Post: #26

I spent almost all my free time as a kid outside, exploring, hiking, playing in neighborhood, sports, getting into trouble, scuffles, adventures, things like that. I'm 47, and I'm glad I didn't grow up in today's world.

Boys need physical activity.

That's what boys are supposed to do. This new generation of house-bound marshmallows is something new in history. I look on them with a mixture of horror and pity.

Neutered, de-fanged, and effeminate, the lot of them.

Post: #27

I grew up in the 80s and early 90s. Not only did my friends and I play outside, but we ran around with sticks pretending to be knights and warriors, which would definitely trigger the anti-boy police today. Do kids not even play outside anymore? What fuckery.

Post: #28

(03-06-2016 02:49 PM)eatthishomie Wrote:  I grew up in the 80s and early 90s. Not only did my friends and I play outside, but we ran around with sticks pretending to be knights and warriors, which would definitely trigger the anti-boy police today. Do kids not even play outside anymore? What fuckery.

Yeah apparently my dad carried around a curtain rod and pretended it was a sword. Today, if he were a kid, he'd liked be drugged and kicked out of school.

Post: #29

I was born in 1997 but I also grew up in South America, so I didn't really have the luxury of having things such as computers and cable TV to keep me entertained as a kid. Given my circumstances, I was pretty much forced to play outside.

Post: #30

I grew up in a suburban area during the 90s (I was born in '86) so the answer is yes, of course. Back then smartphones didn't exist and Internet access was very limited, so you had every possible incentive to go and play outside. We played war, football, basketball, drove with our bikes around the neighborhood...I miss those times sometimes. All you had to do in life was go to school, do your homework and then it was play time.

When I walk around my neighborhood today, I'm sometimes appalled at the emptiness of schoolyards and playgrounds. Overall, new generations of kids spend much less time outside and it's plainly visible.

Post: #31

Just reading the thread title makes me nostaligic.

There was nothing better

Damn shame if those days are ending.

Post: #32

It is almost the same thing in my city... I hardly see kids outside playing football (soccer) or riding bicycles.

Post: #33

Reading the posts of others brings back some great memories. I was outside from shortly after sun-up to twilight and then my mom had to continuously call us to dinner; usually two or three times. We were running, jumping, chasing one another through other people´s yards, hopping over fences, jumping into (neighbors) pools from the deck, the trees or the roof, climbing trees, building forts, scaling buildings, hiding in bushes, riding our bikes, exploring the neighborhoods and towns where we lived; we even once rode our bikes all day and a group of parents (unhappily) came to pick us up in a city over 50 miles away because we finally noticed that it was getting late. We played kick the can, guns, capture the flag, baseball, football, street hockey, maul-ball, pounded on one another, all in good fun. It did not matter how tired we were from playing team sports beforehand or from school, we were always interacting and playing; rain or shine. Night time was for family, talking about our day at the table before eating, paricipating in the discussion of topics that my father would lead around the dinner table, then homework and reading. We had chores sometimes during the week and on Saturday that seem to break-up the fun, but we knew that it was good for us. Funny thing, as another mentioned; I am doing the same thing now, but with different activities whether they are play, chores, or mental activity. Thanks mom and dad.

Boomer

Post: #34

Most friends that lived near me came to my house to play soccer and other things, since I have a big garden here, lots of trees and so on. I didn't spend much time in the streets though, I think it's a good thing depending where you live. I live somewhat near a favela, most of these kids I played with are now criminals.

Post: #35

(03-06-2016 03:47 PM)NASA Test Pilot Wrote:  Reading the posts of others brings back some great memories. I was outside from shortly after sun-up to twilight and then my mom had to continuously call us to dinner; usually two or three times. We were running, jumping, chasing one another through other people´s yards, hopping over fences, jumping into (neighbors) pools from the deck, the trees or the roof, climbing trees, building forts, scaling buildings, hiding in bushes, riding our bikes, exploring the neighborhoods and towns where we lived; we even once rode our bikes all day and a group of parents (unhappily) came to pick us up in a city over 50 miles away because we finally noticed that it was getting late. We played kick the can, guns, capture the flag, baseball, football, street hockey, maul-ball, pounded on one another, all in good fun.

Does anyone else still think that stuff sounds like a blast? We all have this notion of what adults are supposed to do for fun. Grownups are supposed to enjoy:
-drinking
-eating
-checking out bars
-watching TV and movies
-sitting around talking
-standing around talking
-maybe some hobby such as yoga, painting, cooking, etc.

Fuck that. If this list ever encompasses what I do in my leisure time, put a bullet in my head. I'll take "childish" activities like playing ball, exploring new places via bike, hiking through the wilderness, jumping into bodies of water, going on spontaneous adventures, and staying outside the entire day not giving a shit that I'm dirty and sweaty and haven't even stopped to eat any day of the week. The natural high from these types of activities can't be rivaled, and that doesn't change just because now you have a car and some money.

Sidenote: When on a date, give the girl that same feeling of adventure and spontaneity that you loved when you were a kid, and she's yours. Sit there in the same bar/restaurant/coffee shop the entire time, and be prepared to go into a depression spiral about what a boring as fuck chore dating is.

Post: #36

I find a lot of stuff is muted now. Kids are hanging out but nothing amazing seems to transpire...

As a lot of guys have already stated, neighborhoods "back then" were brimming with excitement. I can remember where seemingly every kid's house on our block was open and ready to be discovered. In the summer, we'd blast through the front, eat whatever we wanted, grabbed a few bikes, bats, baseballs gloves, and played until our parents came home from work. In the winter time, we made snowballs mixed with dog crap, stole some garbage lids to act as shields, and hammered each other until we couldn't take it anymore.

Post: #37

I walked to school every day and played sports during recess at school, but I spent all my after school free time in front of a computer or game console. I'm 31.

My parents made me learn tools and car repair when I was young, and sometimes I'd have friends over and we'd wrestle and slug it out. So it wasn't a completely sedentary childhood but it was almost 100% spent indoors.

Post: #38

Yea I was outside all the time, riding motorbikes, fishing, building huts in the forest, I grow up in the countryside. I don't have kids but I live in a small wooden house with 3 apartments. People next door have this 5-6 year old boy and I never see him outside playing, even in our own front yard. I don’t think that little guy even has friends, I think he hangs inside all day playing video games, can’t be anything else.

Also my own little brother has grown up in city center. I think he never was outside on his own without mom until age 10 or smt. And even then only place he could go was small playground inside concrete jungle.

In that sense I’m very happy about my childhood, wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Post: #39

I spend most of my free time outside. I remember, that me and my friends used to Play in the Woods, fencing with wooden swords that we crafted ourselves.
We built a huge treehouse where no Girls were allowed. It was a good time.
Spending a lot of time outside is crucial for a good development of our immunesystem. Both Body and mind take great benefit in this.
I get sick about every 2 years and I think it's because I grew up on a farm and used to Play in the dirt with all the animals. I am thankful, that my parents always urged me to go outside and forbid me to watch TV until I was 10 years old.


I see how my Little brother grows up These days.(He is 12 now). He rarely goes outside, except if the weather is really good. He spends a lot of his time browsing YouTube and playing Video games. He is obsessed with social media and Fashion.

I often tell him about how I grew up and urge him to spend more time with "real" activities. Unfortunately he doesn't listen to me.

Post: #40

No. I spent days and nights playing Super Mario.

Post: #41

Like a lot of guys here, I grew up in the 80's.

We had a sultana grape vineyard, in a country town adjacent to one of the main rivers in Australia.

For me, there was a lot of work and play outside as a kid. Weather was ideal for it too. Picking grapes, driving tractors, riding motorbikes, catching fish and yabbies, shooting, waterskiing, swimming, playing tennis.

I was obsessed with water as a kid. If it was a warm day and I wasn't at school, I'd be harassing my parents to visit our family friends who had pools.

My dad would also take me on weekends away to his friends' property in rural New South Wales, between the ages of about 10 and 12. Kangaroos were a bit of problem there, so there was plenty of "bush bashin" through scrub with my dad and his friend positioned on either side of the back of a vehicle, picking off roos and emus as they encountered them. I'd be in the back too, holding on for dear life. I once saw two emu's being shot with one round, and a roo clear the cabin of the moving ute as it jumped to seek safety.

Dad was a keen clay target shooter too. Our rumpus room (which contained a billiard table, pinball machine, dart board and table tennis table) featured a massive boar's head, with his winning sashes on display on either side. I'll never forget the recoil of my first shot of a shotgun, which in hindsight was a bit premature at 8 years old. When I hit double digits, he gave me one of his prizes that he'd been saving for that day, for some years - a really cool Jap made hunting knife.

Looks like this has been a bit of a reminiscing of time with dad post, but I'm very thankful I had the opportunity to be exposed to very masculine pursuits with him in my formative years. It greatly assisted my transition into military life, and later as I've entered into the competitive, dog-eat-dog corporate world.

Post: #42

All the time.

I really get nostalgic when I think about that feeling I had when I was looking at a hazy sunset in the summer sky after a long day of playing outside; contemplating my life and what the future may bring.

Fortunately, sunsets happen everyday and therefore, every new day is an opportunity to re-create that feeling. As an adult, everyday is an opportunity to make future dreams a reality.

Post: #43

Born in mid 90s, grew up in early aughts. I would say ages 6-12, it was a 80-20 inside/outside split (in terms of my free time, not including things like recess, and league sports I played). A lot of time spent playing video games and being on the computer. From 13 on up though (basically 8th grade to the end of high school), I'd say it was a 70-30 split, with more time spent "out" with friends, going to parties and doing stupid shit. At this point in my life, I'm an even 50/50 as my job is a lot of outdoors work, I work out and play sports in my free time, but also spend a lot of time on the computer.

Post: #44

(03-06-2016 11:59 AM)Delta Wrote:  

(03-06-2016 11:01 AM)johnbozzz Wrote:  I was born in 1993 and I think my age group (1991-1994) was likely the last group of kids you might see playing around in the neighborhood or the park.

But unlike a lot of youth bashers, I don't believe it's because they're all inside playing video games. I think things have just shifted to formal, organized activities that parents sign their kids up for.

Good point about organized activities. While this has the benefit of kids being active, it also has a detrimental effect. All these extracurricular activities are organized and ran by adults. Kids aren't learning how to organize themselves, think up some creative things to do, and police their own behaviors within the group.

This thread has me reminiscing about the old days when I'd be outside from the moment I　woke up until dinner time. We'd steal wood from a friend's grandfathers backyard and try to build clubhouses in a field behind another buddy's house. The worst, (best maybe?) day was when one of us stumbled across a bee hive and we all got stung dozens of times. Sucked at the time, but great memories.

Post: #45

(03-07-2016 03:25 AM)Windom Earle Wrote:  My dad would also take me on weekends away to his friends' property in rural New South Wales, between the ages of about 10 and 12. Kangaroos were a bit of problem there, so there was plenty of "bush bashin" through scrub with my dad and his friend positioned on either side of the back of a vehicle, picking off roos and emus as they encountered them.

This brought back memories of "Spotlighting" rabbits as a kid. One adult driving a ute at night with another on the back with the light. The rest of the tray full of kids who would swarm off and chase whatever wildlife was spotted, for hours. Of fi there were less, a few rifles and a scoreboard of who could bag the most.

Good times.

Post: #46

I was raised in the 90's and early 2000's. Part of the last group to play outside. There were a lot of kids in my neighborhood all within a few years of eachother. We would play sports, cops and robbers, capture the flag, snowball and watergun fights, swimming at the one kids house that had a pool, riding bikes and exploring the nearby forest. We actually ended up pooling our money together and buying shop lights so we could play "under the lights."

Sure we would play video games and inside but that was always short-lived and we would go back outside. We would actually make fun of the kids that stayed inside and call them weirdos.

It was a blast.

Post: #47

Why do you guys think that there are no (or barely) any city kids on this forum?

Did they learn about game and life and never have need for a community like this?

Or is it what we allude to here, that they are the white knights, and they Tumblerin?

Post: #48

I was born in Russia. My parents didn’t believe in encouragement, they strongly believed in punishment. I was punished on the right and on the left and they were really creative inventing new punishments. But I don’t remember even once I was deprived of playing outside after school. Later in my life I ask my mother about it and she just answered: “I don’t believe in this kind of punishment.”

Post: #49

I practically lived in the woods as a kid. I still play outside all the time. A first date for me is isually a scenic walk with my dog to a waterfall or something. Now instea of whacking nettles and catching frogs i fish, hunt, snowboard, camp etc.

I think one of the main reasons millenials are such pussy little faggots is they were raised on video games and cable tv. By single mothers ..

Post: #50

I'm a Gen Xer and you bet we all played outside and had fun doing it. Bikes, scooters, sports, fireworks...had so much fun. Basically, a 180 from what kids do today.

I used to shovel snow and cut grass to make money too. You never see that these days.