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To: winodog
When I was my kids age I was out the door when I woke up and came home for lunch and dinner. I was outside till bedtime even when it was 110 degrees out.

Them were the good old days. We try to let our kids play outside 'til it's dark. Trouble is, in a neighborhood of 50 kids, there's hardly anyone to play with. Everyone's inside.

121 posted on 07/07/2003 7:08:53 AM PDT by Aquinasfan
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To: Aquinasfan
Growin' up in Virgina was:
Daytime - Dirt Clod Fights, Cowboys and Indians, Cops and Robbers, Army (us against the "Japs", I was always "Sgt. Joe", Knights (broom handle swords and trash can lid shields), bicycle races, building tree houses or forts and palisades in the woods (everyone could get a hatchet or machete). Almost all of our fathers were in WWII vets and we all had remnants of their web gear, ammo belts, packs, leggings, and helmet liners. I even had a 7.7 Arisaka that would work empty 30-06 casings through the action. We had Matell burp guns that would burn a whole role of caps in 10 seconds, the Matell Thompons that cocked on top and could fire a burst of submachine gun sound. Stallion .38's and .45's, when playing cowboys - we were self-restricted to Stallion revolvers with no more than six shots before reloading (most of us had two pistols and extra cartridges in plastic belts loops). Later, BB-gun fights while wearing surplus aviator helmets and goggles ($1.50 at the surplus store).
Night-time - kick the can, hiding-go-seek, sling the statue, British bulldog, red rover, etc.
Also building sampans, as we called them, out of hijacked builders' plywood and tar, used those to get way back in the swamps. Hunting cottonmouths with our first single shot .22s. Age twelve I filed down the sear on a Browning .22 auto and could get 3 or 4 rounds fully auto before it jammed. Hand cannon made of threaded plumbers' pipe with a hole drilled in the cap to take a cherry bomb or M-80 as propellant and firing what ever we could out of the barrel.
Hopping local freight locos to the next town. Skinny dipping in the creek, especially after we had dammed it to make it deeper.
On Sunday I hid my pearl-handled Hubley copy of a Beretta Brigadier in my Sunday school sport coat and was undercover.
We roamed the woods and hills for miles. Left at 8am in the summer and very seldom ever got home before supper. No lunch. We would dine on candy, ice cream, moonpies and soda we got by salvaging soda bottles found on the side of the road. (Cokes $.05, and $.02 bottle refund)
It's a wonder we made it through alive. Kids today have no idea, their fantasy world exists on PC screen. At least our fantasy was in the world.
124 posted on 07/07/2003 7:40:18 AM PDT by Bad Dog2 (Row-w-l-l-l)
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To: Aquinasfan
Yes and in my neighborhood no kids come out till almost dark then they yell and scream and have fun in the street till 10 or eleven.
My 10 year old gets a little ticked because I want him in at dark or soon after and thats when all the kids are just starting to play.
I guess they finally get bored after sitting on their butts all day watching TV, playing play station and puter games.
Heck half the kids my son knows dont even get out of bed till 10 or 11 because their parents let them chat on the puter na dwatch TV till midnight or later.
126 posted on 07/07/2003 7:46:36 AM PDT by winodog (Learn to speak spanish. Politicians are determined to destroy America.)
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