The Midsummer Playground Problem: Children Have Disappeared from Parks

Recently, there are no children in the parks.
Even in the evening, I hardly see any.

Until a little while ago, children on their way home from daycare would gather around the playground equipment, elementary school students would come by bicycle, and someone would always be playing in the sandbox.

Children waiting for their turn on the swings.
Children sliding down the slide over and over.
Children leaving their water bottles behind to run around.

Those sights were a natural part of the park.
But once midsummer arrives, they vanish all at once.

All that remains in the park is the intense sunlight, the scorching playground equipment, and benches where no one sits.

Only the heat reflecting off the ground is intense, and there are no children's voices.
Seeing that makes me feel a little lonely.

I think it's not that children have stopped playing outside, but rather that they have become unable to.

You can't easily say, "Let's go to the park."

When I was a child, if I looked bored at home, my parents would invite me by saying, "Shall we go to the park?"
They would invite me.

For parents, too, the park was a welcome place.

It doesn't cost money.
You can get exercise.
You can burn off more of a child's energy than you can indoors.
If it's in the neighborhood, you can go even for a short time.

For families raising children, parks are a very important existence.

But now, I can't easily say, "Shall we go to the park?"

The temperature is too high.
The sunlight is too strong.
The playground equipment is too hot.
There are days when the horizontal bars, the slides, and the seats of the swings are so hot that you hesitate to touch them.

The ground is hot, too.
There is little shade.
Even if you bring a water bottle and wear a hat, it's not a level of heat where you can feel safe.

Children get absorbed once they start playing.
Even if you say, "Let's take a break," they say they still want to play.

If parents don't stop them, there are times when they can't realize their own limits.
That is why going to the park itself has become a little scary.

Children are energetic. But they can't beat the heat.

Children are energetic.
They run inside the house.
They jump.
They dance.
They climb on the sofa.
They roll around on the futon.

They have so much stamina that adults want to say, "Please be a little quieter."
That is precisely why I want to let them play outside.

I want them to run to their heart's content.
I want them to sweat, get tired, and sleep soundly at night.

As a parent, that's how I feel.
But the current heat is not something you can just brush off by saying, 'They're energetic, so they'll be fine.'

When they get absorbed in play, hydration and breaks tend to be put on the back burner.
They have the desire to play, but their bodies are in danger.

I feel like this contradiction is what makes raising children in midsummer so difficult.

I want my children to play.
But it's hard to let them go outside.
They get bored if they stay home.
But it's dangerous outside.

It's a repeating cycle.

Indoor playgrounds are a blessing. But it's hard to go every time.

So, I think, why not just go to an indoor playground?
Sometimes I think that.

Indoor playgrounds.
Shopping malls.
Science museums.
Aquariums.

There are places that are cool, safe, and where children can spend time.
I am truly grateful for them.

However, it's not possible to go every time.

Indoor playgrounds cost quite a bit of money.
They are crowded on weekends.
You have to travel by car or train.
Parents also need to prepare.
I think about meals, bathroom breaks, and even the exhaustion on the way home.

Even though I just want to let them play a little, before I know it, it becomes an all-day outing.
Of course, special outings are fun too.

But what parents want isn't always a special place.
A place we can go to more casually.
A place where they can move their bodies a little, it's a little cool, and parents don't end up collapsing.

That's all I want.

In the past, parks used to fulfill that role.
But midsummer parks are finding it hard to fulfill that role.

Staying indoors leaves children with too much energy.

On days when we can't go outside, we have no choice but to play at home.

Drawing.
Building blocks.
Playing house.
Picture books.
Television.
YouTube.

They can play well enough.
But, as expected, they still have energy to spare.

Children want to move even when they are inside the house.
They want to run.
They want to jump.
They want to shout.

But if you live in an apartment complex, you also have to worry about the noise for the neighbors downstairs.

It is also hard for parents to keep up with them all the time.

There is housework to do.
There is work to do.
Some families have younger children to look after.

There are also days when the parents themselves are exhausted from the heat.

Under these circumstances, it is not easy to keep responding to a child's desire to play.

This midsummer playground problem is quite serious.

The loneliness of the silence in parks where children's voices used to be

The fact that there are no children in the park might be natural when you consider their safety.
When it is this hot, it is better not to force them to play outside.

I understand that.

But when I see the scene where children's voices have disappeared from the park, I still feel a little lonely.

There is playground equipment.
There is a sandbox.
There are benches.

But there is no one there.
Places meant for children to run around in have become unusable due to the heat.
It feels like more than just a change of seasons; it feels as if a part of children's daily lives has been taken away.

Parks used to be places where children could move their bodies freely.
They were also places where they could naturally interact with children they didn't know.
They were also places where parents could chat a little.

"We're going home now."
"Just one more time."

These were places where you could hear such exchanges from all around.
A park without those voices looks a bit unnatural.

How should parents and children spend the summer?

Raising children in midsummer is a series of small decisions every day.

Is it okay to go outside today?
What time can we go?
Is there enough water in the bottle?
Is there any shade?
Will they be exhausted on the way home?
If we stay home, what should we play?
How much TV should I let them watch?
If we go to an indoor facility, will we have enough money and energy?

These all seem like small things, but they are quietly exhausting.
I want to keep the children entertained.
But I don't want to push them too hard.
I don't want to collapse as a parent either.
If possible, I don't want to spend too much money.

I imagine many families are trying to get through the summer while considering all of these factors.

A summer where "go play outside" no longer works

In the past, we were often told to "go play outside."
Playing outside was considered healthy, natural, and something children should do.
But in today's summers, it is difficult to say that as it is.

Playing outside has become dangerous.
Even when going to the park, you have to consider the time of day, the heat index, and the shade.
Even the way children play has become dictated by the climate.

I don't think this is parents being overly concerned.
The heat today is truly different.
Even if people say, "We used to play outside in the past," today's summer is different from those days.

It is only natural to have days where you refrain from outdoor play to protect your children.

Even so, children still need to play

That does not mean children no longer need to play.
Children grow through play.
Moving their bodies, making mistakes, figuring things out, interacting with friends, getting tired, and sleeping.

That kind of time is still important, after all.

That is precisely why I believe we need more places where children can play safely, even in the middle of summer.

Cool indoor play areas.
Local facilities that are easy to use.
Places where they can play with water.

Environments where children can move their bodies while avoiding the heat.
There is a limit to what families can manage on their own.

The current summer is too hot to leave it solely up to the ingenuity of parents.

Today, too, I am thinking about where to let them play

Children want to play today, too.
Parents are worrying again today.

Should we stay home?
Should we go out for just a little bit?
Should we go to a cool place?
Should we rely on the TV?
Should we play with water?
Should we wait until evening?

No matter what you choose, you are left with doubts.
But parents are somehow managing through it every day.

It is okay to stay home on days that are too hot.
It is okay to have days where they watch a lot of TV.
It is okay to have days where you spend money to go to an indoor playground.
It is okay to have days where you go out for just a little bit in the early morning or evening.

I think we have no choice but to choose based on the heat of each day, the children's condition, and the parents' energy levels.

A summer where children have disappeared from parks.
That is a somewhat lonely sight.

However, behind that lies the judgment of parents trying to protect their children.
I want them to play.
But I don't want to push them too hard.

Torn between those two feelings, I am searching for a midsummer playground again today.