Teenagers build great Wiffleball field, Adults sue

I read an article back in the spring from a fellow teacher that talked about the changes in kids' free-play. I remember back when I was a kid (which wasn't that long ago!) my friends and I would think of things to do with the most simplistic items; a tree, a branch, some old lumber in the garage, a regular old ball. We'd play tag that'd cover our whole end of the street, played baseball in the culdesac around the corner, tried to build forts and rope bridges and did all kinds of cool, creative things. These days though, if you're not stuck in some camp, then you're playing with a toy that's basically dictating your play. Instead of playing with a stick and pretending it's a lightsaber, you're playing with a plastic version of the real thing, complete with sound effects. Instead of building your own fort, one is bought for you.

Parents have taken the fun, creativity and imagination out of free-play. Children's lives have become much too structured and parents way too overprotective. Instead of letting them play in the backyard or at the park, they have to spend every day of their summer in some form of camp. My parents never did that; my brother and I played little league once a year in the spring as well as a few seasons of basketball in the fall. Baseball was usually over at the beginning of Summer, so we were pretty much given the opportunity to explore and have fun on our own.

And you know what I have fond memories of those days, and I'm gonna make damn sure my kid(s) has those same experiences. So if he wants to take some abandoned lot, and put his mind to good use, and make a baseball field out of it, then good for him. And if the neighbors complain and tell him to tear it down, I'll teach him to stand up for the things he believes in.

 

Teens get into more trouble IMO because they don't have anywhere to 'hang out', because doing nothing requires a setting too. Even if a parent lets their kid's posse come over and hang, you can't go to their house every single night no matter how hospitable. Inevitably, kids look for public places to generally do nothing but socialize. Every establishment treats loitering kids as trespassers, and in a sense I understand how business owners and the like might have a right to feel that way, but parks, parking lots and public places are some of the only places high school kids can congregate.

I can't tell you how many times we would be sitting on a playground at 10ish, just talking because there was nothing better to do, and a cop would sneak up and search us down inevitably always thinking that we had drugs or alcohol, just to protect the park from unsanctioned night time use. I would have been 15 or so, but I looked 12 so there was no other reason for them to dig in the sand for our 'buried contraband' for 20 minutes (seriously) other than we were young.

/thread derailment

 

this is plain idiotic on the part of the neighbors around. kids do something that is creative and good fun and the adults have to go and cry fowl over it. i dont get it when i was a kid we would play hide and seek over the entire block, climbing over peoples fences, hiding in their bushes and trees and no one cared. maybe my neighbors were sensible people and was like its kids being kids i dunno .

there was a huge empty parking lot by my house and we used to play hockey there every once in a while but it did become problematic because kids kept hurting themselves on the cracked concrete, so what did the city end up doing? they built a roller hockey rink in that parking lot so we could play a lot safer.

i am not as old as some of you guys and i had a pretty good childhood i think (video games didnt completely kill it) but its seems harder and harder for kids nowadays to be just kids.

 

I'm only 20, but I remember I had some great times in the summer especially before I was ever bought a nintendo, PS, etc. I remember my friend and I would go get our bikes and ride around the neighborhood. Sometimes we'd try to make our ramps so we could jump.

With my cousins, we would hang out with all the neighbors and play basketball or just stay outside till the wee hours of the night talking about whatever.

My childhood was great, it stinks when adults start complaining.

 

What has this world come to....lol

 

The funny thing is, the people whos lot it is behind complained, and that is what caused all the commotion.

It seems like if they would have gone out there and told them to not do it there when they were CLEARING A FIELD OF BRUSH or PUTTING UP A GIANT GREEN MONSTER that the situation could have brought them peace and quiet. Instead they bring their lawyers and city officials and it becomes public. That's why there were forty kids there because everyone knows about it now.

I remember the most kids I could ever round up to play outside games growing up was like ten at one time.

So instead of telling them to not do it there, having the kids going down the street to do it, and having peace after work, they get to answer questions from the media. GREAT!

 

there's a definite downward spiral with today's adults, I've noticed an increase in nancyboys bringing out the lawyers

 

The flinging baby thing was horrible, disgusting and evil... but this line had me LOL at work.