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I thought it would be a great idea to get a huge swing set for the backyard, so we did. My husband spend 5 weekends working on it, we got a dump truck of mulch and it looks great. The problem is that my kids don't really spend time on it. I'm so mad I could scream. Will they eventually play on it? Do I have to force them to be on it? My daughter complains that there are too many mosquitos, and there are a bunch, but I feel like a big fool for spending 900 bucks on a swing set. What would you do?
I thought it would be a great idea to get a huge swing set for the backyard, so we did. My husband spend 5 weekends working on it, we got a dump truck of mulch and it looks great. The problem is that my kids don't really spend time on it. I'm so mad I could scream. Will they eventually play on it? Do I have to force them to be on it? My daughter complains that there are too many mosquitos, and there are a bunch, but I feel like a big fool for spending 900 bucks on a swing set. What would you do?
I'm not sure there is much you can do. Maybe go outside with them and encourage them to "swing higher" etc. I wouldn't take it down, or anything. Maybe invite friends over to play on it. My kids oldest and least used toys get played with when friends come over. It is like seeing them with new eyes, or something.
First, I'd spray for the mosquitoes - we used to have to treat our whole yard and then also apply OFF when we lived in GA near wetlands.
Can you kick them out of the house and into the yard? I know sometimes my kids get in a rut and play inside and when we make them go outside they usually end up at the swingset.
Where you are it is probably pretty hot out right now and maybe they will use it more come October. I know in GA we did not play outside in the summer except to go to the pool.
Have you sprayed the backyard for mosquitos? I didn't even realize you could do this until I was discussing my concerns with a realtor in TX.
I'm a "mosquito magnet"... for the 4 1/2 years we lived in FL I couldn't wear scented lotions, use scented soap/shampoo, wear perfume, etc without being eaten ALIVE despite wearing Deep Woods OFF with DEET and using those citronella candles plus those OFF lamps -4 of them on a 10 x 10 deck and they STILL bit me non-stop - but weren't bothering anyone else!
We bought a thing off cutter that we have yet to apply to the area. It is hot, we live in a cul de sac. In the evenings when it is more shaded, we are usually out in the cul de sac riding our bikes and scooters. By that time, the mosquitos are out in full force in the back yard. I'm hoping they will use it in the fall time, but in the meantime, I'm feeling like a big fool...
Depending on how old your kids are, it might help to give them some toys that they can play with in the mulch - like construction type trucks. Once they get used to playing over there, they'll be on the swing set in no time.
Yeah... I always had the vision of a self-made swing... made of a board hanging on ropes off a strong tree branch. Then we saw a relatively "cheap" swing set at WM for $99. Well, the kids use it 5% of the time. I think, the artificiality of modern "playgrounds" turns anyone off, except for toddlers. Sterile, cleaned up places. Humans abhore that. Just like "plazas", wide-open spaces, are sparsely inhibited. Nooked and crannied spaces like brownstone neighbourhoods, or treed space in rural places, feel more comfy. Jane Jacobs in the Economy of Cities wrote about that.
Anyway, we are moving and will put self-made swings and tires and tire horses on tree branches. The swing set has hooks that will serve well for painting something that needs to be hung-painted.
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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What have you done to curb the mosquito problems? Clean your gutters, look for any bit of standing water (tiger mosquitos can breed in a bottle cap), put mosquiot dunks in ponds, etc.
What ages are your kids? We had a swing set when our kids were about 4 and 5, and they loved it! But, it does seem to be a somewhat quickly outgrown thing. We moved from that house when the kids were 5 and 6, and left the swing set there. They didn't seem to miss it too much!
Maybe putting something else out there that they can enjoy, like a little pool, a sandbox, or one of those playhouses might bring them around to play on the swing set, too. It's a shot in the dark, and I know you have already spent a fortune, but it might work!
Good luck!!
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