I jumped on the trampoline today. I'm embarrassed to say it's been set up for two weeks already and this is the first day I went on it. I just haven't had the time! (I know, I know - I blogged about my free evening just this week).
When we bought this trampoline, we had all sorts of helpful advice from people who informed us we had to have the surrounding net, the special springs, a certain size and type of mat. These advice-givers were very well meaning and just had our childrens' safety in mind. However, we had their fun in mind! I think North America has become way too safety conscious and has suck the fun right out of many activities and toys. We don't have a net, fancy springs or any rules on our trampoline. What we have are expectations that whoever uses it will use common sense and will have a blast. Sure we've had a few bumps and bruises but we've had way more fun than injuries. Our children have learned how to break a bounce to prevent flying off the tramp and they've learned how to land properly on the grass when they do get bounced right off.
I know the potential for getting seriously hurt is there but they can also get hurt swinging or riding their bikes (yes, they do wear helmets biking). I'm thankful for our trampoline and I'm anticipating a great summer of having bum wars and bouncing each other off. A.
