Only in Taipei…
The kids had two days off of school for Teacher Work Days last month, so a friend of mine, and parent of Harold’s best buddy, suggested an outing to Leo’s Playland. It is located all the way downtown, by the famous Taipei 101 skyscraper, but with her driver’s trusty skills, we made it there with ease.
Leo’s is a huge indoor playland for kids. The children can run and climb and shoot sqooshy balls at each other, while the parents sit and have a chat and a cup of coffee. Our school was the only one closed on the day we went to the playland, so it wasn’t at all crowded. I think half of the kids were from our school.
Play areas such as this one are usually the bane of my parenting existence. I know that no matter how healthy our kids are when they enter, they will, more likely than not, spend the next days or weeks suffering from some sort of nasty cold or stomach bug they picked up while they played in the germ fest.
Imagine my delight, when, upon entering Leo’s, before we even fished out our wallets, employees scanned each of our foreheads to check for fever! Oh, if only we could get this practice in place in US establishments… Plus, the place is immaculate!
Loyal readers know I am not a helicopter parent, but when it comes to germs, maybe I am, just a bit, overprotective. The attitude stems from years of parenting young kids while my husband was away for varying lengths of time.
The active play is closely monitored by employees and when Harold’s buddy fell, despite the fact that he quickly hopped up and ran on, he was chased down by a helpful employee carrying an ice pack for the imagined injury.
When it’s time for a break, parents can order food for their brood and the cuisine is actually pretty good. Choices extend far beyond pizza and other standard child fare to fancy pasta and meats!
Harold had a great time with his friends and we moms had fun, too. I’d definitely go back to Leo’s on another teacher work day.
The Deployment Diatribes 