Justifying a Trampoline

For years now I’ve wanted to buy my kids one of those giant, overpriced trampolines. Being a military family however, means that we have to move. A LOT! (We once moved 6 times over a span of 2 years). Then there’s the staggering price tag that comes along with it. $300 for something I don’t even know that they’re going to use, YIKES! Once again the thought of taking the hit and buying them one has settled into my brain like termites in a new home. Gnawing away at my every thought while I listen to the two of them jumping away on our bed with intermittent sounds of the headboard smacking the wall and the younger one screaming and starting to cry, followed by, “ssshhhh, you don’t want mom to make us stop right?” Then there’s a brief silence before more laughter, jumping, screaming, and headboard against the wall. Shortly before losing my mind, I thought I’d check Craigslist. Yep plenty of people whose kids never used them, in practically new condition. Most selling for only a little less than I’d pay for one in the store. Finally, I come across someone selling a brand new one for a mere $150 with the net and all. Rapidly, I jump into action texting as fast as my fingers can go. There’s no way I’m letting someone else snatch up this deal. While eagerly awaiting a reply I thought I’d check online to see if I could find another reasonable deal just in case. Still no response nearly 24 hours later. I double check Craigslist one more time just to be sure. Yep that’s the only reasonable one on there, and I texted the right number. Back to the internet I go. Finally I found one on sale for $198 ($245 after shipping). I think to myself, “is it really worth it? Maybe I’ll just keep checking for used ones until I can finally find one that’s worth it.” Just then I hear, “Tag, you’re it” Followed by the kids running past, then the dog with his feet clambering to stop himself. And… “thud,” not quick enough, again. Never in my life have I done math so quickly in my head. If they only use the thing in the summer months, let’s say 6 months (that’s 26 weeks), for only 1 hour a day (the minimum amount of time they have to spend outside for me to keep my sanity), let’s say 5 days a week (that assumes 2 days a week are spent on other outdoor ventures), that’s 130 hours of use. Divide the dollar amount by the hours of use and it’ll end up costing us less than $2 per hour. That’s less than $1 per child. Well damn, we pay $10 per kid to spend a day at the pool or the science museum and that only entertains them for about 3-4 hours. I’M SOLD! At least with a trampoline the price goes down as its spread out per use. If you’ve taken a high school accounting class you’ve probably learned all about amortizing large assets over a longer period of time. This is the same justification. Without a second thought my order is placed and a trampoline is headed to my doorstep. Sweet relief is on its way. Before I get the chance to revel in my awesomeness, I hear slam, smack, and crying from the kitchen. The baby ran into the dog and mommy’s break time is already over. *Sigh* At that vary instance, the person selling on Craigslist texted me back. I could have saved myself $100 if I only waited 2 more minutes. *Sigh* (again)

As a typical mom my mind quickly shifts to the one thing I overlooked. My kids are 5 years apart and the 2 year old thinks she’s just as tough as the 7 year old, which may be true because my son is a big baby, but never the less what happens when they undoubtedly smack their heads together and have to walk around with matching black eyes, or when one of them magically gets their finger stuck in the spring despite having a guard on it. What about the crazy dog? How’s he going to react when he can’t get up there because I got the one with a huge net? Is he going to tear it up, or try to get under it and end up hurt? You get the picture. The list of worries is insurmountable, but I’m certainly not about to become the weird mom who makes her kids wear a helmet to play on the trampoline with the safety net and spring guards right. Every time they get on that thing my heart will skip a beat, but when I hear their squeals of joy and laughter hopefully I’ll remember that these are the memories they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. That makes the fear and the price worth every bit of the hassle. If all else fails I’ll just zip the net shut and tell them they’re not allowed to play on it anymore. Then I’ll never be able to get them off the thing.

#Trampoline #Militaryfamily