Can I Stand on Your Back?
I watched from a distance as my children and their new friends played together during a recent trip to our local park. Everyone was drawn to and some were even challenged by a fly-around spinner located in the center of the other equipment. My son’s height gave him a slight advantage and he appeared to be a hero to those who were jumping up, in vain, to catch a ride. He would push the spinner and then find a place to jump on so that he could enjoy the ride. One little girl, who had tried effortlessly to get on, began to chant, “Can I stand on your back?” "Can I stand on your back?" Many parents began to watch because she did not know my son’s name and he was having so much fun that he did not realize that she was talking to him. Not to be outdone by the older and taller children, this cute little girl walked over to my son, tapped him on the leg and said, “Can I stand on your back?” Without a moment’s hesitation he squatted on the playground surface and offered his back to someone who simply wanted to enjoy the ride. In 1159, the author John Salisbury wrote,
