I saw a small sign of hope for the future over the weekend
The family went for a walk around Pandapas Pond yesterday and there were about ten kids in total (guessing 7-10 years old) running around and catching tadpoles, frogs, and turtles. You know...doing kid stuff that isn't a video game, staring at a screen, or participating in some overly structured activity orchestrated by adults.
Good to know there are at least some children left in this world capable of enjoying the simple pleasures of being a child.
27 Replies
3mo
From my deck while enjoying a beverage. Absolutely love it.
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
the neighborhood with his posse of misfits. They play football, baseball, they do make believe stuff. We have clear boundaries on where they can and cant go and they can't go in anyone's house without telling us. But the mom's are all on a text group and let everyone know when the kids are at their place.
I get a lot of concerned looks from people when I tell them about it but he comes home at night exhausted, smelly, and gloriously tired. And if he wants to grab his kid's fire tablet for an hour to chill out, no complaints from me at that point.
** Edited by ElbertoHokie at 4/27/2026, 1:27:37 PM
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
Having grown up a free-range kid, I struggle to understand how life as a child can be any different.
(In response to this post by ElbertoHokie)
3mo
Hopewell to Petersburg battlefield park and back. All the friggin time. Most of miles were wood trails except 1 mile to the park.
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
is probably going to call child services on you.
(In response to this post by ElbertoHokie)
3mo
I see a lot more of that sort of thing out west than I ever did back east
(In response to this post by ElbertoHokie)
L
Lumbee09
3mo
They were also in that 7-10 year old range.
Not a fan of bullying... but if being on tablets/phones is un-cool to the next generation of kids, I'm pretty happy about that.
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
I strongly considered sticking my arm out of the window and clotheslining him when he swerved by. Suckers are everywhere - only a matter of time before one gets splattered.
(In response to this post by Brown Water)
3mo
My cousin who I had picked up at his house was aghast. I hadn't had to swerve that much.
(In response to this post by VT BronzeBacker)
3mo
Kids playing in the front yard of their house. They were even throwing a ball to each other. I almost wrecked my car I was so surprised.
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
And there were around 20 kids waiting there, all uniformly staring down at their phones.
It was kinda eerie, like something out of a zombie or alien invasion movie.
(In response to this post by Chris Coleman)
3mo
attention getter. :-)
(In response to this post by HokieNoVA)
E
EDGEMAN
3mo
...guess that's where the kids learned it...lol
(In response to this post by HokieNoVA)
3mo
She's the worst out of the 4 of us. He told me yesterday he spent too much time on his phone and wanted to work on that. I've never heard her say that. Only get mad at the rest of us,
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
3mo
The accusation was met with incredulousness, but that doesn't mean it was unfounded criticism.
(In response to this post by Hokie Chris)
E
EDGEMAN
3mo
Everyone at my table was doing it, but so was everyone else at almost every table in the restaurant...lol
(In response to this post by Hokie Chris)
3mo
was the first time some nice people laid some weed on me.
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
(In response to this post by Tafkam Hokie)
3mo
out of there barefoot and I punctured my foot on a rebar spike in the ground. I put a dime sized hole in my foot and could barely walk for 2 weeks.
(In response to this post by Brown Water)
E
EDGEMAN
3mo
...got violently ill, and never touched it again (nor will I ever again).
(In response to this post by HokieNoVA)
3mo
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
3mo
Laid a big 750 cc road bike down, ripped the MCL, spent the bulk of that summer in a full leg cast, that was the end of motorcycles and MD 20/20
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)