We recently purchased a trampoline for our three children, all under the age of eleven. They have literally been different people since we bought the trampoline. They play with friends, spend time outdoors and get plenty of exercise. Before, they enjoyed video games and rarely had fun doing anything outside because it was all “boring nature stuff.” Even the neighborhood pool got too boring for them!
During the day, the kids enjoy jumping and playing on it with other kids from the neighborhood. Before the trampoline, it was nearly impossible to drag the kids away from the video games to get them to play outside and make friends. Now, though, they have not only started hanging out with other kids in the neighborhood, but they also have begun spending more time outside playing old fashioned games like kick-the-can and tag. It’s great!
The other parents have also started coming over to our house more to check on their kids. We have met and made friends now with nearly every neighbor with kids in a five-mile radius – they’re all over at our house. In the threw months that we’ve had the trampoline, we’ve already had four cookouts with the neighbors. I feel like we’re in Mayberry – not in 21st Century America where everyone seems so isolated all of the time.
At night, sometimes we fire up the grill and let the kids roast marshmallows on sticks that they find in the yard. The kids love it! They tell ghost stories and we have all started spending more time on the back deck. Then they’ll run around and play flashlight tag or kick the can – using the trampoline as home base. It’s so fun to watch them all pile onto the trampoline together laughing.
A few times, the kids have even camped out on top of the trampoline. They take their sleeping bags out and lay out under the stars. The other night at about 11pm, I fell asleep listening to them laugh up a storm out there. It really felt nice to know that they were getting such good use out of their toy.
If you’re thinking about getting a trampoline, I recommend doing it. Our trampoline has changed our lives this summer and has transformed the neighborhood. We actually spend time with our neighbors now – and really enjoy their company.
Understandably, some parents do not want their children jumping on the trampoline. If not used correctly, or if the kids get to rambunctious, it is possible that someone can get hurt. I worried about them so much in the beginning and monitored them like a hawk. I still watch them now, but I know that they are smart kids and that they are very mature about looking out for one another.
The kids still like to play video games, but it’s something that they generally do before bed now. It’s wonderful to see them spending so much more time outside. I feel like we have a new family.