'Parents at the park should get off the bench and play with their kids'

However, one mum says the park bench is actually the MVP for one reason. 

When you go to the park with your tot, you likely fall into one of two categories.

You’re either the parent scaling the monkey bars alongside your child. Or you're the one happily parked in a North Face jacket on the ever-faithful park bench.

Maybe you teeter between both roles, or maybe you feel strongly about one over the other. 

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"Let the playground be for kids"

In a recent Instagram post, mum-of-three Amanda says she’s firmly Team Bench.  

“God forbid we, I don’t know… let the playground be for kids,” she writes.

According to the caption on her reel, Amanda’s video is in response to another she saw during a scroll on social media. 

“I saw a reel that said ‘parents at the park should get off the bench and play with their kids…’ No,” she writes.

The footage shows her soaking in the peaceful bliss of the park bench, iced coffee in hand, while her children play.

Amanda says the park is “a space where they get to experience some freedom, explore, interact and engage with other children without their parent breathing down their neck.”

To be clear, she’s not advocating for total disconnection.

“My youngest is two and a half and asks for my help with some things based on his abilities. So again, I get it. And I’m not saying to never intervene, play with or support your kiddo,” she explains. 

She just wants sitting down while your kids entertain themselves to be normalised.

“IT’S OKAY if you don’t want to be the adult scaling the playground!! I didn’t think this was a controversial take,” she said.

Amanda notes that when she’s voiced this opinion in the past, she’s been called “lazy.”

One mum says "it's okay" to find peace and quiet in the park bench while the kids play. Image: Supplied

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"That is my time to co-parent with the slides" 

The comments were divided.

“I'm fine with folks sitting as long as they're paying attention and not on their phone. The park is not the place to zone out,” one commenter said. 

“Absolutely not. That is my time to co-parent with the slides,” one parent disagreed. 

A third raised safety concerns: “these structures are so unsafe so you should helicopter and also let them play in varied age peer groups!” 

“I tell my kids all the time: 'Go play with your brothers, that’s why I made more than one of you.' I’m here to sip my coffee and talk to my friends,” another shared.

Regardless, I think we can all agree we’re all just doing our best. One bench sit and burnt coffee at a time. 

Originally published as 'Parents at the park should get off the bench and play with their kids'