As a parent....how do YOU feel about trampolines?

by onlycurious 28 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  onlycurious

  My daughter broke her arm REALLY just a hair above the elbow about 5 years ago. Her arm isn't the same after having pins in it.

  Now my oldest daughter has been going over to a friends house and doing BACK FLIPS (as if she's a pro) on the dumb thing.

  I see the worst happening and want to talk to the owner (the ex-hubby of an aquaintance of mine) about the dangers of liabilities of having a trampoline available to all his kids' friends.

  Do you think I am out of line to bring up the liability issues? I am going to tell him that I don't want my daughter on it anymore, let him know about my other daughters injury, the research I've done and the potential issues that could arise if one of these other kids does get injured. Do you think he would just get defensive or really take it for what it's worth.

  Opinions please. :)
• 

  passive suicide

  Trampolines are bouncy.............anything bouncy makes me nervous........but kids like to bounce.......I say bounce away, but be aware of the edges....just like life....when ya push it to the edge, the edge will push back....and not be bouncy. I had a friend almost die of a broken neck when he hit the edge of a trampoline...he had to have one of those halo thingys on his head for awhile.....That was scary.but...so is crossing the g.damn street. Is it really worth opening that huge can of worms you are considering? If you feel it is. Then do it. BUT you can't protect them from themselves forever.
• 

  vomit

  Wouldn't it be better if you could just tell you daughter not to do it and she wont? Mentioning Liabilities makes you sound "sue happy" and I wouldnt even let you on my trampoline.
• 

  eclipse

  There are trampolines that you can get put into the ground, and if you have that rubber made-from-old-tires tiles (they install in play grounds) put around the trampoline, it would be safer than just grass.

  I dont have one, but that what I would do if I were to buy one.
• 

  bebu

  Hi only!!

  Is the trampoline enclosed by a fence? How many people are jumping at a time? Are there adults nearby or on the property? Does his homeowner's insurance cover injuries?

  You should let the homeowner know you are concerned and have already had a trampoline accident. I don't know who would be liable, but it's better to tell the owners what's bugging you and why.

  If they can convince you that there will be enough safety precautions EVERY time she jumps, you might make an allowance. If there is a freak accident, however... who will foot the bill? If you think it's too much liabilty, you should discourage all those backflips.

  Oh, I'm SO thankful that we don't have a trampoline in our neighborhood. My oldest would be trying to bounce over houses, or jump off of the roof onto it...

  bebu
• 

  passive suicide

  We got trampolines allllllllll over the friggin Island...not to mention floating trampolines you can have in the ocean.then there's half pipes, and pools for skateboarding..huge surf in winter.......I'm telling ya...kids will find a way to entertain themselves.....and that is wayyyyyyyy better than them getting into hard drugs.........or sitting in front of a computer all day for that matter.:P
• 

  Vernon Williams

  I think they are great: they cause the need for a lot of the research going into spinal injury repair and those folks need jobs, too......

  V PS: My little one does not, will not, have one of these things....just an opinion.
• 

  Leolaia

  I had trampoline lessons in elementary school. I had a HUGE trampoline to bounce in, not those little tiny things that I see in people's backyards. So for most things the risk was almost nonexistent, but for flips, they started you out in a belt and harness so that minimized the risk as well until you learn how to do it without it, although it is back to the harness for more advanced things like putting a twist in the flip, etc. Anyway, I'm just curious .... how large was that trampoline?
• 

  Effervescent

  In my humble opinion... anything that gets kids out from in front of their GameBoys and outside doing physical activity is awesome! Pretty much any activity associated with childhood carries it's risk of injury. Riding bikes (my daughter took a huge chunk out of the back of her thigh last year doing this), climbing trees, swimming (had a friend die at our senior picnic no less), roller blading (my sister broke her nose once, it's still a bit crooked) etc etc etc. You can drive yourself up a wall worrying about the risks, or you can encourage your kids into activities, all the while firmly stressing safety. (helmets, knee pads... whatever it takes for the activity they're taking part in)

  As far as the trampoline is concerned specifically. I'd be more concerned that it doesn't invalidate his homeowners insurance. Personally, it's specifically mentioned in our insurance that we can't have a trampoline. If someone gets hurt and sues us, we are fully liable and they'll cancel our policy.

  I for my part have a problem with the Heelys that all the kids are wearing. Not in and of themselves, but the fact that they've turned every store and mall into a skating rink. Not cool.
• 

  blondie

  At school, we had safety monitors (other kids standing around the trampoline to catch you if you tripped their way) all around. Flips were never done without safety gear and a qualified teacher/trainer there.

  Later in my older years I went on a trampoline to re-visit those days. It was great until the next day and found that parts of my body were in pain, parts that I probably had not used since school days.

  So be safe, don't bounce alone, have adequate, qualified supervision. Don't even let this be 1% of your future if you can avoid it.

  Adequate, I don't know.

  

  Are you kidding! At least one person is there to call 911 (person taking picture).

  Not my future, please! At least not from a trampoline.

  Blondie