Opie/Cowboys and Indians

Big Man · Feb 10, 2009

Rick said:
... I can understand all the fear, but I will not let it interfere with their growth.
All the screw-ups and near death experiences got me here. I'm grateful for almost all of them.

You are right. I'm glad I lived through all the "stupid" things I did as a kid (well, OK, as a young adult too). :eusa_doh:

It's difficult not to be afraid. I know that I most assuredly looked at things much differently with my children than I do now. Looking back, I should have been scared as hell about some of the things they did (and I did with them). Of course that's the difference in perception from someone in their early 20's and someone in their mid 50's.

I wonder if the gradual increase in age of first time parents has had an impact on perceived danger, thereby resulting in the lack of the kinds of play experiences so many of us in the 50 or so age group remember? Just a thought. [huh]

Cricket · Feb 10, 2009

We played more of Cops and Robbers when I was a child. But the funny thing about it was that the cops did not necessarily win everytime. The robbers had their day in the sun a few times. It all depended on how good you were caught, shot, skinned, harnessed, whatever. I actually enjoyed playing the robber because I had an excuse to be a bad guy (or girl in my case).
I wish that children did this more often in today's society. I am only speaking for what I see in my community, but I never see children outside their homes much less chasing each other making fake gun noises. I had the Gameboy, Nintendo, and the whole nine yards when I was a child, but I played outside a good bit too. For one thing, my mother limited the usage of my video games. And strangely enough, I didn't mind it.

My son James is only 13 months old so he is not understanding the whole good guy, bad guy thing just yet. But he is trying to pin down his dad during wrestling nights. Maybe there is hope for the next generation.

Foofoogal · Feb 10, 2009

Originally Posted by Rick
... I can understand all the fear, but I will not let it interfere with their growth.
All the screw-ups and near death experiences got me here. I'm grateful for almost all of them.

tis true. I stepped on glass more than I care to remember and one time put a large nail thru my big toe and thru 2 more toes and out. lol I had stitches put in my knee on a Sunday by the only drunk town doctor they had to drag off the golf course. (landed on a piece of metal)
My brother had to have eye surgery from swimming in the local pond and a stick being in his eye. We all did get banged up but man was it fun. lol

-----------------
One of my sons best friends is black. When they were both about 9 he spent the night with us for first time. They called me in the room with all the lights out and asked me this.
Hey, guess one of us is which. I rolled for hours.
Our son lived outside and in the local creek. He was and is a daredevil. I was a protective parent but he fought me all the way. Having a ton of uncles and other guys around him from our large family helped.
At least let the little boys wrestle. I think wrestling for boys is imperative.

rgraham · Feb 10, 2009

Rock fights. It doesn't get anymore basic than that. They didn't usually last very long. Dangerous, and always ended in a bloody casualty of some sort.

Dirt clod fights were a step up, and a bit less dangerous. Unless of course there was a hidden rock in the clod. In the spring, you could just grab a handful of tallish green grass, and compress the dirt that clung to the roots. They looked so cool soaring through the air with their green tails.

"Combat" was our choice as we got older and outgrew the C & I days.
Had a real nice Mattle "Tommy Burst" machine gun, just like Sgt. Sanders.
Those babies go for a lot of dough on the bay now. I still have some pieces of mine in a box somewhere.

Marc Chevalier · Feb 10, 2009

Fights with chunks of hard ice or "slushballs", as opposed to soft new snow.

.

Rick · Feb 10, 2009

[I wonder if the gradual increase in age of first time parents has had an impact on perceived danger, thereby resulting in the lack of the kinds of play experiences so many of us in the 50 or so age group remember? Just a thought. [huh][/QUOTE]

That is fascinating. Believe it or not, I was thinking that as I read the first part of your post. Being in your mid-thirties is a different perspective than being in your mid-twenties. I will fight for my mid-twenties perspective to the death! If only for the comparison.

I think that is dead on though. Everyone my age has been scared by all the propoganda about "not being ready" to have kids. Then the reply is "you're never ready". Since I've had mine, I encourage everyone that in reality "You're Always Ready".
You just don't know it until you've had them.

People take resposibility (grow-up) when they have to not because they want to.

Someone told a Friend of mine he's in no hurry and he can wait for kids. My friend responded by saying, "Yeah, you say that now; but once you have 'em you'll think how you sure wished you'd had them sooner.

We've kept our children from growing up for longer and longer now.
In 1941 they were flying the hottest fighter planes in the world and commanding platoons at the age of 21.

They are capable if we allow them to be.

gtdean48 · Feb 10, 2009

rgraham said:
..."Combat" was our choice as we got older and outgrew the C & I days...

Vick Morrow was my hero! We used to get Army surplus field jackets & those single cock Daisy BB-guns & shoot each other with them playing "army". Wonder we didn't "shoot an eye out"! I did get a bad whipping for shooting my grandmother in the leg trying to get my brother who dove out of the way! Man, if we had paintball back then.....

carouselvic · Feb 10, 2009

This is my friend Leonard Slye...we went everywhere together

Royalty Dale Evans & Roy Rogers

Happy Trails

LizzieMaine · Feb 10, 2009

Marc Chevalier said:
Fights with chunks of hard ice or "slushballs", as opposed to soft new snow.

.

You guys were pikers. The boys in my neighborhood threw balls of burdocks, launched from the end of a sharpened stick. They'd aim for the hair. There were a lot of kids on our street with bald patches where their mothers had to cut the burdocks out.

carter · Feb 10, 2009

My kids' grandparents bought each of their grandsons (5) a BB Gun for Christmas when they were six years old. Since the grandparents live on 3 acres at a lake, the boys had a lot of fun shooting at anything, except the house and vehicles, in sight. They also fished, played basketball, swam, had campouts and campfires, and did all this in relative safety. They wouldn't have this much freedom in Dallas but having grandparents at the lake has been a godsend.

My daughter, the only girl and much younger than her brother and cousins, asked me before Christmas why all the boys got a BB Gun when they were six but she didn't. "Because you're a girl." sounded pretty lame so I bought her a Red Ryder from Orvis for Christmas. Six years late but better late than never. [huh]

carouselvic · Feb 10, 2009

Take your girl hunting, instead of hunting your girl.

panamag8or · Feb 11, 2009

Foofoogal said:
Lizzie, this reminds me of the service announcement at about 9:00 that stated, "it is 9:00, do you know where your children are?"
Does anyone remember this?

Last I saw, about a year ago, WMBB-TV in Panama City opened their ten o'clock news with that line every night.

Rick · Feb 11, 2009

sorry, rookie here

fftopic: how do you quote just a piece of someone else in that cool box?
I tried hitting the quote button but it just puts it in my message and the whole thing to boot.
thanks

carter · Feb 11, 2009

Rick said:
fftopic: how do you quote just a piece of someone else in that cool box? ...

Just delete the part of the quote that you don't want to reference from the quote box in your response. See above.

carouselvic · Feb 11, 2009

Cowboy Buckaroo

(Mason Williams)

I was raised on matinees on Saturday afternoons
Looking up at Hoppy Gene and Roy oh boy
And I grew up a thinking he best a man could do
Is be a rootin', tootin', straight shootin' cowboy buckaroo.

Spurs a jangling whoopi-ti-yi-yay
Just a wrangling to every single day
Yoodel-ei yodel-ei yodel-ei ooo
A man should be a rootin', tootin', straight shootin' cowboy buckaroo.

A buckaroo's a cowboy who believes in what is good
A buckaroo wouldn't hurt you if he could if he could
I ain't afraid to say it cause I ain't afraid of you
I'm a rootin', tootin', straight shootin', cowboy buckaroo.

Spurs a jangling whoopi-ti-yi-yay
Just a wrangling to every single day
Yoodel-ei yodel-ei yodel-ei ooo
A man should be a rootin', tootin', straight shootin' cowboy buckaroo.

--- Instrumental ---

Should we be the way we are or be how we could be
Could illusion become reality
I've got to ask the question cause the answer's overdue
Why can't we all ride together and be cowboy buckaroos.

Spurs a jangling whoopi-ti-yi-yay
Just a wrangling to every single day
Yoodel-ei yodel-ei yodel-ei ooo
A man should be a rootin', tootin', straight shootin' cowboy buckaroo.

Why can't we all ride together and be cowboy buckaroos...

Dixon Cannon · Feb 11, 2009

Where I grew up, we took our 'Cowboys & Indians' pretty serious.
No brag - just fact! ...problem with that, hombre!?

-dixon 'deadeye' cannon

David Conwill · Feb 11, 2009

Okay, I'll admit it. We used to play Army quite a bit when I was young. In fact, I've got a small arsenal of life-sized WWII small arms made from wood in my garage: M1 Thompson, M1 Carbine, 98k, M1917 machine gun, etc. They came in handy for making a lot of war movies with the camcorder back then too.

-Dave

carter · Feb 11, 2009

David Conwill said:
Okay, I'll admit it. We used to play Army quite a bit when I was young. In fact, I've got a small arsenal of life-sized WWII small arms made from wood in my garage: M1 Thompson, M1 Carbine, 98k, M1917 machine gun, etc. They came in handy for making a lot of war movies with the camcorder back then too.

-Dave

David, Can we see pictures of your arsenal?

Corky · Feb 12, 2009

The myth that animates our consciousness...

...changes with variations in our collective unconscious.

From about the time of Fennimore Cooper, the mythical figure of the Man Alone Against Nature expressed an important part of our national identity.

The Prohibition era Gangster figure was only a variation of the Cowboy set in a city Back East somewhere.

Myabe half of the movies shot during the first century of Hollywood dealt with variations of that myth.

But times change, our country has changed and movies have changed. And the the western myth has been virtually exhausted.

carouselvic · Feb 12, 2009

Man against man
Man against nature
Man against himself

If I can just get off of this LA freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
For some land that I ain't bought bought bought
(guy clark)

Corky, ain't nutin' changed
and about that signature
it's all Greek to me.

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