Playground Anarchy

About two weeks ago, there were a few abnormally warm days and I found Myself thrust, once again, into the world of park outings, child governance, and playground rule. It took Me one whole summer to catch on, but after countless hours of observing and interacting with My son at various parks, I realized that children do not naturally conform to the democratic philosophy. Rather, a sense of anarchy seems to prevail. Rule switches from child to child and, during times of extreme duress, a dominant group of rules emerges to protect the good of the whole, maintain order, and ensure that no one takes more than one turn. Each child makes and breaks rules conjured up by themselves as well as by others and intense, short debates about who should go first down the slide, how loud is too loud when it comes to screaming, and who is acceptable to socialize with, are frequent. Groups form organically and a Utopian peace grapples the masses. Parents, including Myself, try to intervene with morals and rules of their own, but this only serves to temporarily scramble the balance. Anarchy slowly edges its way back and commands again echo from swing to swing.