The ease and anonymity of playtime

There is a certain peace that I get by bringing my son to our local park. Sure there is the peace that I get later, after he has been worn out and sleeps like a rock. But I'm talking about the simple things that only parents will understand.

Building sand castles, climbing jungle gyms, playing hide and seek, swinging from trees, all the things that, as an adult we rarely do, unless you have a child to enjoy it with.

I get to be a kid again and that's something I'm pretty good at. Remember, I'm an artist anyways, we never really grow up. Some of the other parents are really good at it too, and we smile and nod at each other as we pass by on our hands an knees, roaring like a lion.

And that's the other thing, everyone knows my sons name, but they don't know mine. No one asks what I do for a living, but they ask how potty training is going. We talk about pooping, preschool, naps, sharing, biting, toys and we laugh at our children's antics as they run in circles around our feet. Small talk at its best, but it is a conversation that all parents need. We need to know that we are not alone, we are not insane and we need to know that we are good parents. No one gets upset that you aren't looking them in the eye while talking, that sentences are cut off midway through, when you need to grab a toddling baby that has wondered in the path of a swing set. When you leave, it's a wave and a high five for the boy, then it's back to your life just as you left it, except your child is happy and worn out and you are content in a way that only playtime in the park can bring.