# How kids play outside today.



## Josiah (Jul 29, 2015)

I'm sure if I were a kid again I'd be guilty of the same thing.


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## JustBonee (Jul 29, 2015)

Sad, isn't it?


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## SifuPhil (Jul 29, 2015)

They only have one chubby kid - it should be one _skinny_ kid.


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## Cookie (Jul 29, 2015)

Well, at least they are together, and who knows, they might be playing a game together.  Its not sad, just different - things change, but so many  of the older generation find it hard to accept change.


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

Cookie said:


> Well, at least they are together, and who knows, they might be playing a game together.  Its not sad, just different - things change, but so many  of the older generation find it hard to accept change.



I agree with you on this one, Cookie. This is much healthier than the street corner culture I grew up in. These kids _are _building up relationships. Fewer groups playing in the street and blocking traffic and trying to figure out some way to get into trouble. There are certainly enough kiddie sport teams around. Exercise is not dead. My grandsons are 28, science teachers, and married, but they still have a close group of high school buddies that get together to play computer games.


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## imp (Jul 29, 2015)

*"These kids are building up relationships"

*Nah, I see them building up relationships with hand-held devices, getting inadequate daily exercise, interests directed in mostly the wrong direction. Do I resist change? You bet, if it's change for the worse.   imp


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

imp said:


> *"These kids are building up relationships"
> 
> *Nah, I see them building up relationships with hand-held devices, getting inadequate daily exercise, interests directed in mostly the wrong direction. Do I resist change? You bet, if it's change for the worse.   imp



Just curious, imp. We  all see things through our own lens. Do you really know any of these kids personally? What makes you say "interests directed in mostly the wrong direction?" They used to say that about reading comics. I think the coming generations are going to do great things. All they need is for us to get out of the way with all of our hide bound negative baggage.


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## SifuPhil (Jul 29, 2015)

imp said:


> *"These kids are building up relationships"
> 
> *Nah, I see them building up relationships with hand-held devices, getting inadequate daily exercise, interests directed in mostly the wrong direction. Do I resist change? You bet, if it's change for the worse.   imp



Agree.

I'm not even technically a senior yet and I would call them whippersnappers.


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

Bonnie said:


> Sad, isn't it?



No it isn't. Would you rather have them throwing a ball against the side of your house? Looks to me like a picture of a bunch of nice kids having a good time together.


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## SifuPhil (Jul 29, 2015)

Underock1 said:


> No it isn't. Would you rather have them throwing a ball against the side of your house? Looks to me like a picture of a bunch of nice kids having a good time together.



While their muscles atrophy and they learn no real-world skills?


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

SifuPhil said:


> While their muscles atrophy and they learn no real-world skills?



Muscles atrophying is _our _generations problem. As I said earlier, there is no end to the number of sports for little kids, where they learn the "real world" skills of ignoring that idiot parent screaming expletives from the bleachers. These kids know more by third grade than we did in eighth, exactly due to that technology they are familiar with.


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## Josiah (Jul 29, 2015)

Underock1 said:


> Muscles atrophying is _our _generations problem. As I said earlier, there is no end to the number of sports for little kids, where they learn the "real world" skills of ignoring that idiot parent screaming expletives from the bleachers. These kids know more by third grade than we did in eighth, exactly due to that technology they are familiar with.



There's some truth to that, but I like Phil's comment about learning real-world skills. I recently saw a teenager who couldn't hammer a nail into a board if his life depended on it.


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## JustBonee (Jul 29, 2015)

Underock1 said:


> No it isn't. Would you rather have them throwing a ball against the side of your house? Looks to me like a picture of a bunch of nice kids having a good time together.



I'm a believer in both mental,   and physical activity for kids. .. I would be very concerned if my grandkids and their friends wanted only to play with electronics and watch TV.  Just not a healthy way to grow up, even in 2015. 

They push the 'Play 60' campaign to get kids motivated for just that reason.  They need sports and outdoor activities to develop their bodies too.


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

Josiah said:


> There's some truth to that, but I like Phil's comment about learning real-world skills. I recently saw a teenager who couldn't hammer a nail into a board if his life depended on it.



I took shop in 1946, and still have trouble with that. Today's teenager will use a nail gun, or because he is technologically proficient, will make enough money to have someone else do it for him.


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

Bonnie said:


> I'm a believer in both mental,   and physical activity for kids. .. I would be very concerned if my grandkids and their friends wanted only to play with electronics and watch TV.  Just not a healthy way to grow up, even in 2015.
> 
> They push the 'Play 60' campaign to get kids motivated for just that reason.  They need sports and outdoor activities to develop their bodies too.



I agree with that 100%. As I mentioned several times, there is a world of sports activities that kids can and do participate in. That doesn't convert to "playing video games is bad". The original picture posted looks to me like one that the kids in the photo and their parents will look back on as happy times. There is some truth and humor in it, which I am sure is why Josiah posted it. I just don't see it as a criminal act.


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## SifuPhil (Jul 29, 2015)

Underock1 said:


> Muscles atrophying is _our _generations problem. As I said earlier, there is no end to the number of sports for little kids, where they learn the "real world" skills of ignoring that idiot parent screaming expletives from the bleachers. These kids know more by third grade than we did in eighth, exactly due to that technology they are familiar with.



How is it our generation's problem? As I mentioned, I'm a comparative youngster yet still remember playing in the streets every day, etc. 

I still have to disagree about the "number of sports" for kids. Sports have gone from being simple pick-up games on the sand-lot exclusively for kids (who learned to speak up when they were right and apologize when they when wrong - solving their own problems) to adult-controlled semi-pro teams where it's win or die trying. 

Knowing more by third grade ... there is a difference between having knowledge and having common sense, and the ability to use that knowledge to better one's life. These kids might have facts and figures in their heads, they might know how to get the Gold Spear on Level 24 without having to fight the Centaur, but ask them who the Vice-President of the U.S. is, or ask them to do a few pull-ups.


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## Shirley (Jul 29, 2015)

They are in the same place but they are not "together". Each is in a world enclosed in their gadgets .


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

Shirley said:


> They are in the same place but they are not "together". Each is in a world enclosed in their gadgets
> .



Not so. Its like several women being "enclosed" within a good book and then discussing it at a book club. The kids have a common bond in the games, which are complex, and require more quick thinking and rapid reflexes than you can possibly imagine.


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## Underock1 (Jul 29, 2015)

SifuPhil said:


> How is it our generation's problem? As I mentioned, I'm a comparative youngster yet still remember playing in the streets every day, etc.
> 
> I still have to disagree about the "number of sports" for kids. Sports have gone from being simple pick-up games on the sand-lot exclusively for kids (who learned to speak up when they were right and apologize when they when wrong - solving their own problems) to adult-controlled semi-pro teams where it's win or die trying.
> 
> Knowing more by third grade ... there is a difference between having knowledge and having common sense, and the ability to use that knowledge to better one's life. These kids might have facts and figures in their heads, they might know how to get the Gold Spear on Level 24 without having to fight the Centaur, but ask them who the Vice-President of the U.S. is, or ask them to do a few pull-ups.



There are a few more seniors around with muscles atrophying than there are eight year olds.
I can see you are into the "back in my day" thing. That's fine. These kids have to deal with a far more complex and rapidly changing world than we ever did. Knowledge is expanding so fast that its more important to know how to find information than it is to memorize it. I look at that picture and all I see are good kids enjoying a good time. Makes me feel good to see that.


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## RadishRose (Jul 29, 2015)

A few years ago, on a mild sunny Sat.I drove through a neighborhood I lived in as a child for about 4 years.  It used to swarm with kids playing outside and running around.

On my drive through, there was not one child to be seen.


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## jujube (Jul 29, 2015)

Underock1 said:


> Just curious, imp. We  all see things through our own lens. Do you really know any of these kids personally? What makes you say "interests directed in mostly the wrong direction?" They used to say that about reading comics. I think the coming generations are going to do great things. All they need is for us to get out of the way with all of our hide bound negative baggage.



My baggage is canvas, bound with vinyl. Do I still need to get out of the way?


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## Cookie (Jul 29, 2015)

Kids don't seem to be roaming around unsupervised as they did when we were kids in the burbs.  I suppose parents often both work and the kids are in a supervised environment (not many stay at home mommies around these days), at daycare or after school programs.  The world is not a safe place for kids these days anyway, what with kidnapping so rampant, so they are safer off the streets and away from dangerous situations, imo.


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