Cook Park - Tigard, Oregon
Spring brings baseball and sun. Twice a week we pull into Cook Park with the windows down and taking in the different noises; softball games, pick up soccer, baseball practice and playground laughter. Breckin goes off with his team to practice while Sawyer and I wandered off to check out the playgrounds. The one near the fields is small and only holds the attention of a small child for a few minutes. We set off in search of a bigger, better play area. We made our way down a little trail just set a few feet off the parking lot. Sawyer raced out past the Pavilion and the grills. Not far from the small playground is a much larger one. Running around among all the other children I hear him giggle as he climbs up the outside of a slide and watch him climb a huge ladder. On top of the ladder he looks at me with fear. I walk over slowly and encourage him to keep going. "You got this bud. I will catch you if you fall so keep going." Slowly but surely, he makes it down with a new sense of confidence and returns to the ladder a few more times. Later, a little boy the same age was on the ladder struggling just as Sawyer had. Instead of encouraging the young boy, his dad lifted him up and off the ladder. In that moment I felt a sense of pride for making Sawyer complete the task but more so for not giving in to his whimpering. From this, we both gained confidence. Playground success!
On our way out, I saw a sign for a boat ramp so once home jumped on the computer and researched Cook Park a little more. It is better than I thought, with access to the river. Click the link below to go to the Cook Park Website:
http://www.tigard-or.gov/community/cook_park.php
The overall vibe of the park was amazing, and we give it a high rating.
Rating 4/5
