Comments on: Kids Today http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:49:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Jay http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-624 Jay Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:40:13 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-624 Hi, Ell! Nice to see you over here! :) . I just don't understand why people like that don't see what they're doing! Don't they remember being young themselves? Or is it that they were never allowed to have fun, so no-one else can have fun either? Hi, Ell! Nice to see you over here! :)
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I just don’t understand why people like that don’t see what they’re doing! Don’t they remember being young themselves? Or is it that they were never allowed to have fun, so no-one else can have fun either?

]]> By: ell http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-621 ell Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:20:12 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-621 Oy, don't get me started! When my sons were in their late teens, they loved to get together with a few friends to play some road hockey - a very Canadian thing that's been going on for generations. The basic rule is simple - when a car comes, the first person who sees it, yells, "CAR!" and everyone gets out of the way. It's all very civilized. Then, someone complained to the powers-that-be that it was "unsafe" for the players and for the drivers who might have to slow down and drive around them - never mind that they were usually on a quiet side street. So, the boys moved to an unused, weedy tennis court. They got brooms, cleaned it up and started playing there instead. Guess what? After a few weeks, some guy started yelling at them that it was a "tennis court" and that they weren't allowed to play hockey there. It didn't matter that no one was using it for tennis and that it hadn't been used as a tennis court for years because of the weeds and cracks; he wanted them to leave or he'd call the park authorities. What's wrong with this picture? Here you have young people who were taking the initiative to keep themselves occupied in a constructive way and they are told to get lost. . . . rant, rant. Sorry. :( ells last blog post..<a href="http://pomegranate-tiger.blogspot.com/2008/06/o-is-for.html" rel="nofollow">O is for</a> Oy, don’t get me started!

When my sons were in their late teens, they loved to get together with a few friends to play some road hockey - a very Canadian thing that’s been going on for generations. The basic rule is simple - when a car comes, the first person who sees it, yells, “CAR!” and everyone gets out of the way. It’s all very civilized. Then, someone complained to the powers-that-be that it was “unsafe” for the players and for the drivers who might have to slow down and drive around them - never mind that they were usually on a quiet side street.

So, the boys moved to an unused, weedy tennis court. They got brooms, cleaned it up and started playing there instead. Guess what? After a few weeks, some guy started yelling at them that it was a “tennis court” and that they weren’t allowed to play hockey there. It didn’t matter that no one was using it for tennis and that it hadn’t been used as a tennis court for years because of the weeds and cracks; he wanted them to leave or he’d call the park authorities. What’s wrong with this picture? Here you have young people who were taking the initiative to keep themselves occupied in a constructive way and they are told to get lost.

. . . rant, rant. Sorry. :(
ells last blog post..O is for

]]> By: Jay http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-473 Jay Fri, 30 May 2008 17:23:22 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-473 Hello, and welcome, Windyridge! Yes, that's the problem, isn't it? Most of these organised activities are geared more towards younger kids. I'd like to see a return to the days when there was more reliance on the natural stuff like hiking and exploring the countryside, but it seems to be made more and more difficult. For instance, my parents' generation did things like train ferrets, and go rabbiting if they lived in the country, but this is now illegal under the new laws to stop hunting with animals. And then there's the thing about fear. We tend to want to wrap our kids in cotton wool these days. Hello, and welcome, Windyridge!
Yes, that’s the problem, isn’t it? Most of these organised activities are geared more towards younger kids. I’d like to see a return to the days when there was more reliance on the natural stuff like hiking and exploring the countryside, but it seems to be made more and more difficult. For instance, my parents’ generation did things like train ferrets, and go rabbiting if they lived in the country, but this is now illegal under the new laws to stop hunting with animals. And then there’s the thing about fear. We tend to want to wrap our kids in cotton wool these days.

]]> By: windyridge http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-471 windyridge Fri, 30 May 2008 16:28:18 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-471 You make some excellent points. We live in a small town with no gathering place other than the school which offers an open gym once a week in the winter and a basketball hoop outside. But we have rivers and streams and hiking trails, hunting and fishing. My 14 year old would like to see a skate park and some tennis courts would be nice. The town does offer a summer rec program where kids get taken to a pool for a morning 5 days a week in July with free lunch offered after, but that is geared more towards ages 5 to 12. windyridges last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MusingsAtWindyridge/~3/301338392/dog-loving-knitters.html" rel="nofollow">Dog Loving Knitters</a> You make some excellent points. We live in a small town with no gathering place other than the school which offers an open gym once a week in the winter and a basketball hoop outside. But we have rivers and streams and hiking trails, hunting and fishing. My 14 year old would like to see a skate park and some tennis courts would be nice. The town does offer a summer rec program where kids get taken to a pool for a morning 5 days a week in July with free lunch offered after, but that is geared more towards ages 5 to 12.

windyridges last blog post..Dog Loving Knitters

]]> By: Jay http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-470 Jay Fri, 30 May 2008 14:03:43 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-470 Jenny - thank you! I never minded mine getting involved in dangerous stuff, providing it was all properly done and legal... youngest was my daredevil. He had a mini-motorbike at eleven, went carting and urban biking and skateboarding and rollerblading, as well as the stuff we could organise for him. It was terrifying, yet I recognised that this kid - already disaffected at school just desperately needed an outlet, so I shut my eyes and crossed my fingers. He had a few bumps and scrapes , knocked a few teeth loose, but he came through okay, thank God, and is now a steady young man. Again, thank God. That one could easily have gone the other way. I'm glad your young man is doing so well, too! Jenny - thank you!
I never minded mine getting involved in dangerous stuff, providing it was all properly done and legal… youngest was my daredevil. He had a mini-motorbike at eleven, went carting and urban biking and skateboarding and rollerblading, as well as the stuff we could organise for him. It was terrifying, yet I recognised that this kid - already disaffected at school just desperately needed an outlet, so I shut my eyes and crossed my fingers. He had a few bumps and scrapes , knocked a few teeth loose, but he came through okay, thank God, and is now a steady young man. Again, thank God. That one could easily have gone the other way.
I’m glad your young man is doing so well, too!

]]> By: Jenny http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-469 Jenny Fri, 30 May 2008 13:57:40 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-469 Excellent post. I agree with you one hundred percent about kids desperately needing adequate structured activities as they get older. As you say, they are young; they have boundless energy. Unfortunately the activities kids like today, like hanging out at the mall or getting together for skateboarding or street racing, can be fraught with so much danger. My son (age 19) is a very social young man and he struggles with this because we don't allow him to hang out in large groups of kids. Luckily he has lots of friends though, and they are constantly in touch by their cell phones. We live near a huge manmade lake and there is a new dam there with pedestrian walkways, and he'll go sit over there on the tailgate of his truck, looking at the water and strumming his guitar. Until the next text message from one of his "buds" comes in, that is ... which won't be long! Then he'll meet them somewhere to shoot hoops and talk about life, until curfew. That doesn't sound very exciting to me, but he loves it! Anyway, I don't know what the answer is but good for you, for thinking of the kids. They are so often an ignored segment of society until they do something wrong. They need our help and guidance and support. Jennys last blog post..<a href="http://www.jennyweber.com/latestwhatever/2008/5/29/how-do-you-spell-subway-q-u-i-z-n-o-s.html" rel="nofollow">How Do You Spell Subway? Q-U-I-Z-N-O-S</a> Excellent post. I agree with you one hundred percent about kids desperately needing adequate structured activities as they get older. As you say, they are young; they have boundless energy. Unfortunately the activities kids like today, like hanging out at the mall or getting together for skateboarding or street racing, can be fraught with so much danger.

My son (age 19) is a very social young man and he struggles with this because we don’t allow him to hang out in large groups of kids. Luckily he has lots of friends though, and they are constantly in touch by their cell phones. We live near a huge manmade lake and there is a new dam there with pedestrian walkways, and he’ll go sit over there on the tailgate of his truck, looking at the water and strumming his guitar. Until the next text message from one of his “buds” comes in, that is … which won’t be long! Then he’ll meet them somewhere to shoot hoops and talk about life, until curfew. That doesn’t sound very exciting to me, but he loves it!

Anyway, I don’t know what the answer is but good for you, for thinking of the kids. They are so often an ignored segment of society until they do something wrong. They need our help and guidance and support.

Jennys last blog post..How Do You Spell Subway? Q-U-I-Z-N-O-S

]]> By: Jay http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-467 Jay Fri, 30 May 2008 07:13:13 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-467 JT - It is frustrating. As a mother you know what your kids need. I suppose the thing we have to remember is that there are kids who don't have the same values and they can spoil things for the rest. What do you do if your youth centre is the focus of violence? The easy option is to close it, but that leaves one less place to go for the rest. I always worry about those 'on the border'. The kids who <i>might</i> swing the wrong way. Just like the kids who are on the border of managing/not managing at school, they're the ones who often lose out, and yet they're just as deserving of our attention as those at both extremes, the very 'good' and the very 'bad'. . You've had a tyre come off? Mine was the whole <i>wheel</i>! LOL! No injuries here either, thank goodness. JT - It is frustrating. As a mother you know what your kids need.
I suppose the thing we have to remember is that there are kids who don’t have the same values and they can spoil things for the rest. What do you do if your youth centre is the focus of violence? The easy option is to close it, but that leaves one less place to go for the rest. I always worry about those ‘on the border’. The kids who might swing the wrong way. Just like the kids who are on the border of managing/not managing at school, they’re the ones who often lose out, and yet they’re just as deserving of our attention as those at both extremes, the very ‘good’ and the very ‘bad’.
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You’ve had a tyre come off? Mine was the whole wheel! LOL! No injuries here either, thank goodness.

]]> By: jt http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-466 jt Thu, 29 May 2008 22:34:02 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-466 Oh boy, do I have a comment on this! We live in a town known as "progressive" and yet, when it comes to dealing with kids, they are anything but. We have a very large population of under 21, with only community ctr, and 1 youth ctr. We recently had our first real gang violence, and the city reaction was to close down the parks at a certain time which also precludes the free concerts we've had. I feel it's to much of an over-reaction, and not enough investigating to find other sources of entertainment or outlets for these children to do. So incredibly frustrating as a mom. BTW, I've also had a tire come off when I was driving ~grin~. With my kids in the car :S. No injuries, just a lot of stress! jts last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Thegothmomcom/~3/300326336/" rel="nofollow">61 posts</a> Oh boy, do I have a comment on this! We live in a town known as “progressive” and yet, when it comes to dealing with kids, they are anything but. We have a very large population of under 21, with only community ctr, and 1 youth ctr. We recently had our first real gang violence, and the city reaction was to close down the parks at a certain time which also precludes the free concerts we’ve had. I feel it’s to much of an over-reaction, and not enough investigating to find other sources of entertainment or outlets for these children to do. So incredibly frustrating as a mom.
BTW, I’ve also had a tire come off when I was driving ~grin~. With my kids in the car :S. No injuries, just a lot of stress!

jts last blog post..61 posts

]]> By: Jay http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-465 Jay Thu, 29 May 2008 19:06:05 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-465 <b>Meleah Rebeccah</b> - When my boys hit that age, I enrolled them in different things and drove them places - diving lessons was one, as I recall. It doesn't solve the whole problem, but it helps. Trouble is, it takes committed parenting and there are many parents who don't care enough. We were lucky to have an 'adventure playground' nearby too. Lots of big stuff plus occasional organised activities. Everywhere should have one. <b>Mr Nighttime</b> ROFL at the policeman story! Poor guy! Yeah, me too. We made our own fun, some of it dangerous. I grew up with brothers and we did things like make our own go-karts and (cringes at the memory) play on building sites. I spent that part of my youth in a village, and once we'd got into teenage years, we did a lot of walking, and hanging around the local shopping area. No-one moved us on in those days. <b>Dawn</b> - We have a few BMX/Skateparks here, but often the kids have to pay! They're commercial ventures, so they can't afford to go very often. There is a free one a few miles from here, now, but it wasn't there when my boys needed it. <b>Natural</b> - Meleah's right - you did a great job with that post! Thanks for the compliment on my idea! I'm glad it triggered such great thoughts from you, and the discovery of the vid! Meleah Rebeccah - When my boys hit that age, I enrolled them in different things and drove them places - diving lessons was one, as I recall. It doesn’t solve the whole problem, but it helps. Trouble is, it takes committed parenting and there are many parents who don’t care enough. We were lucky to have an ‘adventure playground’ nearby too. Lots of big stuff plus occasional organised activities. Everywhere should have one.

Mr Nighttime ROFL at the policeman story! Poor guy!

Yeah, me too. We made our own fun, some of it dangerous. I grew up with brothers and we did things like make our own go-karts and (cringes at the memory) play on building sites. I spent that part of my youth in a village, and once we’d got into teenage years, we did a lot of walking, and hanging around the local shopping area. No-one moved us on in those days.

Dawn - We have a few BMX/Skateparks here, but often the kids have to pay! They’re commercial ventures, so they can’t afford to go very often. There is a free one a few miles from here, now, but it wasn’t there when my boys needed it.

Natural - Meleah’s right - you did a great job with that post! Thanks for the compliment on my idea! I’m glad it triggered such great thoughts from you, and the discovery of the vid!

]]> By: Natural http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-464 Natural Thu, 29 May 2008 18:36:54 +0000 http://www.thedeppeffect.com/208/kids-today/#comment-464 oooh, i love posts like this. my mind is stimulated, okay i need to get out more with the youngans. it is very true, if you take something away from a kid, you have to provide an alternative. some kids go home to no one and the parents would rather have them, in our case, at the library...but once there they don't know how to act and are looked at as a nuisance. i never would have found those youtubes videos without your challege jay. glad you sent out the call. this was a GREAT "meme theme"..it's different and forces you to dig a little deeper into your neck of the woods. it would be great if everyone showed a little bit of where they lived (not inside the home) but neighborhood. Naturals last blog post..<a href="http://valeriemorrison.net/blog/something-quirky-something-old-something-blue/" rel="nofollow">Something Quirky, Something Old, Something Blue</a> oooh, i love posts like this. my mind is stimulated, okay i need to get out more with the youngans.

it is very true, if you take something away from a kid, you have to provide an alternative. some kids go home to no one and the parents would rather have them, in our case, at the library…but once there they don’t know how to act and are looked at as a nuisance.

i never would have found those youtubes videos without your challege jay. glad you sent out the call. this was a GREAT “meme theme”..it’s different and forces you to dig a little deeper into your neck of the woods.

it would be great if everyone showed a little bit of where they lived (not inside the home) but neighborhood.

Naturals last blog post..Something Quirky, Something Old, Something Blue

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