Patti’s Favorite Posts: 2023

My favorite 2023 post was our Treetop Quest playdate review.

I was so excited to find this activity and overjoyed at the mental and physical determination our kids displayed. Mary and I could only help or talk to our kids from a distance. We also couldn’t exactly show or model how to do the courses ourselves. They had to assess the situation, work their equipment, motor plan, and overcome a bit of reluctance. Our kids showed true teamwork, were cheerleaders for each other, and it was impressive. Such a proud mom moment.

Obviously, every parent wants their child to succeed and wants to challenge them appropriately. However, it can be difficult to properly gauge what your kid is mentally and emotionally ready for. As an adult who has done a few ropes courses, of course I’m going to think that this type of activity is going to be easy. But I’m not my child and this is a first-time experience for them.

There was always the sneaking feeling that at one point in this playdate, one of kids was going to freeze or let the height get to them; and in this case there really wasn’t an option but to get past it and move forward. I’m sure that the staff at Treetop Quest has plenty of experience rescuing kids when they hit a mental-block moment, but I was so relieved that our kids really learned to work together and comfort each other when they got stuck.

I also loved that my kids felt so accomplished when they finished their course. This was something they did completely on their own, with their own body. I could see how their brains were working and breaking down each obstacle. They also finished the course about 45 minutes early.

After the course, they had an hour of free play up in the Spider Quest. This was also fun to watch because they felt confident enough in themselves to experiment with all of the apparatuses, be silly even though they were 40 feet in the air, and turn any type of stress or fear they had into joy.

I hope you like the post and that I helps you start thinking of other fun and active challenges to introduce to you kids.