The CTG Honest Review of Cool-de-Sac

Ok, so there are plenty of mommy/daddy blogs out there with honest reviews of kids activity playgrounds and other such places. So I'm not going to do that. Not that I won't be honest, but that I think I should be brutally honest instead.

Today's playground in question: Cool de Sac

Location: Great! Suntec City, accessible by bus, MRT, Taxi, Car. Ample parking space in the carpark. Apparently, nobody's back in Suntec City after their massive renovation, so if you go on weekends, you'd find plenty of space in the carpark, and no queues at the eateries.

What's innit: This franchise from the United States boasts "stations" within their playground, like physical structures for climbing and freeplay, a drawing area, a stage for dress-up and face painting, an extensive lego section, a video game console section for older kids (or their dads), and of course a toddler zone with soft structures and mini ball pit. There's also a seating area where you can order food from their attached bistro.

The scoop: Ok, so my kids are 3, and they love playgrounds. They love to run, jump, climb, and take slides. So the slides featured well in their play itinerary. Unfortunately this slide area is kind of small, and challenging for their height. But with 3 year-olds, it kept them entertained for a long time. There's also a flying fox station, which unlike the automatic one at Polliwogs Robertson Walk, this one is "manually operated" by a staff member, who "carries" the child along the flying fox. (Poor fella, we asked him how long he had to do that and he said his shift was like 8 hours, haha!) There's also this climbing bridge/treehouse/thingy where the twins had fun up and down with.

The other stations weren't too appealing for them - they couldn't play video games (the games kind of suck and the consoles seemed a tad faulty), the wait for dress-up and face painting was waaaayyyy too long. And drawing and lego only held their attention for 10mins because hey, they do that at home all the time. There's also a toddler area for under 3s which is pretty spacious, but nowhere as entertaining as the RW Polliwogs one (that one has 2 slides for "babies", mind you!)

Decor: Bright, spacious, airy. Has glass windows. Great lighting. Loads of colour, very nicely done.
 
Details: Shoe locker and stroller parking area is probably ample for weekdays, but we went on a Saturday morning, and boy, it was overflowing. Parking strollers was a challenge... they were parked until outside of the designated zone. The staff's attention to temperature-taking and hand-sanitizing was low too -- they did not bother at all. However, they had many many staff. All of them were friendly, and it was good because they helped mind the kids. But it must create very high operational costs for Cool de Sac (read: higher entry fees for us).

Verdict: It's a little expensive for me to bring both kids here on a weekend all the time, (I think they have packages though), but if you're in the area and need a rest from whiny kids, I think Cool de Sac should more than suffice. There's also a large area and bistro for you to chill while your kids play. Because the playground is spacious without tall structures and pillars, it's pretty easy to keep an eye on your kids too. I didn't try the food but the pizzas look good. And yes, there are areas for holding parties as well.

Cool de Sac
3 Temasek Boulevard

Suntec City Mall #02-379/80

Singapore 038983

http://cooldesac.com.sg/

Admissions

Weekdays

Children under 6 months           FREE
Children under 3 years old        $10

Children from 3-12 years old     $20

Weekends
Children under 6 months           FREE

Children under 3 years old        $13

Children from 3-12 years old     $26

Information: 

1. Unlimited play time per admission
2. 2 accompanying adults are allowed in free with every child
3. Subsequent accompanying adult is charged @ $5
4. Socks are to be worn at all times

Impatience and fear.

It suddenly dawned on me that I feel wary and apprehensive when the kids are all smiles and playing happily together. And when the kids are all smiles and playing happily together in public, people smile at me and say they are such lovely kids. I, too, think they are lovely. But often not for long. And this stresses me out greatly. Of late, they are more whiny and irritating than angelic. Is it a phase they are going through? Am I not spending quality time with them? Or am I just an impatient mother with a low tolerance level for unreasonable behavior, something which seems common in small children.

Just this morning, the daughter needed 30 minutes of coaxing to get out of bed to brush teeth. I had to prepare their breakfast, and told her to rinse her mouth by herself. She snapped. Ran to the kitchen with her foamy mouth crying. (Why?!) I seriously couldn't take it, but told her to go back to the toilet to rinse. Her grandma helped her. But she was still in "let's agitate mom" mode after. Time was running out. I grabbed her and brought her to her room to change. She insisted she couldn't go to school, and wouldn't wear the cute cheongsam that was to be the attire for today's Racial Harmony Day. After some struggle, I got her into her dress and gave her milk to drink. She screamed and said she didn't want to drink, and that's when I snapped, and smacked her on her hand. She screamed even louder and I smacked her again. (I just know the smacking doesn't work but I still do it – why?!) Thank God the grandma came to the rescue at that point. I stomped away.

This seems to be happening on a daily basis now (not the smacking, just the bouts of screaming). I don't know what to do. Most days I try to calm myself and ignore them. They've been fighting a lot too, which is difficult because I don't know how to mediate without taking sides. When they are on their best behavior, cheery and cooperative, I hold my breath and tread carefully. I hear this voice telling me that this should not be the way, bringing up kids should not entail fear. Everyday I tell myself this is why I cannot have anymore children -- I am a busy and impatient working mother who struggles with anger and stress management issues -- and yet I hang back on making an official announcement, if only to myself. The working mothers with domestic helpers don't understand. They have screaming kids too, but don't have frazzled lives. People say that work-life balance is important. My work-life balance is a fog of fuzzy boundaries -- I spend time with the kids 7 days a week, and I also work 7 days a week, with whatever time I can spare.

And there are other stresses. Financial issues. Outstanding debt. Retirement preparation. Many times I wonder how far I will remain in this world. I don't know what God has in store for me, but what if it's to suffer and die young? Should I be prepared for this?

Maybe I need to talk to somebody with real problems like mine. Most people look at me and think I am doing a great job, but it hardly feels so. I wonder if my kids will grow up high-strung and a bit crazy like I am. I certainly don't wish so but with my own mother's tendency to jump to conclusions, and my own moody outbursts, I know that if they look at me, they will learn from me.

I must endeavour.