The point about the parks rings so true to me. We have a playground near us that was built in the 50s-ish and the slide is probably 12-15ft high, with just a ladder. The swings are about the same height and you can swing pretty high. Honestly, even as an adult it's a bit thrilling to go down the slide. You can imagine what it must be for kids.
Meanwhile, the brand new park near my parents: the slides top out at like 6 feet. The swings are made so they don't swing high. There's absolutely zero risk of falling. No monkey bars, etc.
Heh, the park they just built near me has a pretty tall slide, but there's a series of platforms in an enclosed structure you use to ascend it, so you can't just fall off a ladder. Kids are thankfully still kids though, and every now and then some kid climbs the outer structure and gets stuck.
The smaller slides are big tubes, and to discourage kids climbing on top of the tube, they installed these big shield wall things... which make them even more fun to climb.
The really stupid thing is that they make toddler swings (with basket seats) lower than normal swings. Why?? Do these people not understand physics? How is it that professional swing manufacturers have never actually pushed a toddler on a swing??
I mean as a society we have to choose between head trauma and suicide / stunted growth. That's a choice we make.
This is the same zero-tolerance idiocy that made the COVID response so messy with so many unintended consequences. Policy is about balance, and realizing nothing is perfect.
Meanwhile, the brand new park near my parents: the slides top out at like 6 feet. The swings are made so they don't swing high. There's absolutely zero risk of falling. No monkey bars, etc.
Very sad