![\"Genevieve](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/cutout_genevieve_suzuki.png\")
<\/a>True story: Our daughter actually spent about three weeks in a huge cardboard box when she was 5. Every time I walked through our living room, I felt like I was strolling a side street in San Francisco as she peered out of her box at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek, she\u2019s way too attached to that box,\u201d I said, imagining my daughter on a future \u201cHoarders\u201d episode.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeh, she\u2019s fine,\u201d he said dismissively. \u201cShe\u2019s having fun\u2026and it\u2019s free.\u201d<\/p>\n
And there it was: Free.<\/p>\n
Thanks to a child-sized attention span \u2013 and the fact I chopped up the box while she was at kindergarten \u2013 Quinn outgrew and forgot the box that took her to the moon (she called it her spaceship) and let her hide while watching \u201cMy Little Pony\u201d episodes on her tablet. But Derek was hooked. Free was clearly a very good thing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not our fault that \u201cfree\u201d automatically draws our attention. Companies start targeting us before that first baby is born. \u201cHoney, look, they\u2019re sending actual cans of formula free in the mail!\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the hospital, which gives you free baby toiletries and baby beanies for your baby\u2019s tiny cranium. Would you have bought it on your own? No, but it\u2019s free and therefore awesome.<\/p>\n
Free stuff is great, but even better are free activities. We live for the days when our daughter wants to just hang out at home \u2013 outside of the box \u2013 and take it easy.<\/p>\n
There are many free things to do, such as depend on kind friends to share guest passes to local theme parks or visit one another\u2019s homes to have dinner and watch \u201cThe Voice,\u201d but nothing beats a trip to the local park.<\/p>\n
For the sake of full disclosure, I have to tell you I sit on the community services commission for the city of La Mesa and on the board of La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation. It\u2019s no secret I\u2019m a huge fan of the parks. After all, when it comes to \u201cfree,\u201d our parks are the tops for entertainment. Children can run wild and adults can kick off their shoes and take a fresh-air break.<\/p>\n
My favorite park is La Mesita, which boasts tennis courts, a skate park and playground equipment. There\u2019s also a walkway that lends itself well to kids on tricycles, teens in rollerblades and moms with strollers. I\u2019ve enjoyed many play dates, where fellow moms and I have relaxed while our daughters ran off steam. I feel very lucky to have such a great park at my disposal.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s my pitch: On May 20, the La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation is hosting a fundraiser aptly named \u201cLa Mesa Rocks.\u201d Billed as a \u201cswanky picnic for the parks,\u201d the event offers local craft beer, California wine and the excellent musical stylings of Rex and the Parkers. The foundation, which raises money to fund park projects, programs and playground equipment, is asking the community to use one night out of the 365 days in a year to give back to the parks. So while it isn\u2019t free, the fundraiser will help ensure our parks retain their priceless natures.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever gone to any of our parks and enjoyed even just half an hour of green relaxation, please consider giving back to the parks and attending \u201cLa Mesa Rocks\u201d so that some of the best things in La Mesa can stay free for our families.<\/p>\n
For more information about \u201cLa Mesa Rocks\u201d or La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation, visit lamesaparks.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n