BM's mom wants to buy the skids a trampoline and put it in our yard?
BM's mother called DF last week and said she wants to buy the skids a trampoline, but that she doesn't have room in her yard for it....which was a lie. She has a huge yard. DF called her on that and said what do you mean, your yard is huge! So she then said that she doesn't want neighbor kids jumping on it, and since our yard is fenced in she thought we'd want it. Plus, the kids are at our house more than at hers so they'd get more use out of it. (FYI, BM lives in an apartment.)
Okay, it's a nice enough gesture and she probably thinks she's being a saint for suggesting it. However, the kids are 3 and 5. SS3 can barely run without getting hurt, he hits his head on ANYTHING, had to get stitches after bowling, etc. He is just a typical, very accident-prone little boy. A trampoline would most likely bring serious injury, unless we only let him jump on it with one of us while holding his hands. We've seen him on a trampoline at gymnastics classes (surrounded by mats, mind you) and he's ALL over the place. He's just not able to control himself at all yet.
So I asked DF if she was planning to buy an enclosure for it. She hadn't mentioned that. She called him the next day to ask him if we'd talked about it. He asked her about the enclosure, and she said NO! She wasn't going to buy one because the enclosure itself is over $100, but that WE could buy one. What the hell is she thinking?
So BM's mother's NEXT excuse to persuade us to let this happen was "But the little one could jump on it too!" referring to my UNBORN CHILD! Yeah, my newborn will LOVE that! I seriously don't know where she gets her logic from. So we have to wait 3 more years before my baby can jump on it, really.
Our other reasoning to not allow the trampoline is because we have a big swingset/playhouse thing in our back yard already, we have a large dog, a deck that covers about a 3rd of the yard, and a big tree with branches that wouldn't allow you to put a trampoline underneath it. So the trampoline would literally take up the rest of our useable yard space. If the kids were older, they wouldn't need the playset anymore and we'd be fine with getting rid of it and replacing it with the trampoline.
DF flat out told her NO, not this summer, and maybe in a few years. Now she went and told the kids that "Daddy won't let you get a trampoline, even though grandma wanted to buy you one!" GRRRR.
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i say don't get it either....
i say don't get it either.... law suit in the making with neighbor kids getting broken arms, etc....... or worse like micheles mentioned.....
We had a trampoline for DS
We had a trampoline for DS and skids when they were pretty young but it had the enclosure so they couldn't fall off! It was actually some of the best spent money for us because the kids were on it ALL THE TIME. Good exercise and it got them out of the house. However, we had plenty of room for it, we have no close neighbors to get on it and we had the enclosure. Without the enclosure I'd say no way!
Also, a person's homeowner's
Also, a person's homeowner's insurance can go up if they find out you have a trampoline.
Our BM's mom tried the exact
Our BM's mom tried the exact same thing with us! DH was all for it, but I said no way. Main reason: Trampolines are dangerous. Our pediatrician asks us EVERY time we come in if our kids every play on trampolines. We tell him no (the truth). It's not so much the falling off and getting a broken bone (happens pretty regularly). It's the spinal compression injuries kids get even if they don't fall off. It's not worth it to me. But beyond that, it's your yard and if a major piece of equipment is going to be put into it, that needs to be your decision. Yes, I was the bad guy when BM's mom had to tell SD that she wasn't getting her trampoline. I think BM's mom ended up buying it anyway and putting it in her own back yard.
I wholeheartedly agree with
I wholeheartedly agree with all of you that
1) BM's mom just doesn't want the responsibility of watching them 100% of the time they're outside.
2) Ridiculously dangerous in itself, even with a net.
3) Can provide great fun and exercise for kids if properly supervised, but even then it is bound to cause injury.
I'm a trained gymnast and have been on tramps my whole life...they are fun for me. They are great training tools for things like dance, gymanstics, and cheerleading, which I would definitely take advantage of for my step daughter and if I have a daughter. However, I would never allow that until they were in at least middle or high school, either.
Thanks for letting me know I wasn't overreacting!
And I wanted to add that if I
And I wanted to add that if I were to get a tramp for my kids when they're older and use it as a training tool it would be while I spot them, not just letting them throw skills by themselves
I think the bottom line is
I think the bottom line is other people don't have the right to tell you what to do in or around your home. Those other people include anyone who is not on the deed or the lease.
My SD16 asked my DH for a trampoline! I was like, "What! You're 16. You've done pretty well without one until now so I think you'll be okay."
Yes! I know that in some states trampolines increase your home owner's insurance.
You don't have to justify your decision to anyone. Get your DH husband on your side and both of you respond with a resounding NO!
that's my 2 cents
your house insurance will go
your house insurance will go up. and maybe your insurance may not even allow it. I bought my son one a long time ago. I rec'd a letter from my ins. stating I will need to get a different ins. company, because they do not insure those.
I ended up getting rid of the trampoline
What about instead, if you
What about instead, if you have the space, one of those bounce houses -smaller one of course. I'd think that they are less dangerous, and I've seen them at Sam's so maybe that would be a decent compromise?
I do agree though that it shouldn't have to be on your property.
HAHA!! Thank you for a good
HAHA!! Thank you for a good mid-afternoon laugh
OMG luckyduck.. Now I can't
OMG luckyduck.. Now I can't stop imagining a very pregnant woman trying to jump on a trampoline.. I know I know bad for mama and baby.. But really funny in my head right now..
If she is going to purchase
If she is going to purchase it - she needs to put it up at her house. AND get the enclosure as well. She is wanting to put the responsibility on you guys and that is not fair.
Let her do it herself for her own home.
My parents bought me a
My parents bought me a trampoline for my 4th birthday. I had it until I was 11. It was one of the rectangle ones and we had pads that went on the bars and over the springs. We took it camping with us when I was about 8, and returned to set it up, but the pads were not yet on. I was bouncing back and forth on one leg. And I was proficient at this point - I could do front and back flips. Long story short, I lost my balance and fell, knocking my eyebrow on the bar - thirteen stitches across my left eye to sew the gash.
My brother (18 at the time) was out goofing around on it at night and broke his leg.
Yep, they are dangerous. And my father always had a "use at your own risk" sign posted.
Your skids are definitely too young at this point. And it is not the grandma's decision - it is yours.