Saturday, June 16, 2012

Kids Can't Play In Fountains at Crown Center

There's a place in my town (my town is HUGE, by the way) called Crown Center. The area contains an office building (where I used to work and almost got my soul sucked out of my body working as an assistant in public relations), an ice skating rink, high-end restaurants, a hotel, Hallmark Cards (yes, THE Hallmark cards!), the new SeaLife Aquarium, LegoLand Discovery Center and shops and what else have I forgotten? It's got a crapload of cool stuff.

It also has cool fountains. Fountains kids can't play in anymore. Great decision to be making since it's HOT and SUMMER and all that. You'd think I'd be a jerk about it and fight it and all that, right? Not this time.

Check out this piece that changed my mind called Behavior By a Few Ruined Crown Center Fountain For All.

Here's the comment I left:
"I agree with all this, and I have 5 kids who love the fountain. But they need to fence it off or something, dummies! Of course the kids will run in it. If they fenced it off then they would not need to waste money on a security guard/baby bouncer!"

Some are calling this decision racist since lots of black kids come there to play. I get that they are afraid of people suing ... hell, I cringe when my kids play there because all I see is an ER visit with cracked skulls.

The thing that bugs me is that now a security guard will chase off your kids. This is fine for those who know about the decision. But what about those who don't know and show up  for a day of fun like always and then are chased off? They need to fence it off and put up huge signs or something.

Don't your kids play in lakes and rivers? Don't animals and people pee and poop in those? How is that any LESS disgusting than a poopie diaper coming off in a fountain? Is the water recycled, so the poop goes down a drain and then comes back out?

As usual, people, school me on all this. Then enjoy some nice photos from our last trip to the fountain area this past spring on the same day we went to the SeaLife Aquarium.

This is the building where I used to work when I dreamed every day of becoming a stay-at-home mom and writer. Back then they would not let assistants become PR staff ... like it was the 1960s or something. Very strange.

Looks like fun, huh? NO MORE WATER FOR YOU, kids! HAHAHAHA! I got 10 bucks that says the guy who made this decision doesn't have kids.

I'm so cool I live in the town where Hallmark Cards is.

A neato restaurant in the Crown Center Complex in Kansas City, MO.

More fountain fun. Now picture this with like a zillion kids and you will see that it can become a crazy nutso place.

A view of the shops and the hotel with my 5 precious ones having some fun.