Where Did They Go?

[DonAndersen]

Folks,

 

It's been a long time since I've seen kids outside playing by themselves. Used to see kids all the time 10 years ago. Where did they all go?

Don't see kids playing road hockey, sliding @ the school ground and on and on.

 

Are they all playing electronic games?

 

regards,

 

 

Don

[ÜberFly]

They're all gang banging, selling dope and breaking into houses...

 

P

 

Folks,

 

It's been a long time since I've seen kids outside playing by themselves. Used to see kids all the time 10 years ago. Where did they all go?

Don't see kids playing road hockey, sliding @ the school ground and on and on.

 

Are they all playing electronic games?

 

regards,

 

 

Don

 

[flyfishfairwx]

They're all gang banging, selling dope and breaking into houses...

 

P

 

Why the laughing thingy it is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Some of them are even jumping HumbleF...Not funny...

 

and Don lives in what I would call a rural area, so there should all kinds of kids everywhere haveing a blast out side..

 

Again this is part of the down fall of the Canadian Kids..

[ÜberFly]

Ray, I know I was just being cheeky!

 

Things in our neighborhood have gone down hill ever since they shut down our local library!!

 

Damn that Druh Ferral!!

 

P

 

Why the laughing thingy it is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Some of them are even jumping HumbleF...Not funny...

 

and Don lives in what I would call a rural area, so there should all kinds of kids everywhere haveing a blast out side..

 

Again this is part of the down fall of the Canadian Kids..

 

[brownonbow]

Unfortunately I think the media hyping all the terrible things that can happen to kids by psychos does not help. I am not sure if the number of occurrences has gone up any since I was young but the medias coverage sure has.

 

I remember summer vacations and going out to play at 9 a.m. then coming home for a quick bite to eat at lunch and then back out till 5:30 when Dad came home. Nobody worried, and Mom was glad to have us out of her hair. We had our bikes and that was freedom. Not just around the neighborhood either. Some days around the reservoir, other days through edworthy and along the bike path to the zoo. Good times selling Kool-aid and climbing trees.

 

The stuff of yesteryear I suppose.

[Smitty]

Don:

 

Just resurrected my teaching career yesterday. Subbed in a jr high math class.

 

Your suspicion is correct; it would seem every boy - someone else can chime in about girls here - between 9 and 18 are addicted to a video game called "Call of Duty". Its a realistic war game with variety of weapons and enemy scenarios.

 

There's a reason there's a Facebook group these kids join called "Call of Duty; Preventing Teenage Preganacy since 2003". More on a satirical angle, than serious.

 

One last comment; just remember, blood, crime, and crap sells newspapers and ads. The majority of kids out there are still decent human beings; not every kid is a drug addicted gang-banger. Having said that, communities should try an engage kids more for physical activity and appreciating the outdoors.

 

Without exception, going back centuries to the Greeks, every older generation complains about the younger generation having no respect, its not like the old days etc etc.

 

Smitty

 

 

[dube]

I didn't grow up in the city and my childhood consisted largely of outdoor adventure. Extreme outdoor conditions only heightened the adventure. Think arctic expeditions or Vietnam reenactments in torrential downpours. Bike riding, tree climbing, fire starting, critter shooting, rock throwing good times. Then again we never even had cable T.V until I was probably 8 or 9.

The most common thing I see most kids do these days is stare blankly at some screen or another, adults too as far as that goes. I'm doing it as I type this.

Technology is wonderful!

[unclebuck]

Playgrounds have become sterile and idiot proof and therefore not much fun. Merry go rounds have been banned, no more wooden seated swings, swings now have a saftey bar so you can't jump out of them (that was the whole point wasn't it) and are made of rubber so you get a good wedgy and it won't hurt too bad if you get cracked on the head with a floppy rubber seat.

 

I heard teeter totters are next on the list followed by monkey bars. Both may be *gasp* dangerous.

Soon you will nead to sing a waiver to play on a playground. You will need a helmet and the attractions will have to be spray coated with a velvet nerf substance.

 

I hope that there are still kids out there somewhere catching frogs, making tree forts and burning ants with a magnifying glass but I'm not too optimistic about that.

 

As George Carlin Said it is the pussification of our culture.

[reevesr1]

Without exception, going back centuries to the Greeks, every older generation complains about the younger generation having no respect, its not like the old days etc etc.

 

Yep. And you know why we all played outside? Cuz we didn't have video games, or cable TV. They are entertaining themselves just like we entertained ourselves. Their entertainment of choice is just different. We have no idea if it is better or worse for the kids. We only think it is worse because it is different than what we did. I have three kids. I can promise you that they are looking to me like they will all be better adults than I am. Call of Duty and all!

 

I also think that the point about the media (and I don't blame the media, they only give us what we want) focusing on the bad news is more than partly to blame. It fosters a sense of imminent danger when in fact little real danger exists out here in the burbs (and not much danger anywhere else around here). I let my kids go wherever they want, within reason. I refuse to teach them to be afraid.

[Taco]

I refuse to teach them to be afraid.

 

Gold!

[bhurt]

After reading don's post I went out to the community lake and took a look around, lots of pond hockey beeing played and still a ton a people sleding down the icy hill and having a blast, it could be just the neighbourhood I live in or something but I saw lots of kids out today playin.

[DonAndersen]

Had to go out and get groceries and paid attention to where I saw kids. There was a bunch @ the community outdoor rink. Cars everywhere. Suspect Mom/Dad brought them. Are arena parking lot was full. Public skate rarely happens. The swimming pool parking lot was about 3/4's full. But there wasn't a kid to be seen except @ skating rink. Not a kid on the street anywhere. Not a kid with skates stuffed on his hockey stick, not a kid pulling a sled - not a kid anywhere.

Maybe we got a breeding problem up this way. No kids being born.

 

What really scares me - kids are not outside - outside people develop some sense of nature.

 

Sure I see kids outside - most spring evenings the school ground is full of soccer players playing a supervised game with one or more parents in attendance. But I never see a kid just kicking the ball around for their own amusement.

 

Scary stuff!!!

 

 

Don

 

 

[ÜberFly]

Not according to the AB Gov't as they released info this week stating that AB had record births lately - obviously the dads are taking time away from the video games for something!!

 

P

 

Maybe we got a breeding problem up this way. No kids being born.

 

[flyfishfairwx]

Not according to the AB Gov't as they released info this week stating that AB had record births lately - obviously the dads are taking time away from the video games for something!!

 

P

 

Nope Dads are high on Crack, or working too damn much in the patch, or screwing the street girls and the Moms are screwing the Paper boys, pool boys, and the 17 yr old crack dealers, or bank managers..

 

Now who's being cheeky!!!!

 

R

 

[ÜberFly]

Ray you watch way too much "Desperate Housewives"!! LoL

 

P

 

Moms are screwing the Paper boys, pool boys, and the 17 yr old crack dealers, or bank managers..

 

[flyfishfairwx]

Ray you watch way too much "Desperate Housewives"!! LoL

 

P

 

Terry Hatcher scares the hell out of me, I expect her to open her mouth and swallow another cast member, just like pennywise the clown from SK 's IT..

 

 

 

[ÜberFly]

I knew it (but you should have used her characters name not her real name!)!

 

P

 

Terry Hatcher scares the hell out of me, I expect her to open her mouth and swallow another cast member, just like pennywise the clown from SK 's IT..

[flyfishfairwx]

I knew it (but you should have used her characters name not her real name!)!

 

P

 

 

My wife watches it , I by association, but it is her publicity shots that scare me.. that damn big assed grin and the hungry look in her eyes

 

 

Shiver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fish4trout]

Is it just me or does anyone else find it creepy that an older guy is posting about not being able to find kids "alone" nowadays..

[DonAndersen]

fish4trout,

 

You angling for a rise?

 

 

Don

[newflyer]

Is it just me or does anyone else find it creepy that an older guy is posting about not being able to find kids "alone" nowadays..

 

thats actually not funny...

[bhurt]

Don,

 

If it matters in the Summer and Spring with the CMFA (Calgary Midget Football Association) CBFA (Calgary Bantan Football Association) and the CPFA (Calgary Pee Wee Football Association) there are roughly 1200 players every year ranging from the ages of 6 to 15 years of age.

 

Most teams practice 4 nights a week, for roughly 2 to 3 hours a night and games on Saturdays (Roughly 2 Hours)

 

I don't know about the soceer in town but I know it is very huge, the feild infront of my house is always jammed packed because of the 8 soccer feilds and this I would say would be for at least 3/4 of the years (Only time nothing is ever happening is when there is snow)

 

I also can walk to a few ball dimonds that is by my house and always find a little league game playing.

 

I also don;t even want to think about the hockey in my neck of the woods but I do know it is very very very big.

 

I constantly see kids riding there bikes and "Playing War" in Fish Creek Park by my house, and the private community lake is always jam packed with a ton of people (Kids, Teenagers, and Adults) in the summer time.

 

I think we do not see kids doing random things now a days because there are a ton of sport leagues that kids can now play in. I know when I came up to canada, for football there was only 1 league and for certain age group now we have 4 leagues (I left out our atom league cause they are still in the works with making it an actually league right now it is diffently a "Bush League") with over 1200 kids particapating in it.

 

When I was a kid all we had was the radio and 3 channels on the telvision and my grandparents use to kick us out of the house or put us to work, so as you can guess we choose to go out and play rather then hang around the house and be put to work.

[DonAndersen]

bhurt,

 

I've watched the organized programs effect my kids & grand-kids. Certainly lots of organized stuff.

But I get back to my original observation - other than organized play, I hardly seen any kids @ either the playgrounds to the east/north/south of us unless they are accompanied by parents.

 

About this time of year when I was a kid a 22, a can of beans, a knife and some matches and I was gone for the whole day. I'd suspect that if you treated a kid like that today - somebody or other would be howling child abuse.

 

 

regards,

 

 

Don

[bhurt]

Don,

 

I really don't know where you live so I can not comment on where you are, but I hear you, since you have posted this post I have been watching my neibourhood very closly as it made me think some (yeah I know me thinking is a very dangerous thing) what are kids really doing with their time.

 

I wanna see if the amount of kids out will increase as the weather gets better or if it stays the same, only time can tell.

[Bigtoad]

I teach in a junior high in rural Alberta and I would say your observations aren't too far off. The problem as I see it is two issues.

 

1. Kids are too busy. Hockey 3-5 nights a week, soccer, dance, basketball, piano, etc, etc. I think a lot of parents keep their kids far too busy. However, I think it is just in response to keeping them from problem #2.

 

2. Video games/tv. A recent study stated that kids spend 6 hours a day on either tv or video games. If they're not playing some kind of sport, they're in front of some type of screen. I definitely know they're not doing homework! Motivation is at an all time low. They want to be entertained, and when they're not, they lose interest in about 30 seconds. Creativity and critical thinking skills also seem to be spirally down. What really scares me is that when I ask kids how many text-messages they send a day, it's often between 400-600/day. Yup, you read that right! Text-messaging is a de-evolution of communication. It's a step backward. When you don't talk face-to-face you lose something in the communication. Kids are more connected than at any time in history yet are missing the connections. This, above all else (even seeing them out at the playground) is what worries me the most.

 

And yes, kids are still good. They want to be good people and want to fit in and I don't think that the world is going to end because they can't play with a stick for hours and be satisfied. It just worries me what type of adults these kids are going to turn into and what kind of society those adults are going to create.