You see, in the earlier days Doug and I had a rather united stand on the issue of backyard trampolines. Too dangerous. We had some injuries with our kids using other people's tramps ("crack the egg" and stunts like that) and in our minds it just wasn't worth the risk. We even had the American Pediatric Association to back us up. Not gonna do it. Nope.
However, our kids continued to use other people's tramps. Our neighbors even had one in their backyard that our kids had standing permission to go and use whenever they wanted. And our kids used their tramp all the time, until they gave it to their son for his children.
And nobody was getting hurt. We'd had plenty of talks with our kids about double jumping and safe ways to jump, etc etc, and things were going okay. (I know they were probably double jumping when we weren't around. But I think that we at least raised their consciousness a little about the dangers. I think...)
And here was something to think about, I bought our house because of the trees. It was really important to me for my children to have trees to climb. And climb they did. Really high. Could be dangerous. But my thinking was that the more you do something (like climb a tree) the better you become at it and the more natural it is for you. You don't get paralyzed by fear--which can be dangerous.
Well, as the boys got older they were into roller blading, and we've actually gone to the ER a few times because of that. Nowadays they long-board and have had a few injuries. We are into biking-road and mountain, and have had a few ER visits because of falls (Doug included in this one. Mostly Doug for this one).
And for the past few years I have wanted a backyard trampoline. I've seen that there are dangers everywhere and you just need to minimize the risks as much as possible, but having a tramp doesn't automatically mean you're going to break your neck. You might. But probably not. And yet Doug has remained firmly against the idea.
The big deal for me was when Doug bought a motorcycle with some of the money he got when his Dad died. Now, talk about a contradiction! He has wanted a motorcycle for a LONG time even though I have been firmly against it. But he bought one anyway. And he has been safe. He is a careful rider. He minimizes his risks as much as possible. And he has had two+ years of great fun on his bike (KTM dual sport, which means he can go off-road with it. And he does find a dirt road to ride as much as possible when he has to travel anywhere).
And in the dynamics of a marriage this has sort of irked me. No on a tramp but yes on a motorcycle? I don't think so.
So I bought a backyard trampoline last week.
And our older sons cannot believe this has happened!
And we set it up the day after I brought it home.
And the way Jake and Abbie flipped and flopped around...
told me they've been doing some jumping somewhere!
We established the main rule: No double jumping.
That was the way Doug would feel okay about this.
And the kids agreed to that rule.
And after work Doug even came out and helped get the poles and the net on. And he did a little jumping himself. And had fun.
And the next night, when Doug and Jake were gone on a scout camp, Abbie and I took our pillows and blankets out so we could have our own camp out. And it was pretty fun for a few hours.
We looked at the trillions of stars. We talked. We snuggled. Abbie fell asleep. I dozed.
But you know, I have a really great bed in my room. I mean, a REALLY great bed. And after awhile that tramp felt like concrete to me. So around 4:00 AM I said, "Okay, that was fun. Now I'm going to my bed." And I did.
For me, a trampoline is for jumping. A bed is for sleeping.
And that is the story of our trampoline and how minds can change.
The End.
