forgot that while we were at the playground today Phoebe asked to go on the swings. She wanted me to push her in the baby swing but I refused. She is four years old. It is time she figured out the big-girl swings. 

She reluctantly agreed to this and I set about pushing her...and coaching her on how to pump the swing herself (something she doesn't have a whole lot of motivation to do currently—she's so spoiled). 

I was pushing her from the front, encouraging her to stick her legs out straight so her feet could meet my hand...and then giving her a nudge to keep her momentum going...so she was going pretty high. 

Suddenly she says, "I want to play Stick It!"

"Ho-ho! I don't think so!" I started to say. 

*****

Stick It is a game the big kids play. I played it growing up as well, but didn't call it Stick It. I think we called it "Jumping Off the Swings Contest" or something like that. All the rules are described in those two names—you swing as high as you go, jump off as far as you can, and try to stick the landing.

Kids break bones playing this game...but...it's kind of a childhood rite of passage.

Still, while I turn a blind eye to my older children playing this game, I felt like I should intervene with my four-year-old playing this game.

*****

"I want to play Stick It!" Phoebe said, swinging toward me.

"Ho-ho! I don't think..." I began to say as she flew away from me.

"I CAN!" Phoebe said at the peak of her backswing, and then...

*whomp*

She was eating wood chips. 

And she was not happy about it.

Very fortunately she only scraped up her elbow and one of her hips. No broken bones or anything!

"I'll make you a deal," I said when I had her calmed down. 

"Okay," she sniffed.

"When you're big enough to get on the swing by yourself and pump yourself as high as you want to go...then you can play Stick It."

"Okay."

"Yeah—that game is a tricky one for people just graduating from the bucket seat..."

"Okay."

"So, no more jumping off the swings, okay?"

"Okay."

"Not until you know how to swing all by yourself, okay?"

"Okay."

"You want to try again?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

She's doing okay.