Where are all the other parents?
Is it just me, or do you find children with no apparent supervisors at every playground you go to? I have had a lot of problems lately with bringing my kids to the playground only to be met with children who are crying and can't find their parents or children who are bullying and their parents are not aware. Our local playground seems to have many free-range children and parents sitting in cars on their phones.
Most recently, and most egregiously, there was a child with Down Syndrome trapped in the center of a spinning playground ride, who was visibly upset. Two other children were spinning him faster and faster. I told them to stop, and then I asked each of the children where their parents were. I could not find his parents or the other two children's parents. I finally led the little boy to a different piece of playground equipment where he and my kid played for a while until his mom finally made an appearance. I'm happy to supervise my own children, but it feels wrong that I have to supervise everyone else's as well.
Is this everywhere now? Or am I just having a weird couple months?