What was a typical summer day when you were a kid?

[NewbieJr 541]

Once I turned 10 or 11, we played wiffle ball in my buddy's yard from about 9 am till it was dark out. We kept score in regulation Rawlings scorebooks. There were about 6 kids and we all had our own team (I was the Oakland A's). By the time we were 13, we were putting electrical tape on the balls and rubber from a 10 speed bike inner tube around the bat barrels. It basically became home run derby.

[dain11279 980]

I hung out at a camp for most of my middle and high-school years. Basketball, tennis, swimming during the day. Cooking out, video games, drinking (once we got older) at night. Not a care in the world. There was also quite a few good-looking girls that stayed at the camp as well so that was fun when we all hit puberty

[nzoner 939]

Days were generally spent playing pick-up hardball,riding bikes,spending time at the public pool and always a trip to the DQ as mama nzoner was the manager there.Pretty much every evening was spent at the ballpark playing little league,played a helluva lot of organized baseball during those years.

[hoytdwow 202]

Once I turned 10 or 11, we played wiffle ball in my buddy's yard from about 9 am till it was dark out. We kept score in regulation Rawlings scorebooks. There were about 6 kids and we all had our own team (I was the Oakland A's). By the time we were 13, we were putting electrical tape on the balls and rubber from a 10 speed bike inner tube around the bat barrels. It basically became home run derby.

we did this too, except we cut the top off the bat and stuffed it full of newspaper, then duct taped it. And used a tennis ball.

 

Other days, it was just ride bikes all day

[edjr 6,816]

My mother didn't work, but that didn't matter, they still sent my brother and I to summer camp.

 

She was too busy being useless and laying in the sun all day to actually have anything to do with her children.

[RLLD 4,275]

Work. In the fields cultivating and picking. Feeding the animals. Cutting grass. Splitting wood.

[dain11279 980]

Work. In the fields cultivating and picking. Feeding the animals. Cutting grass. Splitting wood.

Sounds like a hoot. When did you move out of the Amish community?

[peenie 1,945]

1970's

Go outside, play in playground or in front of apartment: jump rope, jacks, ride bicycle, pick flowers, learn newest dance, race, play hand clapping games, dig for worms, play simon says or mother may I, hopscotch, red light green light, hide and go seek, run up down the stairs of my apartment (21 floors), walk to the candy store with friends.

The bad things were: try not to get robbed of your bike or money if you had any from the bad kids, try not to get molested by the police officers (I was not lucky with that one), try not to get beat up by the bad kids.

 

1980's

Go to the park to swing or run around, roller skate, walk in the creek, buy pizza, watch movies at friend's house, go to mcdonald's, sit on porch and listen to radio, watch music videos, play video games (very few at that time), go to top of apartment building and look out at view, swim in apartment swimming pool.

The bad things: get high, get drunk, make out, avoid getting killed by hanging around the wrong people.

[RLLD 4,275]

Sounds like a hoot. When did you move out of the Amish community?

 

LOL. Not amish, just absolutely dirt poor. I joined the marines a few weeks after my 17th birfday, delayed entry, i could not wait to get out of that place, at least in the Marines you know when your next meal is going to be. Oddly enough, we never blamed others for our plight or burned sh!t because we did not have stuff...

[dain11279 980]

 

LOL. Not amish, just absolutely dirt poor. I joined the marines a few weeks after my 17th birfday, delayed entry, i could not wait to get out of that place, at least in the Marines you know when your next meal is going to be. Oddly enough, we never blamed others for our plight or burned sh!t because we did not have stuff...

[peenie 1,945]

 

Oddly enough, we never blamed others for our plight or burned sh!t because we did not have stuff...

 

And who pray-tell has done that?

 

Here, just to help you with your research: knock yourself out

[RLLD 4,275]

 

And who pray-tell has done that?

 

Others. Hey, you might know this, what is the best place to go in the middle of the night during a freezing cold winter when you have nothing to heat the home?

[IGotWorms 4,060]

Playing with Denny Hastert

[IGotWorms 4,060]

But seriously: playing outside a lot. Basketball, baseball, football. Just exploring the neighborhood or the fock-ton of woods surrounding it. Going to the beach and exploring the tidal pools and such. Fishing. Play video games sometimes, especially video game hockey. Go to movies on occasion. Go on camping trips or canoeing trips or other outdoor adventures. Alaska was an amazing place for a kid to grow up except for cabin fever in the winters

[Cruzer 1,996]

Grew up with a huge field behind our house - greatest playground in the world. We'd take my beagles out running around, fish in the creeks, ride bikes in the mounds, shoot pellet guns - we even built a full sized baseball field one time and played for a summer.... We also played a lot of marbles on the sidewalk curb.... Of course this was when I wasn't 'at the golf course - my dad would drop me off on his way to work, pick me up when he headed home. Played all day - was a damn good time.

[Cloaca du jour 2,156]

Jumping bikes over homemade ramps...we also had the best thing ever...a creek with a few nice secctions for swimming...fishing...hiking..just all around awesomeness!!!

[BiPolarBear 495]

I caught animals. I had a 12 pound snapping turtle. I had snakes including a Mexican Milk snake that looks kinda like a Coral snake. Western Box turtles sparring in the back yard. A pair of Golden Pheasants (purchased). A big bad ass rooster who would kick the 90 pound collies butt anytime he got bored. I had a great mutt from the pound.

[KSB2424 3,172]

Wiffleball in my backyard as well with about 5 other neighborhood kids (3 v 3 with ghost runners!@#!). My backyard was perfect as it was fenced in and there were three trees exactly where the bases would be and at 11 - 12 years old the fence was where it was hard to hit over but you could if you caught one for a HR. Most every afternoon was spent playing wiffle ball.

 

The rest of the time was either on a bike (Mongoose with the large pegs) or a skateboard (Lance Mountain board), or trading/collecting baseball cards with my buddies. A little Atari / Nintendo thrown in too.

 

It was your typical American childhood looking back.

[edjr 6,816]

Wiffleball in my backyard

 

That explains so much

[RLLD 4,275]

I caught animals. I had a 12 pound snapping turtle. I had snakes including a Mexican Milk snake that looks kinda like a Coral snake. Western Box turtles sparring in the back yard. A pair of Golden Pheasants (purchased). A big bad ass rooster who would kick the 90 pound collies butt anytime he got bored. I had a great mutt from the pound.

 

Ever had snapping turtle stew? That was a common meal when I was a kid, easy to catch, easy to cook, not terribly tasty, but with some old bay it works.

[KSB2424 3,172]

 

That explains so much

 

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,433]

I would usually wake up around 9AM and ride my bike down the street. I would head over to this house and bang your mom for a couple of hours, have her make me lunch, bang her again and then take a nap. Played with my friends until dinner time. Had dinner. Met your mom for a quick BJ at the library and went drinking with my friends. Hop in bed early (around midnight).

 

Rinse, repeat.

[BiPolarBear 495]

 

Ever had snapping turtle stew? That was a common meal when I was a kid, easy to catch, easy to cook, not terribly tasty, but with some old bay it works.

 

Yes, I have! Love Old Bay too.

[Mike Honcho 5,394]

My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds. Pretty standard really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, an Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking I suggest you try it.

[TimmySmith 2,783]

70's lived at the beach, so most summer days were spent there.

 

80's left the house around 9, played basketball, went to the pool, watched bootleg VHS movies at a friends house. Saw my first porn there (DDD) when I was 13. Weird scene. When I turned 15, I was expected to work so outside of about 3 weeks, I was working.

[RLLD 4,275]

 

Others. Hey, you might know this, what is the best place to go in the middle of the night during a freezing cold winter when you have nothing to heat the home?

 

Nothing? OK, I will tell you.....hospital emergency room. You can stay in there all night and no one will bother you, and if you are truly poor, and need to stay warm for a night or two it works great.

[KSB2424 3,172]

 

Nothing? OK, I will tell you.....hospital emergency room. You can stay in there all night and no one will bother you, and if you are truly poor, and need to stay warm for a night or two it works great.

 

If I was homeless, I'd panhandle for 50 bucks then go buy a Costco Membership. You can walk around in there for hours (out of the cold) and its so crowded nobody would really notice. They also have like a dozen of those Costco employees with little stands giving out free food test samples so you'd get fed that day for free. All for 50 bucks a year.

[DankNuggs 305]

out in the morning, back for dinner... sports and games with the neighborhood kids. Bike tag, capture the flag, wiffleball, tennis, football

 

Sad that my kid has no chance of enjoying a world like that anymore...

[Herbivore 1,186]

Once I turned 10 or 11, we played wiffle ball in my buddy's yard from about 9 am till it was dark out. We kept score in regulation Rawlings scorebooks. There were about 6 kids and we all had our own team (I was the Oakland A's). By the time we were 13, we were putting electrical tape on the balls and rubber from a 10 speed bike inner tube around the bat barrels. It basically became home run derby.

 

Cheater.

[RLLD 4,275]

 

If I was homeless, I'd panhandle for 50 bucks then go buy a Costco Membership. You can walk around in there for hours (out of the cold) and its so crowded nobody would really notice. They also have like a dozen of those Costco employees with little stands giving out free food test samples so you'd get fed that day for free. All for 50 bucks a year.

 

Cheaper to buy a train pass, metro or other, you can hand on there for quite some time as well. I know many, but not all, of the tricks. Luckily I never thought that resorting to crime, or p!ssing and moaning that other people were at fault was the way to go. I did something about it.

[vuduchile 1,947]

Outside all day, every day.

[Magnificent Bastard 192]

My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds. Pretty standard really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, an Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking I suggest you try it.

Beat me to it. Nice.

[kilroy69 1,263]

When we got up to play in the morning my mother would give us a choice. In or out. If you stayed in you had to clean all day. If you went out she locked the door. Put lunch out at noon and told us to drink from the hose if we were thirsty. We then had the run of the neighborhood till 5pm. Back out till the street lights came on.

[Strike 5,930]

Lot of biking and swimming is mainly what I remember.

[IGotWorms 4,060]

 

Cheaper to buy a train pass, metro or other, you can hand on there for quite some time as well. I know many, but not all, of the tricks. Luckily I never thought that resorting to crime, or p!ssing and moaning that other people were at fault was the way to go. I did something about it.

Not sure how this is germane to the thread? But good for you?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,433]

 

If I was homeless, I'd panhandle for 50 bucks then go buy a Costco Membership. You can walk around in there for hours (out of the cold) and its so crowded nobody would really notice. They also have like a dozen of those Costco employees with little stands giving out free food test samples so you'd get fed that day for free. All for 50 bucks a year.

You don't need to buy the pass to get into Costco or BJ's. You need the card to check-out and buy something.

[The Elevator Killer 668]

Swimming in Bullfrog Creek and making out with the local girls.

[Mike Honcho 5,394]

I remember one summer, best summer I ever had...me and some friends followed the train tracks to see this dead kid. And my one friends older brother, he and his friends were trying to see him too, thought there might be a reward for finding him. Got pretty tense there for bit. But my buddies had my back....I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

[jerryskids 7,011]

You don't need to buy the pass to get into Costco or BJ's. You need the card to check-out and buy something.

They check your card to enter, at least here.

 

Anyway, I delivered newspapers and then like others, played outside all day. Mostly variants of baseball - wiffleball on the street, tennisball on the lot next door, and a rubberized baseball on another bigger lot.

 

My best friend from that era is about 50 and plays competitive wiffleball with his son in a league in PA.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,433]

They check your card to enter, at least here.

 

Anyway, I delivered newspapers and then like others, played outside all day. Mostly variants of baseball - wiffleball on the street, tennisball on the lot next door, and a rubberized baseball on another bigger lot.

 

My best friend from that era is about 50 and plays competitive wiffleball with his son in a league in PA.

You probably live in an area where there are lots of homeless.