Playgrounds

One thing I really miss about living in Europe are the playgrounds. There isn't a single playground in my town, in spite of having a population of over 30.000 habitants during winter. There's not a single place where the kids can swing or play ball, except in the streets or on the beach.

I don't let my kids play in the street. I think it's too dangerous because there are a lot of cars on our street and most people drive too fast. So my kids just don't play outdoors as much as they should. There isn't any good squares where they could play either. Luckily enough there's the new area they constructed in spring, just by the beach, where they can run around and play. Kids need to be outdoors for at least a few hours a day, they need to run free and get dirty.

The play thing in the picture is from a park in Spain which we visited in November. My kids were so happy to be able to play in such a thing again. They really miss that. But what can I do? Except for crossing the border as often as I can to take them to the playgrounds so they can play.