Parents in parks... where the hell are they?

whats parallel play?

Before a certain age kids really don't play together but play side by side -- doing their own thing: parallel play.

that term was kind of self explanitory huh..

:-) Yep, that's pretty much it.

One thing about "social skills", and boomer alluded to this, is it's not just about "please" and "thank you", it's about "how do I start playing with this kid?" "How do I play in a way that is fun but not too rough?" Etc., etc. It's peer-based learning, all the unspoken stuff.

Right about then is when we started taking parent-and-tot classes, I think, she loved 'em. Lots of parallel play, also lots of guided interaction.

were those classes offered through something country wide like planned parent hood?
Not saying THEY would offer that, just wondering if the ones you took could be found here in Texas as well?
That sounds like a perfect thing for Bean and I

Ours were offered through the parks department.

This seems to be your local equivalent, but looks like the programs don't start until age 3:

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/children.htm

A lot depends on the local kids and the local rules.

If you know Johnnie B. likes to snatch toys and kick sand, you are very aware when Johnnie B approaches your kid. If you know that Melissa is an exceptionally large 3-year-old, you don't expect Melissa to act like a 4-year-old.

Some parks any available mother interferes when trouble starts. In other parks only mothers of the kids involve interfere.

Learn to let go. Also, learn to swap child-raising tips with the other mothers. I've made some wonderful friendships at the 3rd Street Sandbox and I still send Christmas Cards 40 years later.

Wow, this was a really interesting thread to read. Cool.

I tend to think my sister + husband are/were too overprotective, tho admittedly my nephew is an extra-strong, extra-big, extra-energetic hulk of a kid, so you do gotta be careful about, mostly, the kids he plays with.

But yeah, even they have considerably loosened up. I remember when they were here in August - my nephew a little over 2 years old - out on the park on the island, he's off running after some other kid. My sis and bro-in-law lounging under the tree - most of the time one of 'em out playing with him, but this time letting him run off. But he runs way off, so we look at each other and I run after him, instead.

There they are, little Hungarian kid, older but smaller than him, and him, Hungarian kid's parents hovering in the background. They run after each other, jump on each other, fall on the ground together, roll over and get up and run on, excitedly chasing something none of us adults can see. Boom! There they go again, one falls, the other gleefully lets himself fall on top. I'm kinda worried, cause nephew is a pretty sturdy kid, but the parents seem OK, its me who once or twice decides to pull him off.

It was only in the end, after 10 mins or so, that there was this moment when nephew was on top of Hungarian kid in the grass, I caught up with them, and I hear this Hungarian kid yelping, "segitség!", "help!". LOL. OK, so that was when I finally pulled homeboy off and shooed him away from the kid. But the parents were grinning and friendly, asking how old nephew was, where we were from, an' all.

Soz-
what other keywords or search words did you use?
I have tried -
toddler play +austin
Toddler group + austin
mommy and me
playgroup

and so far I have found a childrens museum ( wich we will go to tomorrow)
but , I KNOW austin has more, im not finding anything..


Nimh-
I have to think about that as well. having the bigger kid in the age group.
bean is 3 feet tall and 35 lbs. She looks like she should be 3 not 1/2
Her slaps are stronger then most childrens and because she is so tall.. it would be like the empire state building falling on a city bus if she tripped on a baby..

have you looked at these babyzone resources?

For the parks department one, I did Austin parks department or something, then navigated.

I also did a search for Austin Parent and tot and came up with a bunch of stuff, forgot to post. (Some of it was not what you're looking for, some was, ran out of time while trying to separate wheat from chaff.)

I did find YWCA/ YMCA, but they wouldn't let me look at their program -- you have to sign up, first. You could probably just drop in and pick up a program. They have a sliding scale payment program, if you tell them your situation you probably wouldn't have to pay much. They probably have a parent and tot class.

There is always Gymboree, which tends towards priciness but you usually can find free class coupons various places -- online, their stores, etc.

http://www.playandmusic.com/b2c/customer/home.jsp

And here's the free class coupon on their site:

http://www.playandmusic.com/b2c/customer/previewClass.jsp

There's always Kindermusik, too:

http://www.kindermusik.com/

wow.. no
cool. thank you for that

Wow.. those are great.
Thanks for those Soz.
there is a gymboree up the street. I never knew what it was for.

I think , the reason why i wasnt coming up with anything was because i was making AUSTIN be a manditory part of the search, instead of just toddler.. or something like that.

Yeah, but the thing was, I mean up to a point (when the kid went, "segitseg", heh), they liked tumbling over and falling and pulling and rolling over - even tho nephew was a tad bigger and especially even tho even I was going, ooooooh god - but it was always ok.

I suppose, eh, if a kid were to see us "playing", he'd also go "no, daddy/mommy, you're hurting him/her, get off of her/him!"

H shewolf,

Actually all of those so far came from thinking "hmm, who offered these kinds of classes in Naperville?" and then doing a search for equivalents in Austin.

Gymboree is supposed to be really fun, we never went, but if it's right up the street that sounds promising.

As far as gymboree I bring my 3 year old to classes there. My older daughter went until she was 5. They both love it. It is expensive, but if you consistently sign up over a certain period of time all classes are half off and very affordable. But you must continuously pay with no breaks.

It teaches very basic things each week/every other week is a different theme. Up/down, colors, jumping, quiet/loud. The children learn about waiting their turns, supporting the other children when they accomplish something. It is very laid back and the program changes as they age

I took Bean to the childrens museum downtown.
I loved it. And she , i think , got a real kick out of it.
Of course, even in a baby safe place i was hoovering.
BUT- to my credit and hers, there wasnt much to hurt herself on and I made note to stay back.
She ran into 3 kids her size or age there and played rather well with them. It was more like a tag and go play.
Essentially - other child has a toy that she was interested in, she runs over to grab toy. -other child gives up toy, regains interest a few minutes later, grabs to from bean-
and so on and so on for a few minutes.

Bean grabbed several babies ( much to my shock), And hugged them.. hehe.. the way she hugs Kitten.
She pats their heads for a second then squeezes their belly while placing her cheek on theirs .
Quite cute, and with all of the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.. I stood back. :-)
Kudos to mommy..

They had a HUGE water table that she loved, a small gated area that parents could just let thier toddlers or crawlers GO in and not have to fret . Everything was soft and safe.
They also have a train that runs around a small room that she got a real kick out of.
Basically.. it was a great introduction for us both.
Me- for staying back and letting her play
Her- for randomly meeting/playing with other kids.

With a bigger grey hair patch then I had before, I am more confident.
I am considering getting a membership so i can take her about once a week.
I also stumbled on an 'informal' play group that happens there on Mondays. Basically, under 2 with mommy ( or daddy ) 1/2 price.

I looked into Gymboree too...

65$ for a 4 week class..
They only meet once a week.
Ya know, that is a bit pricy for my taste. AND- the class is only 1 hour.
Hmm

"""I suppose, eh, if a kid were to see us "playing", he'd also go "no, daddy/mommy, you're hurting him/her, get off of her/him!"""""

Yeah, that is a great point!
I have had babies come up to jillian and I didnt freak out.. until they started hurting her.. then I called attention to it.
So I guess I can also think about that in terms of other parents and their kids as well.
Im postitive Im not the only parent who would call to someone about thier kid if they were too aggressive.

Another great key word I learned in searching for stuff is Kid Guide then + what ever city. ;-)
I have found 3 other possibilities for weekly outtings for Bean.
One is www.Leahsmusicclass.com
Cute..cute.. cute..

Great about the children's museum! That was something we did a ton of, too.

Austin is supposed to have a great children's museum!

I don't want to be a children's museum wet blanket because yours may be different but I quit using our membership when it seemed that Mo got sick every single time we went there. CM2 is the runny nose capital of Portland!