Run Ragged at Ragley

Bah humbug, I have to go back to work on Monday.  I therefore decided to have a final big day out with the children and their nan yesterday.

We personally love Ragley Hall as there is so much open space for the children to run around in and they have a fantastic play area, which suits children of all ages up to 16.

The only trouble with having the range of age children I have is splitting myself between the activities they all want to go on.  Especially as they all shout out ‘look at me mom’.  My youngest thinks she can compete with her older siblings on the big slides and climbing frames they go on.  And to be fair, she has a go.  Okay, my stomach is in my mouth watching her but you have to let them try.

There is one activity which, no kidding is higher than an average house.  You walk up this wooden structure with netting  etc attached and there is a slide for the small children (which to me is still quite steep) and then it goes up to the highest point where there is one of those metal enclosed slides.

It clearly states that you have to be over 5ft to go on this part of the equipment.  The last time we went my eldest son asked me to watch him climb up and come down the slide.  As I did I blinked in the sunlight to see my other son (who is nowhere near 5 ft running along the equipment behind his big brother laughing).

I held my breath but he came down the slide safely and proceeded to run back round again. This clearly is not in the guidance books about being a parent.  Should I have stopped him or should he have the freedom to try it as he looked confident and was (as far as you can be on these playthings) safe?  My own thoughts after seeing him were not to break his spirit.  Plus I couldn’t have caught up with him and I’m a bit scared of heights myself so would probably have been putting my own fears on to him.

Having said that he had no inclination to go on it this time round.  He’d tried it and that was that.

Suffice to say we had a great day, playing badminton, flying a kite, having a picnic and enjoying the freedom.

Then my eldest son asked if he could have some time out with me on his own in the adventure playground.  My other children were happy being with nan and collecting bags of stones, so we snuck off.

We ran to the playground like naughty children and then my son said "right, now for your challenges". 

He ‘made me’ go on the smaller slides first (which I don’t particularly like as they hurt your back on the ridges in them), but I did it.  He then took me to a tower that we had to climb, walk across a net, climb through a narrow hole down some steps onto a platform where there was a rope you could monkey climb to get to the other side.

No problem then.  After overcoming my wussy fear of heights and getting to the rope, my son just raced across it (show off) and then waited for me.  I clung to that rope and started to pull myself across when my son suddenly stood under me and lifted my feet.  I got almost to the other side but didn’t have the strength to lift my legs up to the other side.

I dropped on to the mat and thanked my son for his help.

Challenge still not over.  He then pulled me over to a platform that you just throw yourself off onto a mat.  It must have been at least 60 ft high.  Okay I am exaggerating but it could have been for all the churning in my stomach.  It was as tall as an adult, so not that high until you are standing waiting to jump off.

I ashamedly admit that I had to wait for my son to come and hold my hand so we could jump off together!

He was building me up to a big finale here.  My next challenge was the massively high equipment that my then 4 year old had run across laughing.  I was shaking inside but I knew I had to do it for my sons sake.  And you know what, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.  Climbing across at the height we were was a bit stomach churning for me, but the slide wasn’t that bad.

After that everything else was tame but my son enjoyed the time we shared.

The last highlight of the day was having a go at steering nan’s car on our long way out of the park. They each took it in turns to steer the car across the grass which they thoroughly enjoyed and finished the day off well.

Today I am aching in places I didn’t know could ache, but it was worth it.

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