Slip and What?

Some toys you just have to wonder how they've stayed around for so long. A slip and slide. Really? It's more of a run, fall, take all the skin off your knees then pretend you enjoyed it.

No matter how they dress it up you still have to run at this thin strip of plastic on the hard ground and hope you will go "sliding" to the end. And, if you're lucky enough to make it to the slipping part you'd better hope you don't "slide" off the end.

We got out the slip and slide today for Will. He was so excited. The plastic was stretched out, the water was running (spraying on the plastic all the way down to the end) and all that was left was the sliding. He took a look at it from the end and just looked at me. He then said "what now?" um, you slide. He was clueless. His next statement was "I'm supposed to throw myself down that?" I said "yep. That's how it works." He said "Then what?" I had no answer other than to urge him to try it.

Is this just something that we buy for our children because we remember having to master the art of slip and sliding and we're forcing our children to do the same? Some things could be made better but we force our children to go without those luxuries. Think about it....what about that banana seat on the bikes? Comfy, smooshy and a joy to sit on yet we give our children tiny little seats that are hard as rocks? Don't even get me started on the cool flag I had on the back of my banana seat bike!