Kid Killer Park

Our neighbors, all wonderful folks, ensured Karl not to worry about his family while deployed -- they would take care of us. Little did they know just how soon the girls and I would put them to the test. A week hadn't even passed yet and we required a trip to the ER. We went to the Sullivan's upstairs for dinner. Afterwards the kids were watching a movie and Carolyn decided to sit on the top of the sofa. Ella didn't appreciate Carolyn's legs in her face, so Ella pushed her off the couch. Carolyn landed straight on the floor, no time to react to the fall; smacking the back of her head on the concrete floor. She seems a bit dazed to us and her eyes didn't exactly dilate. We felt she was on the verge of a concussion, but not exactly. After a few minutes on my lap, she went out into the hallway to play. She came in a few minutes later to tell me she was seeing stars and two of me. That was it, to the emergency room. I really didn't want to take my chances since it was so close to bedtime. Our wonderful neighbors went into action. Mary Holt drove us to the hospital (@ 30 minute drive) while Marta Sullivan bathed and put Ella and Meghan to sleep. In the end Carolyn had a mild concussion. I wrote to a bunch of friends that I hoped this was our only trip to the ER while in Oki. I'm sure our neighbors were thinking the same thing. Little did we all know, one week later we would be back there.......

One of the great perks of Okinawa are the playgrounds. They are a throw back to the 70's parks of our childhood. Chipped off paint; metal equipment; rocky hard landing surfaces, etc. Mary and I took advantage of a day off from school and took the kids to the Civic Center Park or Yaejima Koen. It is perfect for the child who wants a little bit of everything, including a toddler park. But the highlights are a roller slide and drop-slide. The roller slide is a blast!! You slide down on cardboard pieces. We've seen a few kids with second degree burns from the metal rollers this summer. We were all grateful it was an overcast, damp day.

After a while on the rollers we decided to check out the drop-slide. They aren't kidding when they call it drop-slide. It is literally a sheer drop that bottoms out about 9 feet later and then starts again. Your feet literally dangle in front of you as you hold on to a bar. The slide is positioned on a rocky hill, so if you were to catch and fly off; expect severe broken bones.

We all were terrified to try it - no one wanted another trip to the ER. I think Mary and I were ready to pack it in, but Aidan, Mary's 6 year old son, was determined to try it. He slid down with great ease. Our fears dismayed, Carolyn and I then gave it a shot. Great, no problem. Even Meghan was willing to give it a try. Not a good idea. Something happened and Meghan and I became speeding bullets. We hit the middle section, caught air and smacked both of our heads on the slide and kept going. At the bottom, we both apparently started staggering, holding our heads in opposite directions. Poor Mary - yet again, she had visions of taking the Rohr's to the hospital! Meghan and I were able to shake it off; continuing on to the toddler playground.

Things just continued to go down hill. It was so bad it became funny. Not to be left out. Ella completed the family's injuries by smacking her face on the see-saw. The classic one kid gets off and sends the other flying injury. This time though Ella wasn't on the see-saw, she was just trying to get a closer look. The playground was coated with a slick layer of wet moss. The other kids kept slipping trying to run/walk to the equipment. We called it a day and headed for Starbucks to nurse our wounds.

Post note: that night my necked seized up. I got WHIPLASH from a slide!!! Crazy!!! But that was just how fast we were going. Thankfully my neck healed in a few days. I think we'll avoid the kid killer park for a while.