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A Trampoline

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11–20 of 78 posts

Re: A Trampoline

#11
post #6

>A reminder to buy the kids things they say they desperately want. If I were to follow this, I'd be spending half my days driving to stores to buy the thing my kids happen to "desperately" want today :) Also a reminder that you're not obliged to _buy_ everything. Its kind of amazing how ingrained this is into a large amount of peoples' heads. You can get a lot of things for free or secondhand. I got my kids' large tr…

You could also... just... not get them anything unless they earned it according to rules that they agree with and believe in.

Of course that would require a lot more parenting than buying things.

Re: A Trampoline

#12
We bought a trampoline when our oldest was five. He didn't ask for it, we were just guessing. We got a good deal on one from Craigslist or similar that was brand new, still in the box, so probably like $50 or something.

He loved it and many years later he still uses it, pretty much every day that it's not raining. He's well past the age where I would have thought he would still be interested. We've replaced the mat and all the springs to keep it going.

Point being, sometimes you just don't know what kids will like.

Re: A Trampoline

#13
post #4

The hidden costs are in the ER visits

Almost everyone I knew who broke a bone growing up broke them on a trampoline. As an adult, every story I've heard involving someone's kids and a trampoline ended up involving a cast at best. ... And yet. I wonder. I can remember the feeling of freedom and joy in my body as a child, joy in movement itself that I have never recaptured in any meaningful way no matter how I ever tried to motivate myself to exercise... S…

Backyard trampolines without nets are particularly dangerous. A gymnasium or trampoline park with in-ground trampolines are my go-to if someone wants to learn how to do tricks.

Re: A Trampoline

#14
post #4

The hidden costs are in the ER visits

Almost everyone I knew who broke a bone growing up broke them on a trampoline. As an adult, every story I've heard involving someone's kids and a trampoline ended up involving a cast at best. ... And yet. I wonder. I can remember the feeling of freedom and joy in my body as a child, joy in movement itself that I have never recaptured in any meaningful way no matter how I ever tried to motivate myself to exercise... S…

Have you tried lifting weights? That freedom of movement is what it feels like to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio.

You can get there surprisingly quickly and casually if you haven't lifted weights in a long time or ever.

Re: A Trampoline

#15
post #6

>A reminder to buy the kids things they say they desperately want. If I were to follow this, I'd be spending half my days driving to stores to buy the thing my kids happen to "desperately" want today :) Also a reminder that you're not obliged to _buy_ everything. Its kind of amazing how ingrained this is into a large amount of peoples' heads. You can get a lot of things for free or secondhand. I got my kids' large tr…

You could also... just... not get them anything unless they earned it according to rules that they agree with and believe in. Of course that would require a lot more parenting than buying things.

I think the previous comment was more about second hand, and free options compare to running out to buy them new from a store; not if the parent should/shouldn't get them anything.

Re: A Trampoline

#16
Trampolines are awesome, not just for kids. Best thing I bought (long before I had own kids). I recovered my knee after an operation with it - the "professional" reha I got before was close to useless.

Because you cannot just mind and recklessly jump on it - you have a generic flat/bouncy ground to do all kinds of soft movements, you can do slow or fast. So recovering I did not by jumping yet, but by roling and softly bouncing up and down. First while lying, then standing ... then finally jumping again.

Now many years later, I bought a second, connected them and can do longer jumps and tricks between them.

Oh yes, and the children now love it since they could crawl in it. (Except with strong sun, my older boy is strongly afraid of the static electricity that builds up, that can result in discharges strong enough to hurt, which my daughter uses intentionally to shock him).

Of course it helps, that the Trampolin is hidden from view, not sure if I would have as much fun it it, if everybody from the street could watch. If you have that, or don't care, - go wild in it. Extremely rewarding sport for me. I never hurt myself in it, but that can of course happen, if you overdo it, but compared to the accidents I had in all those other sports that not happen on a soft ground ...

Re: A Trampoline

#17
I loved our trampoline as a kid. I went on it nearly every day and I'd go on it to dry after baths. It was a big deal buying a trampoline for my kids - they used it once and I have to force them to use it again.

Re: A Trampoline

#18
Somehow, my wife's co-workers managed to sneak a full size trampoline (with netting) into their Rental's living room; somehow the landlord is fine with the arrangement, having seen it in person.

Re: A Trampoline

#19

I went on a backyard trampoline once as a kid and it ended with the entire neighbourhood searching for me. I just couldn’t stop playing with my friends and was hours late for curfew. I had forgotten to tell anyone where I was. Fortunately, I integer overflowed my mom’s level of worry and she was too glad to have me back to be angry. Though, seeing her unwind from genuine terror was more effective than any level of sc…

    …I integer overflowed my mom’s level of worry and she was too glad to have me back to be angry.
I had a childhood acquaintance who was lost in the forest for half a day, and was found by a search and rescue in perfect shape, minus a missing shoe. His mom had that same reaction.

Re: A Trampoline

#20

The hidden costs are in the ER visits

My parents dug a hole in the ground for a trampoline, so it was flush with the ground. It was great because you couldn't accidentally fall off, and it was safer than doing any given stunt on regular ground.
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