Today at the playground I witness the phenomena that I like to call the "Be careful" momma. Let me describe this momma to you and explain why she is my number one playground pet peeve.

She is the mom who thinks her little darlin is made of glass. Coming out of her mouth at 7 second intervals are the following phrases "Be careful Skyler!" "Not too fast, Skyler!" "Skyler, hold on, you might fall!" "Skyler, do NOT jump off of that!" Her face is tense as she watches her child play....if you can call his slow, controlled movements "playing".

I am not a "Be careful" momma. I am a "Have fun" momma.

At the playground you will find me trying to get my kids to jump off high spots...that is what high spots are for, right? You can hear me encouraging them to push the merry-go-round faster. When they fall, I generally say "That was an awesome wipe-out, can you show me another one?" I don't worry about them hurting themselves. What is a broken leg, in the scheme of things? I'd much rather they be adventurous and willing to risk a small injury for the sake of an awesome accomplishment  than be too scared to ever do anything cool.  But that's just me.