I've taken my 3 year old there and not had any issues. I don't mind chasing her around and don't find the lay out to be that difficult to get around. It does challenge you to get up and follow them around as you can't see the entire park from any one vantage, but that has always been the case @ Wheaton: It's a large space with a large elevation change in the middle. I believe they made the best use of what was there and the ramp/walkway in the middle appears to be for the benefit of those who require wheelchair access.

I do not like the fact that I have to walk _all the way around the fencing_ to get to my son after he comes down the slides and I certainly do not care for the holes in the fencing where he's tried to jump down the cement wall, either.

I haven't been there yet and can only rely on your pictures and description, but I have the same issues as you. I have 4 kids, two of whom need minimal supervision, one who needs closer supervision and one who needs helps and is prone to wandering. I didn't go to the old Wheaton Regional very often because of the layout, and it doesn't look like I'll be going any more often now.

The playground at Wheaton Regional Park is awesome! There's nothing like seeing my kids running around like little insane penguins with mobs of other kids. Posh on all you scardy-cat parents who won't let your kids take chances. My kids will be eating your kids' proverbial lunches, in the grown-up world. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/science/19tierney.html

So that's a polite way to disagree. Hmm.

Just sayin... politely... helicoptering is not going to make for very strong/independent/self-actualized offspring. IMHO.

Wheaton Regional offers an excellent opportunity for kids to get outside, to interact with each other, and to be, well, sort-of-unsupervised. But don't take my word for it, do a little reading... http://www.generationyouthissues.org.uk/campaigns/free_play/The%20Importance%20of%20Unsupervised%20Play.htm

Ah well, life isn't always fruit smoothies and Wii. My three kids seem to be figuring out the nuances of playground interactions. If you choose to interpret my comments as antogonistic, you are missing the point -- I'm merely putting forth an alternate view, that challenging one's offspring and letting them "off the leash" can be beneficial in stretching their boundaries. If you find challenges to your world view antagonistic, you might be a little thin-skinned for the Internet. Are you even reading the links I'm including in my comments? Oh, well. Bon apatite, my children. Lunch is served.

An essential part of a well-planned park for me is that I feel safe allowing my kids to roam free. When a park fails at this, it's hard to just read the New York Times and say "good luck" kids, I promise if you survive this you'll be a CEO someday. And, while I may know my own children well enough to know they will come back, I don't know that about their friends. So, if I'm responsible for anyone besides my own two children, this park is out. It's just too stressful. And if I had a child who was prone to running off or hiding? No way. Not worth the stress.

Seriously??? Ever dealt with a kid on the autism spectrum? Or one with a disability? How about one that has no sense of pain? One who is non-verbal or one who is extremely verbal and has never met a stranger? The one who is always singled out and picked on because they are weird, or different or are thought to be a "retard"? Having a child with a disability changes your perspective about everything.

I know that Jean allows her children to explore, imagine and play to their hearts content BUT she also watches them when they are in social situations that go beyond what they have internalized as typical ways to interact in this specific location.

Jean is doing over and above what can be done to provide all three of her children with the opportunities to "stretch their boundaries" and find challenges in their day to day world.

You are a totally normal mom and necessarily cautious in this sometimes dangerous world as you teeter on the line between being naturally protective and trying to expand your children's horizons. Montgomery County is challenging enough for adults to live in without having a public park filled with pitfalls & dangers that the parent has no control over. And when you're a grandmother with a 30-mile-an-hour jumping, climbing, rolling grandson, it's doubly difficult to see a potentially joyful experience turn into a stress test. Agree with Elaine's comments above.

Not sure why EMILY SUDBRINK chose to email me directly, but here's what she wrote,
"Tom, I don't think you are really thinking this through - I'm sure this isn't true, but it sounds like you would think it would be okay to raise your kids to knock down people who are blind and steal their money, because after all, people with blindness are easier targets? Surely you aren't advocating taking advantage of another person's disability? That would be pretty immoral, and I'm sure you aren't advocating raising immoral children? Parents of children with autism have to be more vigilant than other parents, because their children's brains are wired differently than nypicals. Children with autism process the world differently, so they will do things that nypicals might not expect, and get into situations where they could be seriously hurt. At the same time, children with autism really need fresh air and exercise. It would be nice if parks were a little more sensitive to helping parents keep track of their kids who are more vulnerable because of their neurological differences. That is what Jean is talking about. Open your eyes Tom!"

I was going to comment, but why risk further wrath from more self-entitled, overly narcissistic stay-at-home moms who wouldnt think of giving little Billy (or Sky, or Bannanwilly) a bit of breathing room from their claustrophobic Electra-like smothering?

Wow. Let's take it easy on Tom. I liked the renovated Wheaton Park the one time I went there. I think it has a little bit of something for kids of all ages. Let's not turn this into a bashing kids with disabilites chat. If you find that Wheaton Park doesn't suit you and your kids, then go somewhere else.

I think, the fundamental issue boils down to the fact that, not every park is going to work for every family. It just can't. Unless, I guess, it was fenced in and lined with Nerf material. This park just doesn't work for Jean and her kids; she has three kids, and one of them has special needs, so I can see that it would be very difficult for her to mange her kids there. For me, with one kid, without special needs, it works very well, and I enjoy that he has a wide open space to run in a bit, that they have the kiddie swings he needs right now, and I appreciate that the park HAS the things we had in our youth, like climbing areas, that all too often nowadays are removed for safety reasons. Probably at some point he will fall off those onto the fairly soft mulch below, but didn't we all pretty much fall off monkey bars onto hard asphalt when we were kids? I don't mean to say in any way that kids should be actively excluded, but I think it's ok that we have lots of different parks in the area, and I think this one works great for some people, and not for others, and I'm ok with that because we have many parks, to accomodate many kinds of kids.

I have to say that as a parent and an early child special educator, I found the title to this hilarious! Mostly, because my husband and I have taken my daughter to this park twice and, for a parent of a little toddler, it is SCARY. But my little spicy lady loves to climb on everything and so we follow her around and climb along with her. Yep, even on that big spider web looking thing. I think the park is a lot of fun and some of the equipment is great but I would love to know who they consulted with when deciding upon the safety aspects of certain areas, especially those HUGE holes by the slides for “rock climbing.”

Come on, I’m not a helicopter mom and I’m not a SAHM but I am responsible and I am a mom and it is very challenging to keep track of a 2-3 foot tall running machine at this place. Everyone has different ways of parenting but please don’t accuse someone of being overprotective when they want to keep an eye on their child, regardless of a disability.

And I’m sure Montgomery County will have to make some changes when someone finally falls off the ledge by that slide and breaks something. It will happen eventually. In the meantime, enjoy the adventure of Wheaton’s Adventure Playground.

I miss the old playground. I will say, the first (and only time so far) we went to the newly renovated playground, I freaked for a second when I saw the "hole" in the wall, wondering why it was there and where it went. It scared the *%^# out of me for a second and it wasn't until I had to walk all the way around the place that I saw the other side was for "wall" climbing. I do think some of the new equipment is fun, but one thing I loved about the old playground was the imagination it gave to my kids pretending it was Diego's Animal Rescue Center or the like. The trees seem to be missing. I agree that it's definitely not easy to sit and chat with friends while watching your kids at the park now, and I personally miss the blue slide. I never understood why they took that down. I thought it was much easier to sit back and watch at the old playground than at the new, but I guess as my 3 kids get a little older, it will be a little easier. Let's just hope they don't jump through the "hole."

jean i think the renovate WRP is terrific & terrifying. You have valid points in your fears for your autustic kid, but we all dont have autistic kids. I know WRP was renovated to allow wheelchair kids to play.MoCo told of us their plans http://www.montgomeryparks.org/pdd/projects/wheaton-adventure_playground.shtm
, had meetings, had it on the county website; why didnt you speak up then & tell them you didnt like the hole or the pipe or the fence. Now it is AFTER , the millions have been spent. MoCo $ is so tight that they are stupidly taxing bags! Unless you are able to get David Rubenstein to donate to again renovate WRP, Adventure Playground will be this way for 20yrs.

Here's your chance for input on future parks.

http://wheaton-md.patch.com/events/down-county-open-house-on-park-recreation-and-open-space-pros-plan-update

I'll be there looking to raise more biking opportunities for all ages, such as riding on natural surface trails, skills parks and pump tracks as ways to get more people out having fun on their bikes. I'll also be asking for more pocket parks in within neighborhoods so that major roads such as Georgia and University Blvd don't need to be crossed in order for children to get them.

Just saw this post. Went to the playground recently and didn't see the issues others saw. I didn't bring three kids, though, just two. Had a blast. Easy enough to chase around two (chalk it up as my daily exercise). Three could be more challenging depending on their behavior. In any case, fantastic redesign of the playground. Highly recommend it.

We've been to the Wheaton park and I think it is a beautifully designed, modern space. I do recall thinking, "this is not a park for small children." My 9 and 11 year old children love it and are thrilled to have structures suitable for their size and capabilities. It's so nice to see lots of other "older" children enjoying the park, laughing and getting some exercise. Some of the other playgrounds in our community are clearly intended for younger children and I think this offers great opportunities to kids of all ages. Personally, when I had younger children, I found going to any playground difficult because I had to keep a constant eye on them. I don't think Wheaton is so bad....have you been to the Clemyjontri park in Mclean???? That is a neat playground but it's impossible to keep track of your kids! We all have to find what works for our kids and our own sense of safety and independence. I'm happy that the county designed something with older kids in mind, and happy that Wheaton got some attention.