Post by markcameron on Feb 3, 2011 16:26:44 GMT -5
Hello Team Cameron,
We've always heard the stories from our elders about walking uphill both ways to school through knee-high snow. I'm here to tell you that although I attended first second and third grade at the school just across the street I also trudged through the snow on a number of occasions. Kids these days are just soft.
Any more it seems they are giving the kids the day off school for anything over a light dusting of snow. Now what do a majority of these kids do? Other than the few brave that have their parents drive them to the hill behind Lowe's hardware with their fancy plastic sleds most kids spend these winter days playing video games, on their computers or watching one of the 250 channels they have available.
I will admit February started with a massive snowstorm here in the Midwest and of course they called off school. Now, let's find out what these kids are doing. Did they get out to enjoy the snow? How many snow forts, snowman or snowball fights did they enjoy on their day off? Did they get their fancy sleds out?
In the good old days…
On those rare occasions that they did call off school, I remember saving bread sacks to put on over our socks to keep our feet warm as we trudged through the snow. There was also a hill at a neighbor's house that was perfect for sledding. It was the backside of a cattle pond.
The real test was the sledding itself, I was lucky enough to have a creative brother. We had one round disk sled which offered no control so instead Mike showed me how to cut a used a piece of paneling for the perfect sled. We spent hours trudging up the hill with a discarded piece of wall panel cut 18 inches wide by 4 feet long with a length of bailing twine tied to an end to prevent the nosedive.
We stayed out until dark, sled racing downhill only to turn for a foot race to the top and do it again. We only stopped to remove our boots for a quick readjustment to our socks and bread sacks or an occasional snowball fight.
If we were real lucky we would spend the evening on an upside down car hood tied 100 feet behind a four-wheel-drive truck making laps around the horse pasture and up and down 164th and Quivira (it used to be a dirt road). The only reason we would stop would be to pick up anyone falling off the car hood or for a cup of lip-blistering hot chocolate around a bonfire.
Sure these kids are soft, technology has blessed us with these fancy plastic sleds but in their defense it's not all of their fault. Most of the blame will fall back on the parents, it doesn't seem that they are doing their kids justice these days.
I would like to ask all of you parents out there a couple of questions to establish my theory. How many of you challenged your kids to get out of house? Have you purchased the plastic sleds? It's not like you're making them use paneling these days. Are you overprotective for their safety? With Gore-tex and Under Armour you don't need to worry about frostbite. Do you own a four-wheel drive vehicle? I'm betting you at least have an all-wheel-drive. Now the big question, how many of you have an old car hood and 100 foot rope in your garage?
Turn off the TV and kick the kids outside. I guarantee in 20 years they will thank you for the memories they can pass on to the next generation. If they come back too soon complaining about the cold, give them a couple of bread sacks.
It's been a cold month and it keeps me pretty close to home. And now with this snowstorm I don't even try to get out. There is no reason to take the chance driving the van on icy roads and worse yet is operating in this chair on partially plowed parking lots. But I am still riding my bike 40 miles a week and working with electric stimulation on my upper body as much as possible so I'm staying healthy.
I hadn't thought about it until today that I could be out enjoying the snow. I'm sure my brother could find a way to get me and my chair down a hill on a piece of paneling. I guess the real effort would be dragging me back up. We could make it easier with a four-wheel-drive and the length of rope. Does anyone know where to get an old car hood?
Get out and throw a couple of snowballs.
Love you all, Mark
ps We have finally set the date for the next Team Cameron Bowling Extravaganza. Make sure you write down Saturday, April 9th for an afternoon at Mission Bowl in Olathe. Get your team together and let us know your team name. e-mail me at [a href="cameron-mark@sbcglobal.net"]cameron-mark@sbcglobal.net[/a]
We've always heard the stories from our elders about walking uphill both ways to school through knee-high snow. I'm here to tell you that although I attended first second and third grade at the school just across the street I also trudged through the snow on a number of occasions. Kids these days are just soft.
Any more it seems they are giving the kids the day off school for anything over a light dusting of snow. Now what do a majority of these kids do? Other than the few brave that have their parents drive them to the hill behind Lowe's hardware with their fancy plastic sleds most kids spend these winter days playing video games, on their computers or watching one of the 250 channels they have available.
I will admit February started with a massive snowstorm here in the Midwest and of course they called off school. Now, let's find out what these kids are doing. Did they get out to enjoy the snow? How many snow forts, snowman or snowball fights did they enjoy on their day off? Did they get their fancy sleds out?
In the good old days…
On those rare occasions that they did call off school, I remember saving bread sacks to put on over our socks to keep our feet warm as we trudged through the snow. There was also a hill at a neighbor's house that was perfect for sledding. It was the backside of a cattle pond.
The real test was the sledding itself, I was lucky enough to have a creative brother. We had one round disk sled which offered no control so instead Mike showed me how to cut a used a piece of paneling for the perfect sled. We spent hours trudging up the hill with a discarded piece of wall panel cut 18 inches wide by 4 feet long with a length of bailing twine tied to an end to prevent the nosedive.
We stayed out until dark, sled racing downhill only to turn for a foot race to the top and do it again. We only stopped to remove our boots for a quick readjustment to our socks and bread sacks or an occasional snowball fight.
If we were real lucky we would spend the evening on an upside down car hood tied 100 feet behind a four-wheel-drive truck making laps around the horse pasture and up and down 164th and Quivira (it used to be a dirt road). The only reason we would stop would be to pick up anyone falling off the car hood or for a cup of lip-blistering hot chocolate around a bonfire.
Sure these kids are soft, technology has blessed us with these fancy plastic sleds but in their defense it's not all of their fault. Most of the blame will fall back on the parents, it doesn't seem that they are doing their kids justice these days.
I would like to ask all of you parents out there a couple of questions to establish my theory. How many of you challenged your kids to get out of house? Have you purchased the plastic sleds? It's not like you're making them use paneling these days. Are you overprotective for their safety? With Gore-tex and Under Armour you don't need to worry about frostbite. Do you own a four-wheel drive vehicle? I'm betting you at least have an all-wheel-drive. Now the big question, how many of you have an old car hood and 100 foot rope in your garage?
Turn off the TV and kick the kids outside. I guarantee in 20 years they will thank you for the memories they can pass on to the next generation. If they come back too soon complaining about the cold, give them a couple of bread sacks.
It's been a cold month and it keeps me pretty close to home. And now with this snowstorm I don't even try to get out. There is no reason to take the chance driving the van on icy roads and worse yet is operating in this chair on partially plowed parking lots. But I am still riding my bike 40 miles a week and working with electric stimulation on my upper body as much as possible so I'm staying healthy.
I hadn't thought about it until today that I could be out enjoying the snow. I'm sure my brother could find a way to get me and my chair down a hill on a piece of paneling. I guess the real effort would be dragging me back up. We could make it easier with a four-wheel-drive and the length of rope. Does anyone know where to get an old car hood?
Get out and throw a couple of snowballs.
Love you all, Mark
ps We have finally set the date for the next Team Cameron Bowling Extravaganza. Make sure you write down Saturday, April 9th for an afternoon at Mission Bowl in Olathe. Get your team together and let us know your team name. e-mail me at [a href="cameron-mark@sbcglobal.net"]cameron-mark@sbcglobal.net[/a]