A mom on TikTok has sparked controversy after sharing her idea for what she thought was a fun and innocent summer activity for young kids. The mom uses dish soap and water to up the ante on trampoline fun for her young son, and at first glance it looks like a wonderful idea. Many people in the comments said they remember doing the same when they were children. But give it another thought, and as a parent — perhaps one that leans toward being overly protective — and you'll quickly realize all of the possible dangers that could come from this scenario.
Trampolines are dangerous and tend to be one of those things that pediatricians and ER doctors alike recommend keeping kids away from. One paramedic and firefighter actually came across the original video and decided to stitch it to remind parents that this activity is just not worth the risk.
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The mom's intentions were innocent.
In the original video, the mom says, "Did you know that dish soap, a sprinkler, and a trampoline could entertain your kid for over an hour?" as she pours soap and water all over the trampoline and her very young child runs and jumps on the play equipment.
Yeah, we get it. Summer days are long, and we're always looking for non-screen activities to fill the time for our kids. Backyard fun always seems like a good idea.
Things take a dark turn in the TikTok stitch, though.
In the video by TikToker @tisoka1652302, he shows the original video but then cuts to himself issuing a warning to parents everywhere. "Did you know an ambulance ride to the hospital is like $6,000," he says mockingly.
"And taking care of a kid with two broken legs will really make you question your parenting choices in making a slip and slide trampoline of death?!" he continues.
Oof! We see his point. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, trampoline injuries are on the rise, and doctors do not recommend recreational trampoline use for kids.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics stands firmly against kids on trampolines.
"Over the decade, trampoline-related fractures increased each year by nearly 4% per person-year. Rates per 100,000 person-years rose from 35 to 53," the organization states, citing to a study published in 2019.
The academy's recommendation against trampolines goes for both at home and at recreational facilities.
"The locale where injuries occurred also changed. While home was most common throughout the decade, sports and recreation facilities made up an increasing share, although authors noted this category isn’t limited to trampoline parks," the organization continued. "In 2017, 19% of trampoline-related fractures occurred at a sports and recreation facility compared to 3.5% in 2008. The odds of a fracture occurring at such a facility increased about 32% a year, according to the study."
Considering those figures, 'trampoline of death' seems like quite an accurate title.
Now that he mentioned it, we can't keep all the possibly injury scenarios from playing on a reel in our minds. A lot of people on TikTok are freaking out as well.
"net doesn't matter when u come down on ur ankle wrong bc it slipped out from under u. speaking from experience. broken ankle," one person wrote, and that was without the slippery soap and water!
"let's not forget the soap inside the eyes," someone else pointed out.
"Our ambulance ride was $1300 and it was more than the hospital trip," another person commented.
"Hell might as well let them play tag on the freeway! That'll keep them busy for awhile," one comment reads.
"We did this as kids was fun till it wasn't" someone wrote.
Lots of people say they've done it and let their kids do it too.
Despite all the criticism, a lot of commenters say they did this all the time as kids, while others claim to let their own kids do it.
"I have survivors bias (no net or spring cover either), but this was 100% my favorite outside game as a kid," one person commented.
" We use to jump off of the garage roof onto the trampoline, this is child’s play," someone else wrote.
"I used to do this all the time it was so fun, worth the risk," another comment reads.
Yeah, buddy, we're not so sure about that. Maybe you don't have kids.
