Swings and Tears

I was at an elementary school and had the unfortunate task of recess duty (I must admit, it was a beautiful spring day outside on this particular day so it wasn't all that unfortunate). Anywho, the teacher that I was in for had informed me that her spot for duty is usually around the swings. Great I thought, I won't have to worry or watch kids running and tripping and scrapping their knees on the structure, swings I can do, swings are easy.

So we are having a great time swinging away. Then one little girl whom I'm pretty sure I hadn't taught all day (this was an unexpected phys-ed day) took a shinning to me and held my hand while I watched a bunch of well behaved kids swing away. Then a swing opens up and the little girl takes off for it. Telling me that I must push her.

Now, before I continue with this story I told her I was going to give her an under duck. I asked her if this was ok. Pretty sure I didn't get a response so I went for it. I mean, who doesn't love an under duck?!?

Sidenote: For those of you who don't know what an under duck is it is when you pull the swing way way back above your head and then as you push off the child you run underneath it sending the swing soaring through the air... or decently high. Much higher than a regular push would ever get you.

So little girl gets an under duck and about one millisecond into the swing of her lifetime she is balling her eyes out.

Shoot.

I stop the swing.

She jumps off.

Whatever we had I ruined by under ducking her.

Lesson learned.... no more under ducks.

In the meantime... I was nannying over the summer and we would frequent the parks. The kids I was usually with were 3 and 5 and naturally loved the swings and loved being pushed higher.

Having learned my lesson of the under duck catastrophe I did not under duck them. I just kept pushing them (clearly I am unaware of my own strength or how quickly I can get the kids soaring). Yes, it happened again, I made a kid cry on the swings.

Ever since that day the kids I nannied for would tell me "more, more, more, stop" so that I wouldn't over push them.

Swings, they are a complicated science.