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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/Zuka101 on 2024-09-29 16:16:45+00:00.

So recently, I started going to the playground with my 2-year-old. He loves it – slides, swings, the whole deal. It’s been great, especially since he gets tired out, making bedtime a breeze. But… I seriously messed up.

It’s been getting colder, so he’s been wearing longer pants – those soft polyester ones because they’re warm. The playground has plastic slides and metal stairs, which means a lot of static electricity gets built up.

The first time it happened, he went down the slide, I grabbed his hand to help him off, and zap – static shock. He looked confused but shrugged it off. He goes down the slide again, and zap, it happens again when I grab his hand. Now he’s visibly upset, not crying, but giving me that “what the hell, Dad?” look.

This has been happening for the past 3-4 playground trips, and now he outright refuses to hold my hand. Every time I reach for him, he says, “Dada, no poke.” He still wants to go outside but won’t touch any of the playground equipment except the swings.

The worst part? He somehow managed to shock himself on the metal stairs, and now he won’t hold the railing either, which is definitely not safe for a toddler.

So yeah, no more playground for us for a while. I’ll just have to deal with longer nap times until he forgets about the “pokes.”

TL;DR: Static shocks from the playground slides have traumatized my kid, and now he won’t hold my hand or use half the equipment.