It’s that time of year again: playset season. The time when millions of parents get ready to shell out thousands of dollars for small-scale backyard jungle gyms for their beloved children.įor years I’d managed to successfully avert this requirement of suburban family life. Whenever we were outside in the backyard my kids wandered around aimlessly, invariably returning inside to the couch. I wanted to shoo them back outside and shout, “Go play!” But with what? We didn’t have a pool or swings or even a paved driveway to draw on. I decided for my own sanity and their survival we needed a playset. Visions of summer days whiled away on a swingset or in the attached fort with children’s laughter floating by on a balmy breeze, danced in my head. But I wanted one thing to be perfectly clear. If I was going to take out a second mortgage to finance a playset, my kids were going to have to live on it-literally. The playset we eyed-up had a house-like enclosure and a picnic table and was practically as big as my house. It was certainly a suitable dwelling for two smallish people. They could come inside for the winter but not until then. And if we ran some electric wiring and plumbing to the fort, I might not ever have to see them again.īut as with most fantasies, once realized, the facts on the ground don’t quite match the vision, and so it was with the playset. My research on playsets commenced well before spring because I thought if we bought in the off-season, we might be able to get a reasonable price. There are no reasonable prices when it comes to playsets. I don’t know if the hardware is solid gold or if the structure is made of rare, endangered wood, but bargains are not to be had. So I considered an option a friend suggested: used playsets. One could get a whole playset for half the price. Playtime by Eimmie 18 Inch Furniture Couch for Doll House with Living Room Accessories, TV & Pets - Wood Set - Fits American, Generation, My Life & Similar Brand 14-18in Girl Toys 4. Unfortunately, it did not have my husband’s name written on it. He was against the whole playset idea from the beginning-it would damage his grass. If, however, I was going to insist he acknowledge he has children and that they require toys, then he determined he would need a deluxe model worthy of being placed atop his pristine lawn. Still, I continued in my search for pre-owned models, convinced I could satisfy us both. And I was successful in finding a used playset in relatively good condition large enough for two school-age kids. But the best part was it only cost about a thousand bucks.
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