I don't like...

[RTR]

The age we are living in.

I want to go back to the '60's, where I rode my bike without a helmet, where my brother and I could shoot at each other with a pellet gun and not be accused of terrorism, where I could speak what I thought, where I could take a firecracker to school to scare the girls and not be arrested, where I could dream of the wonders the future would hold, and where the race was in space (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo) and held an entire world in anticipation (that, my friends was "true" shock and awe).

I want to go swimming at the lake, eat a hotdog, and throw old rotten plums at the bus as it goes by.

I miss being 9.

I miss being 9 in the sixties.

RTR

[Sikboy]

I miss being nine in the 80s. Wondering if the world was going to blow it'self to diddly and back with an exchange of 60,000 warheads. Those were the days.

-Sik

[RTR]

Well we had that too. The cold war was in full swing, but MAD kinda made sense then. It would have been insane for either side to push that button. Yet...the iron curtain was up and it really was a case of Nato and Warsaw pact countries eyeballing each other across the fence. But you know, the world was really more stable then that it is now. We knew who the "enemy" was, we knew what he had and how it would be deployed.

Times have changed. We no longer fight another country or allied nations. Now we fight an idea, or a sect, or a political difference. We don't fight anymore for what our Fathers and Grandfathers gave us. We take away what they gave us and tell each other that we are safer for it, but we really aren't. We are just more willing to live our lives, and do want we want and not what needs to be done, because it is easier or we can make a buck off it.

I'm retired Airforce, and I'm glad I don't have to uphold todays "values".

RTR

[texasmom]

Regarding your first post... I think we all (regardless of our age) have that one perfect time in their childhood... where we had fun outdoors & didn't worry about anything except what we were going to explore for the day.

Even in today's world: my own boys had that perfect time ~ cul-de-sac, with a creek to catch crawdads, tadpoles & frogs; a park, gigantic hills with sidewalks for their skateboards, bikes (without helmets as long as there were no cops around) & scooters, tons of other boys to get into trouble with, mom's who didn't linger too closely (ensuring the trouble), popsicles at the end of the afternoon, girls to tease, snakes to catch (as long as you don't bring them home).

I'm not convinced that things back in the good 'ole days were really any better than they are today.

[RTR]

Hey TXMom, I'm glad (overjoyed actually) that you are able to live in an area where your boys are able to experience the good and fun things
about growing up!

But don't let that cloud the reality. The world has changed drastically and the things that we took for granted and were understood are long gone.

The simple fact is...youre boys are not going to be allowed to bring a bb gun or firecrackers to school. They aren't really even going to be allowed to walk down the street with a bb gun, on thier way to Mrs Millers back 40 to shoot at ground hogs.

Sucks, but it is the truth.

cheers,
RTR

[texasmom]

Hey TXMom, I'm glad (overjoyed actually) that you are able to live in an area where your boys are able to experience the good and fun things
about growing up!

But don't let that cloud the reality. The world has changed drastically and the things that we took for granted and were understood are long gone.

The simple fact is...youre boys are not going to be allowed to bring a bb gun or firecrackers to school. They aren't really even going to be allowed to walk down the street with a bb gun, on thier way to Mrs Millers back 40 to shoot at ground hogs.

Sucks, but it is the truth.

cheers,
RTR

  Thanks RTR, I'm pretty thrilled for them to have that as well.  But honestly, I do let mine walk around with BB guns (not any of the BB guns that actually appear to be handguns ~ so the local gangbangers don't think the neighborhood 9 year old is coming for revenge & actually shoot them... which is probably a big change from our time).  They'll still get a good old fashioned bellybutton beating from their mom if they get into too much trouble with them.  And I think their animal of choice is squirrel or bird... not hog.  

You're right about not being able to bring them to school ~ firecrackers either.  They did bring the snappers (poppers... I don't know what they're called) to school once a few years ago.  Thankfully there was only a scolding for that, and not suspension.

[RTR]

heh heh, I still have marks from the bellybutton beatings I got from my Mom, back in the day. I grew up pretty okay 

I guess I just wish it was that simple again for all of us.

cheers.

RTR

[EskimoJoe]

Man, if only I was a kid back then 

[Holden McGroin]

the 60's had it's drawbacks...

PFC David Wagner 08 Apr 1968

[wrongwayric]

I miss being told that we were heading for another ice age if we didn't do something. Now we are being told the exact opposite. I wonder why? Could it be motivated by tax dollars? Naaaa that'd just be crazy talk.

[rpm]

Holden, why don't you support the troops?

Not being rude, just pointing out the irony. <S>

[Pooh21]

I grew up in the 80s. the last decade of deserved hide tannings. In retrospect my parents should have done more. We had squirt guns, without orange tips, we brought them to school without the SWAT team being called out.  BMX motocrossing in the empty construction lot. Growing up next to a forest in Germany and standing at a safe distance when some dumb neighbor kid came out holding a clip of 20mm flak rounds, that sort of thing would make national news. Oh we also had none of this zero tolerance crap. Plus the duck and cover drills were kinda cool, and the Red Menace was in the Eastern Bloc not right next door, fricken Peoples Republic of Multnomah County

[lyric1]

Holden, why don't you support the troops?

Not being rude, just pointing out the irony. <S>

How did you arrive at that thought?

[Excel1]

my first thought was a close family member or relative. if so, sorry holden