I often find myself telling stories to my kids about my childhood, which always end with the saying, “But, don’t you ever do that.” Looking back, I don’t know how I made it to adulthood relatively unscathed.
Back in the day, we sure had a lot of fun. It seems to me, way more fun than our kids have these days. But, truth be known, I’m lucky to be alive.
There were the climbing races to the top of my neighbor’s maple tree…a good two-and-a-half-stories high. The perilous jump between a 2nd story roof to a bedroom window, which had nothing below it but ground. And, the one time in early Spring when my cousin and I tried to stand on floating blocks of ice that were breaking apart on the river. We were holding onto a railing near a boat pier, but the freezing water was deep enough to go over our heads. Brilliant.
We climbed high upon the steel beams at a construction site, and rode all over town–without helmets–on the handlebars of each other’s bikes. All while someone else was hitching a ride on the back of the “banana seat”.
We swung across a ravine on the end of a warped vine, and spent afternoons walking across the moss-covered tops of low-level dams. We dove into a quarry, rode our bikes on very busy streets, and never wore seat belts.
But, my personal favorite has to be our creation of “storm forts”, where we would sit outside with golf umbrellas fashioned into a stronghold against the wind and rain. I’m not sure where our parents were, as we sat there just asking for a bolt of lightening to hit us and our AM/FM radios.
I can not believe how downright stupid we were. Completely oblivious to the chances we were taking, and abundantly lucky that we weren’t hurt beyond a few scratches and dents. So, I tell those tales to my children with caution…and I TRY not to make it sound like it was a TON of fun.
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Candace
I got so anxious reading that!
It’s all the great stuff that childhood is made of but I don’t want my kids to do it!
I got even more stupid as I got older and now I’m an old fart parent saying, no, no, no…..
all the time!
Chuck
Wow! Reading that made me feel like a kid again. It’s almost sad.
One of my favorites from childhood was playing the hunter and the hunted in the woods with BB guns. So much fun.
I do relate though. What you decide to share with your kids is tough. Ugh, we’re getting old.
Jenny-up the hill
Man oh man! I did some crazy things too when I was younger…one that comes to mind is traipsing down a steep mountain to get to Dr. Bass’ body farm to see the corpses. Creepy…we all wore Member’s Only Jackets so know one would see us! lol!! Of course, you’re probably too young to know about those awesome cool jackets….
Serina Hope
LOL
It was a lot of fun and I’m sure that your kids will have their own dangerous fun…they just won’t tell yOU about it!
Jared
I agree with Serina. Doing stupid stuff is part of growing up, and is not preventable. I think our job as parents is to make sure they do the stupid stuff carefully, and be there for them when they mess up or get hurt. 🙂
Corey~living and loving
it is so true….I have a pretty long list of things I did as a young kid that I hope and pray to never let my daughter do. ugh….some of us are really lucky!
great post!
BusyDad
It is only now that I understand why my mom would get so freaked out when I hopped on my bike and bid her farewell for the day. And in fairness I should let my son do the same. But I am not fair. I am his dad.
bmg_mom
You know, it’s great to hear your stories and realize that, hey, you survived…so maybe I really can lighten up on my adventurous little guy who seems to want to do so many things that scare the heck out of me.
Avery Gray
You forgot jumping off the roof holding a garbage bag (as a parachute, of course!) What? Was I the only one who did that?
FYI–it doesn’t work.
childlife
Oh, I know what you mean! I honestly don’t know how I made it to my 10th birthday… I’m bound and determined that my kids will though! : )
Thanks for stopping by with your great comment on my blog!
Pinky
Good grief! Your guardian angel must’ve been exhausted!;-)
I walked across a frozen lake once, and didn’t even stop when I heard the ice cracking. Stupid is as stupid does.
Becky
I used to run all over the very little town that I grew up in from sunrise to sunset! Unless it was a school day then it was before school and then after school! I was carefree did so much!!
I would not even begin to allow my kids to do that now! I so know what you mean!
And which one cleans up better than you? I am just wondering because if its the one I think it is than I am in the same boat! And also if its the second one…I have a secret to share!
Let me know!
Annette Lyon
My MIL raised five sons and only now that they’re adults does she hear about some of their escapades. She’s not sure if she’s glad she didn’t know about their idiocy at the time–after all, they survived.
Can’t help but wonder what my kids have done when I’m not looking . . . yikes!
ummmhello
Wow, you ARE lucky to be alive! But what great memories 🙂 And just think, now “they” ban every toy with moving, sharp, hard or spongy parts as dangerous. CHILDHOOD is dangerous!! Well, if it’s done right 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
terancedubya
Yes ma’am…you should be dead by now. Thankfully, you have lived long enough to tell these tales and hopefully your children will be a bit more cautious. Or…they could try and one-up you and in 15 years tell you their escapades. But don’t think about that.
newnorth
lol, those were great. I feel a little bad for kids nowadays. Loved the umbrella part!
Jackal
What a blast!
Deb
But it was sooooo much fun, wasn’t it?
Jill
Great post! Coincidentally some friends and I were chatting the other day about how we all knew at least one kid who started a fire in a field or the woods that required the fire department to come put it out!
Another friend (the youngest of 5 children) mentioned that she vividly remembers sitting at an electrical socket, repeatedly sticking a bobby pin in it just to feel the SHOCK! (Her mom was in the kitchen smoking at the time.)
Joeprah
Yeah, those are pretty dumb. I was perhaps more retarded in nature. We did some of the dumbest things imaginable like rafting down storm water filled rivers in snow tubes and sneaking out late at night and walking up and down dimly lit streets at night. I have 2 horrifying stories I never told my parents where myself and a friend of mine were almost abducted because we were in the absolute wrong place at the wrong time. I will never tell my kids those stories unless I want to scare the piss out of them.