As I sit….
I know this sounds crazy but today I am genuinely happy, enlightened and feel that contacted fuzzy feeling you know that warm feeling that you get when you know that things are just so and all is well and safe in the world.
What has given me this feeling? Well I am sat in a somewhat chilly converted warehouse, I know not the most relaxing of places on the surface, drinking coffee from a plastic vending cup whilst sitting on what seems to be a very cheap bargain basement chair, surrounded by loud music (for the very young) and hoards of screaming kids, well not all are screaming most are laughing, shouting and generally having a great time, but you know what? This is the happiest moment of my entire week.
Inside a kiddies indoor play centre might not be everyone’s idea of a great way to spend three hours on a Saturday afternoon, I mean, lets face it, there are my favourite shops only five minutes drive away, all tempting me with their illuminated displays and well thought out collections and not to mention the temptation to go home and curl up on the sofa with a huge mug of hot chocolate whilst watching my favourite television addiction, but strangely, I wouldn’t swap where I am at this moment for any of that, why? Well, I am not to sure, but as I look around every single toddler, child and adult look contented with the world, all worries forgotten, if only for a few hours and we are all totally engrossed in the innocent freedom and safe playtime that these children have here.
I begin to ponder that it is such a crying shame our children can not play outside on the street without the threat of some sick, strange perverted individual lurking around the next corner and then if we keep them indoors , what then? We are slated and snubbed for not providing our children with a physically stimulating exercise programme, and god forbid if you mention Xbox or TV, the rise of these can only add to the pressure on us to get our kids out to play.
So we find ourselves here, in a somewhat strange modern day setting, this is almost like being in a bubble and the real world id awaiting outside but even if the outside is full of threats and terrible events waiting to grab our children as they happily play on their street at least we are safe, in here, we all feel happy in the knowledge that tonight they have played safe and will be exhausted enough to sleep even if our bank balances will be somewhat lighter due to the fact that children’s play, once a prerequisite of childhood is no longer free.
But, all in all, I take my hat off to these entrepreneurs who invented the indoor play centres, because even if I have spent a few quid here to enable my child to have his entitled safe play , it is actually far less than I would have parted with if I had gone to those god damn shops instead..