Kids Living Dangerously

[Robinia]

Not sure where to post this, so apologies if a similar Q has been asked. Following recent articles about kids not playing conkers because it's dangerous etc etc I wondered what hair-raising antics you got up to??! We'd never heard of bark chippings in my day of going to the swings, just expanses of knee-scraping tarmac, & our favourite wheeze was to go down the 'big slide' sitting on a waxed bread wrapper. After a few goes it was so slippery that you could fly about three yards off the end before you hit the ground running (hopefully). Unfortunately one or two unsuspecting newcomers always went down on their stomachs or head first........

[andy hughes]

Nostalgia! I remember sliding down our local lethal slide - it was brass-plated, and a few slides on a waxed bread wrapper rendered it the speed equivalent of the Cresta Run! What about witch's hat roundabouts - how scary were they??? And our playground had a flying boat which got up to horizontal, and beyond. I remember catching the back of it, remember the metal 'cup' seats? I grabbed itm and got taken up and flung off at a ferocious speed, landing, as you said, on hard tarmac. Kids today .... mumble ... ramble ... dribble ... spilled cocoa ...

[Ouisch]

Our playgrounds were blacktop, too, when I was a kid...none of that soft Nancy-boy wood chip stuff. We used to play a game called "flashlight tag" at night. (I guess it would be "torch tag" in the UK.) It was played after dark, and we'd hide anywhere, running across people's lawns and in their yards, climbing fences, etc. The person who was "it" had to find you in the dark, and tag you by spotlighting you in the flashlight beam. I remember one night climbing over the neighbor's fence and jumping down into his back yard. Unfortunately, they'd been installing aluminum siding on their house, and had thrown the old wooden boards behind their garage, and I landed directly on an upraised nail. Went right through my foot, poking out through the top. Ouch. But my parents didn't sue the neighbors or anything, as folks do today; I just got yelled at on the way to the emergency room.

[Robinia]

Fantastic andy, I wasn't sure if it was just 'us common lot' that did the bread paper thingy. We had to go to the town park for a witch's hat, there was only a small roundabout at our local one. There was always some big lad that came & spun it round in the wrong direction (wasn't you was it?) - we called it sick way - & left us screaming girls hanging on for dear life. Ouisch - ouch! ouch! ouch!!!

[Philtaz]

Yes, it makes you wonder if todays kids will ever be able/allowed toughen up? I always remember the collection of scrapes and bruises after a snowfall when I was 11 years old. From the local scrapyard one of the lads stole the bonnet from a Morris Minor and 6 of us climbed in at the top of a steep slope in the local park. What reduced our breakneck speed? The bandstand at the bottom! OUCH! My daughter has just started Judo which will see her get a few knocks which is no bad thing as she's probably not allowed to play British Bulldogs or Tick in school. Probably be a law suit if the teacher lobbed a chalboard duster at her which was commonplace when I went to school!

[number8]

Ah yes - during the Summer holidays leaving home at 8am with a sandwich for lunch and arriving home 12 hours later, making a rope swing over a brook all of 30 odd feet below, climbing (what appeared to be massive) trees and getting to the very top, slamming on the brakes of your first racer and going 4rse over t!t over the handlebars (no helmets then), knocking on strangers doors and asking for a glass of water, scrumping, bundles, dead legs/arms and my favourite, swings that had shiny plastic seats and jumping off them at the highest point you dared. All this, and I didn't get a broken bone until my mid 20s playing Rugby.

[jakesi]

I remember cycling enthusiastically along on my chopper bike back in the 70's , then hitting the front brake and, bang straight onto the gear lever,makes my eyes water thinking about it. I never did that again.

[Ember]

Yes I've done all that, my biggest wonder is how we all survived. Another thing I never heard of anyone having asthma when I was young.

[Robinia]

There are lots of OUCH's so you've all got 3 stars - should be 3 plasters! How come having a plaster removed always hurt more than the original injury? Phitaz, no Tick in school? (we called it Dobby). So what about Kiss-chase? I suppose that's now sexual assault.....

[Robinia]

Oops sorry...Philtaz...

[Philtaz]

noddy , Firstly, what's the oops for? Secondly, are you informing me about Kiss-Chase or are you asking?(I'm game for anything as long as you're female LOL!)

[FP]

Oh, what memories you have all brought back... And we weren't frightened of a little dirt! Everything these days seems to be sprayed with something to 'kill all known bacteria'. At least doctors are recognising now that the increase in asthma is probably due to the fact the kids don't build up any resistance.

[Robinia]

Philtaz the oops was for spelling your name wrong. Yes I was a female last time I looked & I'm up for Kiss-chase - don't run so fast these days, oh quel dommage ;-). Meet you in the churchyard - nice & scary & loads of conkers at this time of year - bring your mates!!