General Discussion

ReRe

(10,597 posts)

33. You forgot the tunnels

Thu Nov 13, 2014, 12:04 PM

Nov 2014

Tunnels in dirt, in sand, in SAWDUST. With little matchbox cars. Electric trains in the closed-in back porch atop 3/4" thick plywood perched atop wooden horses. Igloos and forts in the snow. Popeye after school. Cartoons on Saturday mornings. American Bandstand on Saturday and Soul Train too. Soc Hops after basketball games. Bowling League in GAA (Girls Athletic Assoc) after school. 4-H. Summer camp. Babysitting. Ed Sullivan. The British invasion (of rock bands) starting with The Beatles. Piano lessons. Marching Band. Hayrides. Summer jobs starting in summers after reaching age 16 & getting a worker's permit. And the biggest joy and escape in my life: learning from the books I checked out at the Library from age 6 on. All this I did with my little sister, who now has stuff in outer space circling the earth, an aerospace engineer.

I don't know if I can go as far as saying we are killing the future of innovation. Example. I have sons who had the habit of dragging home worn out microwaves, radios, TVs, appliances of all kinds, or anything with a motor, like old lawn mowers, etc. They would take them apart and tinker around with them and eventually I would have to get on them to throw it all away. They grew up with mechanical minds, one of them went to the Air Force and took every electronics class that was available. When he exited the AF he could do anything electronic, not to mention mechanical. He has a very challenging career now. The other son is a college graduate with a highly mechanical mind. The important thing is: They are happy and challenged in their careers, with work ethics that corps dream of.

Will they invent something as innovative as an iPod? I don't know. If they ever got their heads together, they might. But they live far apart and don't get together often enough to come up with an invention. Had my sister and the sons I mentioned worked under Steve jobs back in the day, I guarantee you they would have figured it out.

I don't think we have seen the end of innovation.

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The Last Generation of Kids That Played Outside [View all] mfcorey1 Nov 2014 OP

When I was a child I would go UglyGreed Nov 2014 #1

I wouldn't come home all day long, except maybe lunch. but then I would be out again. Javaman Nov 2014 #25

Yes I did the same UglyGreed Nov 2014 #45

when you said, "kill the guy with the ball" I had to look where you were from... Javaman Nov 2014 #46

So you know what I was UglyGreed Nov 2014 #48

Bug man truck? Javaman Nov 2014 #57

Oh I skitched also UglyGreed Nov 2014 #59

oh yeah, I forgot about that! Javaman Nov 2014 #60

Yes!!!! UglyGreed Nov 2014 #61

okay this is an odd one... Javaman Nov 2014 #62

I do UglyGreed Nov 2014 #63

We called it 'Run Around' deaniac21 Nov 2014 #51

Lol...kill the ball carrier BeyondGeography Nov 2014 #52

It was "smear the queer" when I grew up philosslayer Nov 2014 #64

Yup. I'd head out after breakfast hifiguy Nov 2014 #47

On top of that, the educational process is being avebury Nov 2014 #2

I hear you about playing outside. djean111 Nov 2014 #3

Since the 1990s or so, I don't know how many times I've commented... Frustratedlady Nov 2014 #4

my kids play outside d_r Nov 2014 #5

"Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv... Eleanors38 Nov 2014 #6

I second it. It's an excellent book. Brickbat Nov 2014 #21

I tend to agree. Even so, abductions have always been with us... Eleanors38 Nov 2014 #26

Yep. It was just a new style of reporting at the time that suddenly magnified the fear. Brickbat Nov 2014 #28

People because more concerned about the well-being of kids in the 80s. Odin2005 Nov 2014 #39

All of my nieces and nephews played outside. SamKnause Nov 2014 #7

Yeah....no pipoman Nov 2014 #8

Don't forget Dungeons and Dragons. nt awoke_in_2003 Nov 2014 #53

That one just sends kids to hell.... pipoman Nov 2014 #54

... awoke_in_2003 Nov 2014 #70

Magic card game. Once when my son was sorting his cards on a train, a woman approached us and uppityperson Nov 2014 #66

Some people take stuff... awoke_in_2003 Nov 2014 #71

My cousin is a luddite. More scared of technology than against it. Hoppy Nov 2014 #9

Jaysus abelenkpe Nov 2014 #10

My neighborhood in St. Paul, MN is always MineralMan Nov 2014 #11

did you tell them to get off your lawn? TheSarcastinator Nov 2014 #12

My kids play outside and have iPads gollygee Nov 2014 #13

This. JNelson6563 Nov 2014 #23

I get a kick out of these types of generational discussions GusBob Nov 2014 #14

Actually we're medicating them out of creativity Ezlivin Nov 2014 #15

My kids played outside and as upper teens, still play outside seabeyond Nov 2014 #16

Our feral/free-range sons grew into feral /free-range adults SoCalDem Nov 2014 #34

i do not turn on the tv during the day. and i do not mostly at night either. seabeyond Nov 2014 #35

They were far too busy to watch tv most of the time.. SoCalDem Nov 2014 #36

Uh, my street is filled with kids that play outside until dark. Dawgs Nov 2014 #17

and even well past dark... Blue_Tires Nov 2014 #49

+1. Kids in my family who are only 18 now treestar Nov 2014 #56

i think the factory school system is doing more harm than ipads. mopinko Nov 2014 #18

Relatively few kids play outside here in Phoenix. Coventina Nov 2014 #19

I used to tunnel into the side of hills playing the Great Escape. kairos12 Nov 2014 #20

My wife and I live in a 1,000 home subdivision were hundreds of children of all ages live. ladjf Nov 2014 #22

I bought my son a 1000 dollar Kayak instead. ileus Nov 2014 #24

My kids play outside TBF Nov 2014 #27

What nonsense. Ikonoklast Nov 2014 #29

Then again, playing outside is no guarantee that a child will grow up to be creative. surrealAmerican Nov 2014 #30

if this were fully true, profession sports would be waning, but they are not. kids still get out... yawnmaster Nov 2014 #31

The iPad wasn't created by a generation or by collective experience but rather GreatGazoo Nov 2014 #32

You forgot the tunnels ReRe Nov 2014 #33

Replace "iPad" with "TV" and you get exactly what they said about us. jeff47 Nov 2014 #37

In my case it was "Atari" Blue_Tires Nov 2014 #50

True and the new stuff at least involves the person treestar Nov 2014 #55

Except now we all have AC and you can sit inside 365 days a year. ileus Nov 2014 #68

Believe it or not, it was quite possible to sit inside 365 days a year without AC. jeff47 Nov 2014 #69

LOL, typical "Kids These Days" tripe. Odin2005 Nov 2014 #38

I don't think iPads are the main cause of kids not playing outside... LeftishBrit Nov 2014 #40

I Live in a Philadelphia RobinA Nov 2014 #41

Building tree houses, feeding the animals with dad, play "farmer" with my brother and his toys jwirr Nov 2014 #42

What utter hogwash. Threedifferentones Nov 2014 #43

PA Small town H. Cromwell Nov 2014 #44

Just yesterday I was wondering what kind of childhood memories today's kids would have. Vinca Nov 2014 #58

It really depends on the parenting. LP2K12 Nov 2014 #65

Kids still play outside. DemocraticWing Nov 2014 #67