History Main / TraumaSwing

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' sometimes uses a swing to illustrate Naruto's lonely childhood, especially when he sits on it, watching all the graduates get congratulated by their parents while he was the only one who failed. Naruto's swing became something of a meme due to the anime's frequent use of it as StockFootage. Gaara is also shown sitting on a swing in his childhood.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' sometimes uses a swing to illustrate Naruto's lonely childhood, especially when he sits on it, watching all the graduates get congratulated by their parents while he was the only one who failed. Gaara is also shown sitting on a swing in his childhood.

* The poster for the 2018 Iranian film ''The Lost Strait'' has a soldier in a gas mask sitting on a swing.

* ''The Sugar Skull'': Scout is rather perky while visiting the local playground and spending some time on the swings, but her backstory gives the visit elements of this. She tells Eve that she remembers her mom pushing her and her younger brother on the swings, but also admits that it might have been a scene on television instead. Considering she spent most of her time [[spoiler: caring for her younger brother, who had an unspecified developmental disability, then ran away after years of rape at the hands of her mother's boyfriend, it probably wasn't an accurate recollection of her childhood.]]

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* ''[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'': After being conclusively rejected by [[WholesomeCrossdresser Ukyou]], [[WholesomeCrossdresser Tsubasa]] [[MasterOfDisguise Kurenai]] is found on a swing, disguised as/''inside'' a trash can for good measure. [[GenderBender Female Ranma]] tries to comfort Tsubasa, saying that there'll be someone else... an act of kindness that makes Tsubasa fall for Ranma instead.

* Hino does this in episode 16 of the ''Videogame/KiniroNoCorda'' anime.

A popular way to illustrate that someone suffers from a trauma of some sorts is showing him or her sitting alone at a children's playground, usually on the swing, [[AbandonedPlayground often at dusk or night]]. In most cases, the trauma in question is related to a childhood experience, although the person in question can be of any age (child or adult).

* ''Series/TheOffice'': In s05e15 Michael visits a playground and sits sad on a swing after being traumatized by the roast from his co-workers.

* ''Anime/MaiHime'': Mai does this after she discovers [[spoiler:she's destined to fight and kill her friends in order to save the world, has a fight with her best friend, ''and'' finds out that the sickly brother she has worked so hard to take care of has realised how dependent he is on her and doesn't want that anymore.]] On top of all that, while she's sitting on the TraumaSwing, [[spoiler: the boy she likes and the ClingyJealousGirl walk by and kiss in front of her (although he does not know she is watching).]] The end of the episode shows her lying in bed, realizing, "I've lost everything." And things still found room to go downhill from there.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. In "An Un-Birthday Present", a sane Beth from an alternate universe somehow survives the collapse of TheMultiverse, only to find no-one on this Earth knows who she is, including her twin sister Kate Kane who attacks her [[MistakenForImposter under the belief that she's Beth's insane evil alternate self, Alice]]. Kate eventually realizes her mistake and tracks Beth down to a park they used to go to as children, where Beth is sitting on a swing trying to cope with how she's been {{Un Person}}ed.

** Jesus is shown sitting on a lonely swing in heaven, traumatized by what the "people down there" did to him.

* ''Film/LittleChildren'': Ronald [=McGorvey=] (Creator/JackieEarlHaley) does this at the end.

* ''Film/LittleChildren'': Ronald [=McGorvey=] (JackieEarlHaley) does this at the end.

** "I Was Made To Love You"; Warren's luv-bot ''dies'' while sitting on swing. Just about as sad as it gets.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Bella is seen sitting on a swingset after being molested by her father. A demon in child form exploits this low moment to offer her a DealWithTheDevil.

* Truth in television. Children who're [[KidsAreCruel bullied]], [[AloneInACrowd ostracized]] etc. will commonly be found by the swings, because it's the only activity on the playground that doesn't require a playmate.

* ''Film/{{Super 8}} opens with the kid hero sitting alone on a swing mourning his mother's death.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': After an argument with the Dursleys, Harry retreats to one, brooding on how he's had no positive company for weeks and the lack of real information from his friends.