Us old folks (40+) are probably lucky to be here:

[mondeo]

Good idea hold it till you're about 30-45 yrs old then spring it on them AFTER a great day of skiing as you're sitting around a fireplace getting mellow -- that's when my BELOVED son laid some shit on me

My parents didn't find out about me getting pulled over twice during high school until after college. My brother was even with me the second time.

At this point, I don't tell my parents stuff for their own good; it's not like they have any real course of action against me any more. My mom spends too much time worrying as it is.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Care to share? :lol:

Yeah my brilliant normally placid and reserved medical professional son has a Sir Galahad personality. He is a crusader , a quiet but really empathetic extremely analytical guy with a deep sense of social justice , fairplay. When someone is crossed at the values level he becomes "verbally animated " with a sense of outrage shall we say

In the last year of his medical education, we're talking close to licensure etc he and some track and field teammates were in a celebratory mood and were coming back to the Jock House where they all lived (both grads and undergrads ) after a raging evening out .Its about 3am . They were walking in a major urban area and one of the guys gave a "gendarme" a rather curt reply after the officer had overeacted and got both physically and verbally aggressive with Galahad's good friend ( today a lawyer BTW as a result of THIS incident ) .

Well Galahad was offended at such a poor display of judgement and made it known discreeetly according to him .To make matters worse the cop turned on him, called him sever all evening failing to let him sleep . Well by now he clammed up and paid a $500 court cost the next morning

He later tells me"Dad i KNEW how'd you 'd react and SAVED you the grief ! " He's right of course i'd of commended him for his empathy and kicked his ass for his stupidity and had the city and the cop engaged in legal action but alas it's now nothing but a fireside chat

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Yep. So many of those kids become instant druggies and alcoholics once they reach college.
.

Didn't happen to me until Junior year....lol..

 

[MommaBear]

Agreed. Some kids still get to do it and I applaud you for speaking up. Regional and town differences do come in to play. Come to towns like mine and you'd think the place was in lockdown mode. The parents are much more controlling of their kids wanderings around here.

Mondeo is definitely right that kids inclinations vary. However, the internet, especially as it is having a large social influence, has a much larger impact and draw, moreso than TV and video games, largely because it can be interactive person-to-person.

In my younger years, sports and events were not very well organized, were very spontaneous. You'd just find a bunch of people and go. Nowadays, games and just hanging around is extremely organized (too much) in my small part of the world.

I find it very frustrating as a parent these days. I had free run as a kid. My siblings and I were never at a loss for kids to play with. Baseball games, footballs games, whatever, arose spontaneously as Billski said. I purposely picked a smaller, rural town here in CT, in what has immerged as a large, contained neighborhood. We designed our side lot to allow for plenty of neighborhood baseball or foot ball games. We live less than 1.5 miles from both the elementary, middle and high schools.

And yet, our side yard sees very little action, despite there being over 75 kids in the neighborhood. But they are all either inside playing, or involved in organized sports and not home. My kids (two teens, one 9 yo) prefer the video games. Yes, they are usually playing the neighbor kid via the internet but it would be nice for me to actually SEE the child they are interacting with. Because of a busy main road (nothing worse than what I grew up near), I've been "encouraged" to pick up my oldest teen from sports rather than allow him to walk home the 1.25 miles. Seems stupid considering he just ran those very streets as part of cross country practice. I've been called by different parents questioning my intelligence when I have allowed my middle child (13) to hang out at the school to skate board with his friends, unsupervised (I trust my child). And I hate that we have to drive to the local playground at the elementary school (again, 1.5 miles) or the ball field to watch a game, because my youngest is terrified - for various reasons based on what people have said to him - to ride his bike with me there. And my husband feels it too "dangerous" for the 13 yo to ride alone there (reinforcing the terror of the little one).

I wish I COULD push them out the door more. They usually have a blast when they DO get outside. But I work from home and sometimes its just easier knowing they are right below me playing video games. And somedays its just not worth the aggravation and grief of arguing with them to get them out there.

 

[SKidds]

Speaking of school lot sports with whomever happened to be hanging out at the time, who else suffered who knows how many minor concussions while playing football? Lining up four or five to a side, a 5 Mississippi rush, full contact. Going up for a pass, getting your hands on it.....and the next thing you know you find yourself coming to, flat on your back, a bit woozy with the world kind of spinny. Shake it off, and on to the next play. Ahhh, childhood.

Then there were the jammed fingers and minor sprains from the pickup basketball games.

Looking back on it, I'm glad my brothers and I naturally gravitated towards sports instead of drugs or other activity. Now my wife and I actively encourage involvement in sports for our kids......and fortunately they like it.