Yesterday Vs. Today - Sewer fishing

[spartacus53]

There is no doubt that we had a ton more leeway in how we played. Today the kids are not kids, they have no idea how to have fun, nor do they have any idea of value. Everything comes too easy, just for the asking.

I remember once asking my father for an extra quarter. He just told me sure, when I get 5 for a dollar you can have it. No wonder I am so warped... I guess that would be considered child abuse today as well

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

Everything is too P.C. and child proofed today. Some parents don't even let their kids have sugar or eat hot dogs, some baseball leagues dont keep score so "everyone wins". You only live once, you minds well enjoy it, and I enjoyed my childhood. I would do it again if I could.

 

[spartacus53]

some baseball leagues dont keep score so "everyone wins".

I never understood the concept of win/win when it comes to competition. How in the world would my sons have ever learned to be "sore losers", like I was. Kids need to learn that everything in life is not easy, and not always fair. That is the real world. Better yet, Try telling your boss after losing business that we are still winners I doubt the would fly.

Seinfelds George Costanza said it best in the marathon episode. He and Jerry were discussing how stupid they were and George's lines were the best. "Pardon me, for I am Costanza, king of all idiots".
Soon after a woman in the part was congratulating all the runners of the race. You are all "winners".
George turned to Jerry and said, Suddenly a new contestant has entered the playing field.

 

[Rooter]

Growing up in the 60's was an adventure that no kids ever be able to experience and it's a shame. I was unsupervised most of the time and just left to play. My toys were razor sharp (Fort Apache and Kennedy Space Center) and that's the way I liked it. My guns shot plastic bullits and grenades (Johnny Seven/One Man Army). Everything was a choking hazard. My guns fired caps and went bang and smoked when we pulled the trigger. I had rockets that fired hundreds of feet in the air, GI Joe's and Johnny West. I amassed a force of over 3000 green army men that I would spend hours setting up in giant battles in my sandy and sanspur laden backyard. Growing up in FL I never wore shoes and quickly developed K Mart feet (know what that is)? I played with my friends everyday. I never wanted to come inside even to eat dinner. I played african big game hunter, army and cowboys. We acted out shows like the Rat Patrol, Combat, Sea Hunt, and the Rifleman. I played in the woods. I got stung, bit, burned, and cut and enjoyed every minute. When I got hurt my parents told me to be more careful. All scraps were treated with Mercurochrome and we were sent back out to play. We never thought about suing anyone. I rode my bike with no helmet. This is just up to around age 10 does not include my teenage years. That's another story. How did I ever survive?

 

[spartacus53]

Rooter, welcome to T-Net and especially the Everything Forum..

You are on the money with your assessment.. Part of the problem today is over protective parents who want to send their children out to play fully bubble wrapped. You're also right on the magic words, "be more careful", or words to that effect. When my kids came home a little worse for wear, I'd always tell them, "that's nothing", clean em up and send them out again. I'd consider them to be hurt only if they were carrying an arm back home to be reattached.

Like many of us, we were playing outside all day. I really can't remember 1/2 the furniture we had, because I spent so little time at home. I do know that I had a bed that I would crash in every night after a long day outside.

 

[Monty]

When I was a kid, "Little League" was the king of summertime sports. We discovered that buying a cheap ball soon found it knocked lopsided and it felt like hitting a wadded up rag when at bats. We would save our money for a Wilson "Official Little League" ball and would play with it until the seams split. Another hazard was the wet grass. After wetting the ball a few times it weighed about twice as much as a dry ball and nearly killed your arm to throw it in from the outfield. We use to hit the streets early looking for guys to make up enough for a couple of teams to have a game. If we couldn't find enough guys for a game, we played "workup". There was a vacant lot at the end of one street that we had mowed and put up a makeshift backstop. We had an imaginary line at about 275 feet that was an automatic homerun. Anything over the line in the air was a walkoff. Nearly all our bats were cracked and nailed and then taped up. If anyone showed up with a new bat it was just a matter of time before someone broke it. Skinned knees and the imprint of the seams on a baseball on a back or belly was common place. A serious injury was a cut caused by a rock that somehow worked it's way into the sliding path near a base. And the bases were commonly made from whatever was handy, from a big rock to someone's little brother's ball cap. Girls were not allowed and at that time not many girls really cared. I only remember one girl that played on a real team and she went all feminine sometime after puberty. In spite of it all we had some serious games and the only time we were indoors was if it was storming out or if our moms caught us to do household chores before we sneaked off to play ball. We had fun! Monty

 

[bigscoop]

Rooter, welcome to T-Net and especially the Everything Forum..

You are on the money with your assessment.. Part of the problem today is over protective parents who want to send their children out to play fully bubble wrapped. You're also right on the magic words, "be more careful", or words to that effect. When my kids came home a little worse for wear, I'd always tell them, "that's nothing", clean em up and send them out again. I'd consider them to be hurt only if they were carrying an arm back home to be reattached.

Like many of us, we were playing outside all day. I really can't remember 1/2 the furniture we had, because I spent so little time at home. I do know that I had a bed that I would crash in every night after a long day outside.

You know Spart, come to think of it, I can't hardly remember any of the stuff in our house when I was young either, just my bed and a few items in my room. In fact, most of the things I can remember were, as you say, outside where I spent most of my time. I went trick-or-treating with my friends, never my parents and certainly not in a car to only those homes where we knew the people. We played outside until well into the night. I think it will interesting to see what happens to the life expectancy data in 60 or 70 years, I wonder if it will start swinging the other way because so many will be so out of shape? My grandfather and great grandfather both lived well into their 90's and even continued to work in their gardens into their 80's, despite the three packs of cigarettes they smoked each day. "They were active all the time". On one end of the spectrum we are screaming, healthier living. On the other end of the spectrum we are creating daily Tech advancements that promote laziness. Heck, I can sit right here on my butt and go shopping anywhere in the world for just about anything, while I'm communicating with friends all over the world, while I'm doing my banking and job, etc. "Ain't it great!"

PS: I think I may be getting a flat spot on my butt?