I Just Don't Get It

[fay]

Making rope swings in the trees and dens in the bushes on the school field, creating ice slides on the playground, our head was always first on the ice. Exploring our local deserted farmhouse, playing on the local building site when the builders went home. having and giving buggies on our bikes. collecting stale buns from our local baker and climbing into the field behind the bakery to eat them lying in the long grass with the scent of fresh baking washing over us. Using a variety of tools unsupervised to make swords and chariots. gokarting without helmets. Making and cooking over wood fires. later going camping at the weekend without adults. Glow worm hunting on warm summer nights, at least that's what we said we were doing.

 

I really enjoyed these and they were dangerous but that was why they were fun and despite many of us having one or two trips to hospital to be plastered and stitched up we survived.

[Guest]

I remember days when a whole group of us would set off for the day - during the summer holidays - and spend the whole day away - catching buses etc on our own! We walked by the side of the local river (more like a stream), go fishing for tiddlers with little nets and jam jars. Other days we'd go 'boxing' - sliding down hills on large pieces of cardboard box. Oh such happy times

Harricroft

[SueFinanceManager]

Hi

 

I am loving all your wonderful stories.

 

We had a wood at the bottom of our road when I was little (when I say little I was aged between 5 - 9) and we used to spend hours in their making camps and climbing trees. My brother who was 2 years older was suppose to keep on eye out but he used to be somewhere else with his mates climbing trees and building camps. My friends and I could hear them shouting and laughing and we used to pretend they were the enemy that we had to hide from.

 

My mum used to say we had to be home at a particular time and I had a watch and was taught to tell the time so that I wouldn't be late. I also learnt how to alter the time back half an hour and when I turned up late I would point to my watch and show mum the time. She's not silly, she must have known, I think in the end she just planned meals half an hour later to account for me and my brother trying to trick her

 

Sue

[Gezabel]

I am racking my brains as to what we used to do indoors! I have tried to think of a toy or game that needed to be plugged in or battery operated and I can't think of one!

 

I was a very proud owner of a spirograph and etch a sketch though and I loved them!! I remember the delight when my petite typewriter arrived one Christmas but best of all was the silver cross dolls pram that arrived on my 7th birthday

 

I remember clonking round the house in Mums high heel shoes and dressing up in her clothes, sliding down the bannister, seeing which step on the stairs we could jump from down into the hall! and did anyone else play "Murder in the dark" suppose that's not PC these days!!!

 

Oh! and who had one of those knitting baskets!!!! made of cardboard I think with little balls of wool and a pair of plastic needles.

 

Did anyone else have a "tressy" doll, I still remember the ads ' her hair grows'

 

OK so it was a clump in the top of her head that pulled out but at the time her hair definitely 'grew'

[sandie]

WE MADE IT! Didn't We?

 

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or even the early 80's, probably

shouldn't have survived.

 

Our baby cots were covered with bright colored lead-based paint.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks some took of doubling.)

 

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a truck on a warm day or in a trailer was always a special treat.

\

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors!

We ate cakes, bread and butter, and drank cordial and soft drinks with heaps of sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we

were always outside playing.

 

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

 

We would spend hours building our trolleys out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

 

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.

 

No one was able to reach us all day. No mobile phones. Unthinkable!

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal mobile phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms.

We had friends!

 

We went outside and found them. We played football, tennis and cricket and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?

 

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

 

We made up games with sticks, tennis balls and catapults. We ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very

many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.

 

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them.

 

Local clubs had practices and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.

Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors!

Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

 

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected, with no one to hide behind.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of.

They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!

 

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them.

 

Congratulations! Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before government regulated our lives, for our own

good.

 

 

hope you enjoyed this, Sandie

[SueFinanceManager]

Sandie

 

I think your marvellous

 

Accidents I remember them, I fell of a wall once, banged my head and had mild concussion. It wasn't my fault though, it was the nasty kids walking down the road that I was shouting rude names to, they made me fall off, cos if they hadn't walked past, I wouldn't have had to stand on the wall shouting rude names

 

We used to drink rain water in the garden too, that's worse than hose pipe water surely and I'm still here.

 

Sue

[Guest]

[Guest]

Just 4 years ago I was bouncing on a tree branch with a group of 3 & 4 yr olds, We ran around the woods, 12 children and 2 adults.

 

Then we climbed on a large pipe with no safety flooring, sliding and swinging and doing monkey walks ( well the adults did the monky bit).

 

Then we walked through a little brook, got wet feet but hey it's fun and squidgy.......

 

then we walked down to the beach where stones were laid in a circle, we lit a fire and cooked waffles with a cast iron waffle maker thing that sits on top of the flames and gets very hot.

 

It was a fantastic day and I thought what will the social services ( before OFSTED) think of this

 

stopped thinking, too busy... off to feed the sheep in a nearby field, then off to the farm lots of animals roaming free, not behind fences or cages.... muddy pigs, free range chicken ( oh no salmonela).... off to the park and adult number one gets the stew from a big flask yum yum..... then back to pre-school

 

Well actually Kindergarten... I was in SWEDEN what a fantastic time, their curriculum is all about the outdoors, just wish we could have an "outday" the same as theirs tomorrow.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

I Agree with everything you have all said. I am only 29 yet i think society is going down hill. I am sick an tired of the way children speak to their parents. sick and tired of watching crap on tv, sick and tired of tv ads that are just plain stupid and sick andtired of being called a bore because i don't want to spend weekends getting drunk. God listen to me honestly i am only 29 but as you all say whatever happened to the waythings were. Holding a door open for someone and actually getting thanked, smiling at someone in the street and not getting weird looks yep playing out all day making dens and catching tadpoles. Going to the shop with 10p and buying a BAG of sweets. I keep ranting on at school about how we should educate the parents. Better shut up now or else you willa ll think im really nutty!!

 

Beccy

[SueFinanceManager]

Beccy

 

Nutty or not you'll do for me. Welcome to our club, it's nice here isn't it.

 

Sue

[Guest]

I bought a Bounty bar last week and it cost me 48p. I looked at it and thought "That's nearly 50p which is 10 shillings!!!" 10 bob for a bar of chocolate-it just made me realise how prices have crept up without us really thinking about it!

Linda

[Sue R]

Oh, thanks! It's been lovely catching up with this thread1 Thanks for starting it, Sue!

The memories were lovely.......

 

Sue

[Guest]

I agree Sue, what a lovely thread Have just been down Memory lane, and knocked at a few houses!

[Guest]

Just catching up with this thread - a real trip down memory lane . But surely it can't only be us who feels this way. I think we should send Sandie's note to Tony Blair, OFSTED and print it out and put it on all school, nursery, pre-school, playgroup notice boards.

 

Harricroft

[Rea]

But would it make any difference Harricroft? This week I've been approached by a mom who is worried her son wont meet the requirements for reception in September. He is actually above average in many areas that I would class as important, social skills, conversation, writing with purpose, math language, role play and physical, he's one of those children who we know will be able to do tasks and who will make great observations and comments, asking questions and listening,yet mom has told me she uses key stage books at home and tries to get him to write his name. Frankly, I'm getting disillusioned with the whole thing. Oh for the days when I working in a playgroup was just that!

[Sue R]

Whoops! Having just read your previous post in 'Christmas trees', I can see you really are feeling tetchy!!

Have some chocolate and a hug (x)

 

Sue

 

PS, I agree about the parent/playgroup thing!!!

[Rea]

Thanks for the hug Sue, chocolate being eaten as I type

[Rea]

OK so this thread is called 'I just dont get it' well I dont get this... In the pet shop yesterday me and hubby saw christmas stockings for cats and dogs, toys as presents and an advent calender for small animals. The night before we had been raising money to try to improve the lives of children around the country. Now I love my cat (hair ball that he is) but have we gone too far when we buy our pets presents? The whole world's gone mad!

[Sue R]

See your point, there!

 

My excuse is, I do my bit for my own, and lots of other people's children through the job I love, as well as by helping good causes - and my daughter's dog is just too, too adorable!!!!!

 

We've had millions of small pets over the years, but now I'm getting to know a dog (well, wolf, really ) properly, I'm beginning to understand the whole thing.

 

Sue

[hali]

Do you know whats bugging me at the minute our neighbours have already put out there decorations outside it like blackpool illuminations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Sue R]

Oh No!!

 

it's not even Advent, never mind December!!!

 

Sue

[hali]

Tell me about it...unless i close mycurtains have to put up with a 4ft flashing blue 3d christmas tree, i swear they have been to b&q and bought one of everything!!!!!!!!!!

[SueFinanceManager]

Rea

 

Here I go about to make myself very unpopular

 

I don't have pets, don't dislike them in other peoples houses etc, but I just don't do them. Maybe that is why I get slightly peeved by the thousands that get spent on animals when children and people are starving in this world.

 

I accept that animals bring great joy and companionship to many and so each to their own I guess.

 

I suppose I'm a people person, perhaps that is just the way it is, your either one or the other. :wacko:

 

Sorry to all those animal lovers I have just alienated

 

Sue

[Sue R]

Hey Sue,

 

I'm really a people person first, we only had the small pets because the children wanted them. My daughter's only got the dog because she's married now and her own boss. Like you say, each to their own. I love animals, yes, but actually don't like the idea of caged creatures particularly - my husband and i were not happy each time the children started whinging, but you try to strike a happy medium and we thought it would help them accept responsibility.

 

I'm sure we should all rub along together, and I'm fairly sure that on this site we do!!

 

Don't worry, no one's going to lynch you!!

 

Sue

[Sue R]

did that make sense?

 

Sue

[Rea]

Not unpopular at all Sue I've had a cat since I was 3 (obviously not the same one!) so it would be strange not to now, but none of them have ever had a present for goodness sake. Well except Spike when he was very ill, oh and Thomas for the same reason, and Dennis when the fireworks scare him (but it was only ever a handful of prawns or a tin of tuna or a small piece off the sunday joint) Guilty as charged m'lord. But really I wouldnt buy an advent calender for the hamster, how would she know what day to open?? (and the hamster is only allowed house room because son no.2 wanted a tarrantular and thats as far as I would go on small creatures)

[Sue R]

:wacko:

 

[Beau]

Hang on a minute Hali and Sue R! You are fine ones to talk about Christmas decorations when you're displaying your Christmas avatars for all to see! :wacko:

 

And as for pets and presents "No comment Milord!!" :rolleyes: I'll just say that I've had some very nice presents in return from pets no longer with us. (That was before I had children though - well, when they were little - certainly not over 10.......................................... )

[Gezabel]

When the boys were little we had a series of rabbits, hamsters etc and for the last seven years we have had a lovely black and white springer spaniel. He arrived on new years day as the result of me having drunk too much wine on new years eve but thats another story.

 

He is very much part of the family but NO i don't buy him presents or celebrate his birthday and I don't put his paw print on Christmas cards I send!! (and yes I know people who do)

 

When he eventually goes to the 'kennel in the sky' there will not be another one. Great though they are they are also a tie in many ways.

 

I too, am a people person first and though I hate cruelty of any sort I never give to animal charities - always to children or people charities.

 

As for decorations, I have neighbours out with ladders as we speak and there seems to be miles and miles of lights on the front lawn ready to go up

 

Oh and for any dog lovers amongst us here is mine!

[Rea]

Intriging story Geraldine, conjuers up all sorts so it might be better to tell