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Gail K.
Joined: 19 May 2007
Posts: 1292
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 Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: |
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| Kristie(J) wrote: | | The thing that really strikes me in this post is the playing outside until the streetlights came on. We had a whole gang of kids we all played with - hide and seek, tag, baseball in front of the house, Red Rover - well you get the picture - all kinds of games. Now I rarely see kids on the street playing any more - and I think that is really sad. They don't know the hours and hours of fun they are missing. |
Our family lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a year. In the summers, our parents never saw us until 10pm. |
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jebe
Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 820
Location: Jersey
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| Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| LizA wrote: | | I do think a lot of people are over cautious with their children. At the same time, there seems to be little supervision of teenagers - it's an odd mixture, really. |
Truer words never spoken, LizA. I'm going into my 10th year teaching at the middle school level. I'm continually amazed at what I overhear the kids saying to each other during down time when they are working together or on projects. Even more astounding is how in-the-dark most parents are when they come in for conferences, there's a real not-my-kid thing going. FWIW, too, most of these kids aren't even getting into trouble at the mall; they're getting into trouble at the convenience store a mile down the road from their house, or maybe I should say behind the convenience store. And it's pretty prevalent for ages 12-14.
The ironic thing is that I was pretty much up to the same, but I didn't really get into that stuff until I was 15-17. And whoa, honey, my parents never, EVER had a not-my-child attitude. Whenever I got caught up in something, they were all over me. The minute I tried to push the blame off on someone else, it usually got worse.
I'm to the point now that I realize today's youth is entitled to their mischief just like I was. I'm okay w/that part of it. I'm just bothered by the younger age of onset and the lack of accountability most of them seem to have in situations. I'm hopeful that everything will turn out okay for these younger generations as doesn't every older generation (that would be me) wonder about the younger ones?
_________________
Why put off til tomorrow what you can put off until next week? |
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cheri
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1348
Location: michigan
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Gail K. wrote: | | Kristie(J) wrote: | | The thing that really strikes me in this post is the playing outside until the streetlights came on. We had a whole gang of kids we all played with - hide and seek, tag, baseball in front of the house, Red Rover - well you get the picture - all kinds of games. Now I rarely see kids on the street playing any more - and I think that is really sad. They don't know the hours and hours of fun they are missing. |
Our family lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a year. In the summers, our parents never saw us until 10pm. |
Um I know I'm a little late for the post but that's where I live! I can remember playing all those games and being told to be home when the streetlights turned on. My favorite was kick the can! Do you remember where in GR you lived? Just wondering? cheri |
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tyakoffs
Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Ok, I have a mixed reaction to this. My children play with their friends on the street until the lights come on just like I did. But, along with all those happy 60's and 70's memories are the creepy Dad of my best friend who hit his wife. I also remember not being able to explain to my parents why I didn't want to babysit for the couple down the street. I didn't have the words or the concept really to say what I hope my daughter would today. "He suggested stuff and touched me in a way that made me uncomfortable and was inappropriate." It was also a time of segregation and I remember longing to go swiming at the local 'swim club' but we weren't allowed. On the whole I'd opt for the safety and multicultural neighbourhood today. |
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Gail K.
Joined: 19 May 2007
Posts: 1292
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:49 am Post subject: |
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| cheri wrote: | | Gail K. wrote: | | Kristie(J) wrote: | | The thing that really strikes me in this post is the playing outside until the streetlights came on. We had a whole gang of kids we all played with - hide and seek, tag, baseball in front of the house, Red Rover - well you get the picture - all kinds of games. Now I rarely see kids on the street playing any more - and I think that is really sad. They don't know the hours and hours of fun they are missing. |
Our family lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a year. In the summers, our parents never saw us until 10pm. |
Um I know I'm a little late for the post but that's where I live! I can remember playing all those games and being told to be home when the streetlights turned on. My favorite was kick the can! Do you remember where in GR you lived? Just wondering? cheri |
Kentwood, cheri, that's where we lived! Sorry it took me a bit to respond. I queried my mom, she didn't remember, then I had her look up the address on my middle school report cards (which they strangely keep). I also remember the city Kalamazoo. Loved the sound of that word, as a kid!
-Gail |
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cheri
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1348
Location: michigan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Gail K. wrote: | | cheri wrote: | | Gail K. wrote: | | Kristie(J) wrote: | | The thing that really strikes me in this post is the playing outside until the streetlights came on. We had a whole gang of kids we all played with - hide and seek, tag, baseball in front of the house, Red Rover - well you get the picture - all kinds of games. Now I rarely see kids on the street playing any more - and I think that is really sad. They don't know the hours and hours of fun they are missing. |
Our family lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a year. In the summers, our parents never saw us until 10pm. |
Um I know I'm a little late for the post but that's where I live! I can remember playing all those games and being told to be home when the streetlights turned on. My favorite was kick the can! Do you remember where in GR you lived? Just wondering? cheri |
Kentwood, cheri, that's where we lived! Sorry it took me a bit to respond. I queried my mom, she didn't remember, then I had her look up the address on my middle school report cards (which they strangely keep). I also remember the city Kalamazoo. Loved the sound of that word, as a kid!
-Gail |
This is hilarious as I grew up in Kentwood and graduated from High School there! My Mom and Dad still live there! What a small and funny world! Do you remember what year it was? And I agree, it is strange that she kept those report cards but very endearing, don't you think?  cheri |
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Gail K.
Joined: 19 May 2007
Posts: 1292
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Hi cheri,
I was in 6th grade, I think, so it would have been 1986, 1987 or thereabouts.
Snow days were awesome.
-Gail |
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cheri
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1348
Location: michigan
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Gail K. wrote: | Hi cheri,
I was in 6th grade, I think, so it would have been 1986, 1987 or thereabouts.
Snow days were awesome.
-Gail |
Ha! Coming from a Cali person snow would seem great! LOL! I think I was a freshman by then. I graduated in 1989. I just wondered. cheri |
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Skrabs
Joined: 16 Apr 2008
Posts: 387
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:18 am Post subject: |
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I don't know if its because I'm from a different country or even a rural community but I did all of this and I was born in the eighties! I have to admit though that the difference between even my generation and the current teen market coming through is really pronounced (My brother is 18 and my sister is 12 so I feel I have enough authority on this to comment ). My sister is always "bored, got nothing to do" and seems to exist on the phone or the internet. When we catch up I like to get her out in the mud and dirty and she loves it!
One thing that really bothers me is the attitude towards sex at that age. When I was twelve I didn't have a clue what really went on, and I'm grateful that my sister seems relatively naive. I was babysitting her earlier in the year and she had a friend over who was discussing sex and what the kids at school were up to and my sister had no idea. I was astounded that a girl that age even knew what half that stuff was! Then we went to a family friend's bbq and they have a daughter the same age as my sister who was walking around in a Bob Marley wig and pretending to be smoking dope. At twelve (actually she was probably eleven then)! I think I'm turning into a prude at 26 but WTF? Why can't kids be kids these days? |
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