Man, we are raising a generation of.....

[gold-n-rod]

..... pu$$ies. :(
http://www.computerworld.com/common/images/site/features/2008/102008/Cloud%209.large.jpg
Go Calvin, go!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://thisindielife.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/calvin-and-hobbes-wagon.gif

[olredalert]

-------Do I see cup-holders????.........Bill S

[gold-n-rod]

-------Do I see cup-holders????.........Bill S

Yeah, and there's an iPod dock, too. :bonk: :frown:

And sun visors. :frown:

[f_inscreenname]

Pimp my wagon.:yes:

[mattyboy]

actually the 4 point seat belts would have saved me atleast 36 stiches and a few broken fingers not to mention all the road rash, thank god I am short all the taller kids always lost teeth when the wagon stopped and the black handle broke their fall:nilly:

[zelatore]

actually the 4 point seat belts would have saved me atleast 36 stiches and a few broken fingers not to mention all the road rash, thank god I am short all the taller kids always lost teeth when the wagon stopped and the black handle broke their fall:nilly:

Man, that's harsh. All I ever lost falling out of a Radio Flyer was a coller bone. And to think - an older neighboor kid was pulling the wagon at the time and my parents didn't even sue them!

[gcarter]

Well, the kids strapped nto the harness might not have the presence of mind to un-buckle after the wagon goes into the lake.............:boat:

[gcarter]

Actually, kids can't use this themselves. They have to be pulled by someone else.
Front wheels aren't steered, but are castered:nilly:
Dad can't use it for yard work either.
What a piece of crap.

[Donziweasel]

Hey, we ordered one for the twins.........NOT!:wink:

[mattyboy]

Man, that's harsh. All I ever lost falling out of a Radio Flyer was a coller bone. And to think - an older neighboor kid was pulling the wagon at the time and my parents didn't even sue them!

Zel
that was not one incident but my tenure of wagon riding as a kid a stitch here a stitch there

I broke my collar bones later in high school, thinking about it as a kid it was no big deal where i grew up it was an apartment complex in the Bronx(parkchester) and had very strict rules no bikes or skateboards . also no playing on the grass and no ball playing unless you were in one of the many playgrounds

so the radio flyer was a little loop hole in the rules as many moms used them to tote the kids and groceries home. so i kid pulling a wagon could tell the parkchester security police that you were on your way get the groceries for your mom. just don't get caught riding one

so now that brings us up to the carnage of 2 of the favorite spots to ride the wagons down hill suicide and machine gun hill.
machine gun hill was so named as that any wheeled device skates,skateboards,skooters or wagons made a machine gun sound as it rolled across the groves put in the side walk. depending on how fast you went you went from semi automatic to full automatic and only the fastest began tommy guns. machine gun hill was lined with rocks and also all off the grass in the whole complex was lined with steel pipes and chain looped to keep us off. all in all machine gun hill was not that dangerous but the new kids or the spazzy ones could get into some trouble.

now suicide hill was a whole nother story it had the pipes and chain plus it was steep and had all sorts of hard objects parked cars,parking meters, curbs and the dreaded johnny pumps ( fire hydrants)

and depending on your size and riding style the big kids could straddle the wagon and use the pf flyers as brakes,the smaller kids who feet wouldn't reach ( like me) let our feet dangle or rode indian style. we had to rely on either a big kid to act as a brake man ( no big kid would do this unless dared) or their driving skill to navigate the danger and let the wagon use all of it's momentum on the "run out " area . the other school of thinking was lesser of 2 evils. basically this was a controlled crash and a choice to i want to hit a johnny pump( sharp edges and solid) or a parking meter( not sharp but still solid).Only the brave ( or crazy) would take the I get duck and get under the chain and wipe out on the grass.

It amazes me that while all this was going on the kids not riding would act as a network of look outs and signal men to warn us if security was around.
Every kid was sort of worried about getting hurt BUT WE were DEAD AFRAID of getting caught by security. Getting written up meant a world of hurt when mom and dad found out as they got a phone call

let's just say it took me some time to master my driving skills


I bet these new wagons will be a hit on the jersey shore and out on fire island
for dragging around the kiddies

these don't look so menacing now all grown up but they were larger than life to me as a kid

[gold-n-rod]

that was not one incident but my tenure of wagon riding as a kid a stitch here a stitch there

Stitches (and their resultant scars) are tattoos of the fearless. Kids today are pu$$ies. They get all their kicks on monitors or ride the "Little Red Wii Wagons." We used to play outside on bikes, scooters, skates, skateboards, wagons and the like. Scabs were worn like badges of honor. We had red all over us from the mecurichrome.

Skater punks aside, when was the last time you saw a regular kid with scabs, stitches or a cast? My kids are 18 and 23. Never a broken bone, chipped tooth or concussion. I think my youngest had a couple of stitches from biting his tongue when he was horseplaying..... that's it. :confused: :frown:

^^^^
Miscellaneous ramblings of a man sliding into "Old Fart Syndrome."

[Ghost]

I addition to all criticism above, I wonder if the belts and the high freeboard don't actually make it more dangerous as well as less fun. George's note about the caster wheels will probably mean it is boring enough that lack of use will make it safe, but any seat belt with no rollover protection could be both annoying and unsafe. The ones who DO use it will go backwards I suppose.

[Donziweasel]

I will say these kids out here take thier lumps. Little skier and snowboarders are constantly getting thier asses kicked, bruises, stiches, etc.... Little cowboys cow girls are constantly getting bucked, chucked, and hucked. I think it is where you live. I think city kids are more prone to video games and malls, out here, it is the outdoors.....:wink: These tough little kids were some scabs and bruises, I gaurantee you that! Alot of thier fathers are cowboys, outfitters, guides, etc....

[mattyboy]

well I thought this stuff was over for me with 2 kids in college the days of taking them to the ER was over not so seems Joe broke a few ribs in a pick up hockey game the parent's curse works my Dad always said he hoped I had a kid just like me??? so we spend today waiting for test and x rays

the rule is he buys lunch just like i had to do

[Rootsy]

actually the 4 point seat belts would have saved me atleast 36 stiches and a few broken fingers not to mention all the road rash, thank god I am short all the taller kids always lost teeth when the wagon stopped and the black handle broke their fall:nilly:

Builds character... :wink:

Come to think of it... I never wore a helmet for anything other than batting in little league and riding the dirt bike... Hell my first car didn't even have seat belts...

I'll agree... kids these days are placed in a bubble... How does one learn right from wrong, good from bad, etc unless directly experiencing it... There's only so much a kid can learn from leapfrog...

[zelatore]

There's only so much a kid can learn from leapfrog...


What kind of animal are you?! Maybe you don't care about your children, but I'm not about to let MY children go out and jump over/be jumped over by other kids! That's a shocking display of neglect! I've got half a mind to call the authorities!

.
.
.
.
.

On second thought, I don't have any kids anyway, and if I did I'd probably take them to a shooting range, take them for a ride around Sears Point or Laguna Seca, and buy them a dirt bike. So it's just possible I was kidding in the above post.

[Rootsy]

What kind of animal are you?! Maybe you don't care about your children, but I'm not about to let MY children go out and jump over/be jumped over by other kids! That's a shocking display of neglect! I've got half a mind to call the authorities!
.
.
.
.
.
On second thought, I don't have any kids anyway, and if I did I'd probably take them to a shooting range, take them for a ride around Sears Point or Laguna Seca, and buy them a dirt bike. So it's just possible I was kidding in the above post.

Actually I was talking about those personal infant video learning game things... the brand name is... leapfrog...

Heck.. for the actual game of leapfrog I think all children should have to wear full kevlar battle gear.... That game is dangerous.. especially if played right after little league practice...

[mikev]

yep turning the kids into wimps.

[Patti]

Was this before your time?
We licked the beaters and didn't have anyone telling us we were going to become deathly ill from eating batter with raw eggs in it!
At Easter time, we had our dyed Easter eggs in a nest on the counter and they sat out at room temperature for the week after Easter. We would peel one whenever we felt like it. I Can't Believe We Made It"!
If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's. Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have... As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. Not to mention hitchhiking to town as a young kid!
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable.
We played dodge ball and sometimes the ball would really hurt. We got cut, broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no law suits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents?
We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.
We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda but we were never overweight ... we were always outside playing games, we shared grape soda with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games at all, 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell and just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By our-selves! Out there in the cold, cruel world! Without a guardian. How did we do it?
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade .... Horrors. Tests were not adjusted for any reason.
Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law, imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them.

[Just Say N20]

Was this before your time?
We licked the beaters and didn't have anyone telling us we were going to become deathly ill from eating batter with raw eggs in it!
At Easter time, we had our dyed Easter eggs in a nest on the counter and they sat out at room temperature for the week after Easter. We would peel one whenever we felt like it. I Can't Believe We Made It"!
If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's. Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have... As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. Not to mention hitchhiking to town as a young kid!
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable.
We played dodge ball and sometimes the ball would really hurt. We got cut, broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no law suits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents?
We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.
We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda but we were never overweight ... we were always outside playing games, we shared grape soda with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games at all, 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell and just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By our-selves! Out there in the cold, cruel world! Without a guardian. How did we do it?
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.
Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade .... Horrors. Tests were not adjusted for any reason.
Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law, imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them.

Well said. A big AMENto that.

[zelatore]

Actually I was talking about those personal infant video learning game things... the brand name is... leapfrog...

Oh.

Well, there's probably something dangerous about those things as well. Might cause seizures or something...

[onesubdrvr]

Oh.

Well, there's probably something dangerous about those things as well. Might cause seizures or something...
Actually, nothing inherently dangerous with the Leapfrogs / pads / etc.,....


UNLESS THEY DON'T TURN THE DARNED THING OFF!!!!

Wayne <--- father of 4 girls and 1 boy all of which HAVE owned "Leap" electronic learning games, and have nearly driven him to the verges of insanity.

[Donziweasel]

Oh the things I have to look foward to........:)

[zelatore]

Oh the things I have to look foward to........:)

Don't pi$$ off any of the relatives or you'll be in for it - I'm alway threatening to send my brother's 2 kids a toy drum set for Christmas just to drive him crazy. :nilly:

[Ed Donnelly]

Patti; If you could go back to your childhood, what would you change for safties sake..


NOTHING ......................Ed