I know my two little nieces, one age 6 and one age 2 1/2, have a great time playing and exploring on swing sets very similar to the one you see in that picture. I visited with them this past fall. My younger brother, his wife, their two young daughters, and I went to a park where they had a very elaborate wooden swing set plus lots of other equipment. They had the best time playing on all of that. I know the girls would love it if they had something similar at home. So far, they do not. But happily, their next door neighbor has a swing set. Since their young son and daughter enjoy my two nieces, they often get the opportunity to make use of that equipment with great enjoyment.
When I was age 3 and 4, I can remember playing on a swing set such as you see in the lower picture. My parents had purchased one for us when we lived in Ohio. My brother was three years older. He enjoyed it some. I can remember playing on it with a little neighbor girl by the name of Lynn. She was 2 years younger than I was.
When I was 5 and 6, we moved to some apartments in Rochester, New York. They had a fenced-in playground nearby. They had a swing set and a wooden see saw, and a tall slide. I remember trying to use the see saw like a slide and getting splinters in my backside. My mother took me to the doctor to remove the splinters. That was not much fun! But playing on that big metal swing set and sliding down the huge slide was lots of fun.
When I was 7, we moved to the outskirts of Rochester. My folks built my mother's dream house in Pittsford. We only got to live there 2 years before my father was transferred from Kodak in Rochester to Tennessee Eastman Co. in Kingsport, Tennessee. I don't recall having a swing set then. I guess my folks felt I was too old. Plus, the elementary school that I attended was fairly close by. Additionally, there was a park not far from our house. I guess they figured that I could use the swing sets in either of those locations.
When I was going into the fourth grade, we moved to a house in Kingsport. My older brother was going into the 7th grade. My little brother was 7 months old. When he turned about 2 or 3, my folks purchased a metal swing set for him that they placed in our side yard. Even though I was 9, I still enjoyed swinging on that set every now and then. My little brother loved it as well.
My final memory is of swinging on one of those swing sets and trying to swing as high as the moon. I don't recall where we were living at the time. I simply recall the delight of seeing how high I could swing and the lovely dream of trying to pretend like I could fly and become airborne with this swing as my vehicle to get me there.
What are your swing set memories? Please feel free to share. Have a happy day and happy memories of past delights such as swinging and sliding and playing on equipment such as the ones pictured above.
