Children's Toys

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Seriously, what gives? I remember having all kinds of cool things as a youngster. Toy guns, action figures, and what not. Where did all the toy guns go? I looked around Toys R Us with my son the other day, and all we could find were "space weapons" and laser blasters. I mean seriously. I had toy UZIs, 1911's, Tec 9's, rifles, sub machine guns, assault rifles, etc. Apparently kids are not supposed to play army anymore? I don't get it. Even the squirt guns have gone "spacey". Are kids so lazy that they have to have battery powered water guns now? Granted the detachable water magazines are cool looking. Still though what's wrong with the old Super Soaker 50s? Pump it up and go to town. I don't need a squirt gun with a pressure limiter built into by way of a battery. What happens if it falls in the creek? I'm out 30 bucks and my son is out a water gun.

Ill go even more old school with it. We used to have rock battles and tree nut battles. Nothing gives the effect of combat better then having projectiles to fling. We would hike up into the woods or down along the neighborhood creeks for miles playing army with rock weapons. It was a blast! I still have scars from my days as a soldier in the Confederate Rock Army, Boulder Battalion. I would rather my son throw rocks with his friends then play video games where heads explode and gray matter flies everywhere. Politically Correct I disagree! Can't throw rocks and nuts, but dismembering video game characters is acceptable.

I swear they are trying to take all the fun out of being a child. We used to have the most massive and amazing forts in the woods behind my parents house. We would travel back there with bow saws, machetes, hatchets, nails, hammers, what ever we could get our hands on. I got an 8inch scar on my thigh from where i cut it on a bow saw. Cut down trees and vines to use as structural members and ropes. Pilfer the neighbor hood trash piles for lumber, metal fence post, and other cool stuff and go to town. Our huge Kudzu base was awesome. we would use the fence post as turrets. All these were camoflaged with vines and leaves. Threw some vines through the trees and wrap them on the post. Then we could change the trajectory of our shots. Load a moon traveler into said pipe and let it rip. We bombed every house in range. I swear the home owners just played along with us. They may chase us through the woods, but they never called our parents on us. They were even friendly to us when we were heading home after a hard days build and blast. I think the cops would probably be called if that was done now. People just need to lighten up. I don't think I've seen a single child riding a bike while towing a wagon of prime fort material since I was that age 20 some odd years ago. I really do feel for our children.

So my question is this. How many of y'all remember the old days? Who all was a master fort builder back in the day? Who played soldier with rocks, pine cones, and acorns? Who remembers exploring the creeks and woods as a child and thinking, Wow I just found the coolest place to play?

[clayton86]

Oh yeah I'm with ya I used to spend all my time in the woods or river exploring or fishing. We used to take old scrap wood from the burn pile or find downed trees and make all kinds of forts and bunkers some still standing to this day and are now used as tree stands for deer. My boys love there need guns but I agree they arnt like they used to be now they all require batteries and are more high tech then some stuff the military issues! Luckily though my boys love the outdoors an when given the choice tv or outside its always out side and they use sticks as guns and in the same breath it become a wizards wand or shovel all at once so its not as bad. I took my boys fishing two weeks ago and after catchin some perch they started throwing rocks at a floating log pretending it was a bad army sub.

[Mr_Scrogg]

Wanna know what happened?  School Shootings, Movie Theatre Shootings, Shootings in general.  Kids taking their Dads 1911 to school.  Kids shooting kids.

 

I remember those days too.  My son has Nerf Guns.  Watches Nerf vids on Youtube.  I still contain what he does with them because of my youngest with Autism.  He wants to play Nerf Guns like his brother, except its hard for him to distinguish between when it's appropriate and when it's not.  What he should say in school and what he's not. 

[slonezp]

Cap guns, BB guns, Bottle rocket and Roman candle fights, politically incorrect playground games, Jarts, jumping BMX bikes without wearing helmets, mini bikes and motocross, taping model rocket engines to any toy car we could find. Grabbing on car bumpers when it snowed and skiing down the street(we called it skitching)  Emergency room visits were a part of life. Speaking of which, my sisters kids are a little rowdy and are on a first name basis with the emergency room staff. They notified DCFS about excessive E-room visits, and my sister and bro in law were investigated for abuse/neglect. It's just kids being kids.

[Fishing Rhino]

Cap guns, BB guns, Bottle rocket and Roman candle fights, politically incorrect playground games, Jarts, jumping BMX bikes without wearing helmets, mini bikes and motocross, taping model rocket engines to any toy car we could find. Grabbing on car bumpers when it snowed and skiing down the street(we called it skitching)  Emergency room visits were a part of life. Speaking of which, my sisters kids are a little rowdy and are on a first name basis with the emergency room staff. They notified DCFS about excessive E-room visits, and my sister and bro in law were investigated for abuse/neglect. It's just kids being kids.

 

Cap guns and BB guns.  Now you're talking. 

 

But you left out slingshots, which we made using innertubes we'd get from the junk pile at gas stations.  Red tubes were the best.  I think they were natural rubber.  Tubes, a thing of the past for automobile tires.  I think they still use innertubes on trucks with the split ring type of wheels.

 

Then we discovered latex rubber surgical tubing.  That would make a slingshot that could kill.  It would put ball bearings through 1/4 inch plywood.

[Bankbeater]

We used to take bb guns and bows outside and shoot stuff in the yard.  Nowadays that would bring the cops running.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Cap guns, BB guns, Bottle rocket and Roman candle fights, politically incorrect playground games, Jarts, jumping BMX bikes without wearing helmets, mini bikes and motocross, taping model rocket engines to any toy car we could find. Grabbing on car bumpers when it snowed and skiing down the street(we called it skitching) Emergency room visits were a part of life. Speaking of which, my sisters kids are a little rowdy and are on a first name basis with the emergency room staff. They notified DCFS about excessive E-room visits, and my sister and bro in law were investigated for abuse/neglect. It's just kids being kids.

That happened to us when my son was three. He went to the ER three times over a five week period.

[flyfisher]

I think it also depends on where you live too.  I didn't have the woods and stuff to much other than where the junkies would hang out.  What we did do though is play a whole lot of stick ball and football in the street and make ramps in any grassy area we could until the cops would make us fill in the holes we used to make the ramps.

 

I know in my neighborhood i see some kids playing but most of the kids are on power wheels or motorized scooters etc...i told my fiancee our son will not have anything but a pedal powered anything till he has his license.  So what does she do, have her mom buy him a power wheels....

 

Luckily he doesn't like it as much as his Jeep bike i bought him  

 

Kids are getting fat and lazy and i don't fault htem as much as the parents.  I never say no to my son if he wants to go otuside unless there is some extenuating circumstance.  He does love "his" iPad though but it makes it an easy thing to take away if he isn't listening like he should...

[Root beer]

There was nothing like a good Nerf gun battle in the basement and playing "war" in the woods.

[J Francho]

Lego were one of my favorite toys....still are.

 

http://www.brickgun.com/

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Lego were one of my favorite toys....still are.

 

http://www.brickgun.com/

Now that's just flat out cool.

[Nice_Bass]

Brother, myself and neighbors would have bb gun fights in the woods, build forts etc. as well.  I don't think I personally want my kid to do that now(the forts yes), however it was the greatest thing in life for myself. 

 

Just the other day I went on a run while my daughter was riding her bike without wearing a helmet- she is 6. 

I got a dirty look from a couple dressed in every "bicycle gear" imaginable including helmets and I could hear them talking about her not having a helmet. It immediately made me angry and proud that yes my daughter does not need a helmet.  Then immediately made me feel stupid that she was not wearing one, and one mistake could make her a veggie. 

We were lucky enough to grow up without helmets and shooting each other.

We were also lucky to never get hurt (permanently) as well!

[J Francho]

Now that's just flat out cool.

 

I have the Beretta.  It's pretty cool.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I have the Beretta.  It's pretty cool.

Will the slide jack back on it? Those look awesome.

[J Francho]

Yep.  I got one of the first kits several years back.  It started with the dude posting up in a Lego forum, and snowballed into him putting together kits.  I think I paid $40 for the kit.

[Preytorien]

I agree that some kids could convolute the purpose and seriousness of a gun. I played with guns ALL the time. We had a nice neighborhood with lots of kids and our "war" would encompass the entire neighborhood. We had infantry (kids with no bikes) and ground assault (kids with bikes), heck I even went to the army surplus and bought a used grenade launcher (launch mech. removed of course) but we rigged it up so it'd fire bottle rockets nicely.

 

The key was, when it was time to fire the real stuff, dads guns, he first had us shoot a pumpkin, and told me sternly that this is what would happen to a person if they were shot, and that it meant immediate death. He taught me over and over the guns safety rules and practical applications of guns. There was never an ounce of thought in my mind to take a gun to school (let alone the fact I could never get to his, they were locked up), nor did I ever consider shooting anyone with anything other than a cap gun.

 

But I agree.....I had a way better childhood. It was better to be outdoors than indoors. Playing in the woods was like winning the lottery. Most kids these days seem to be stuck to their game systems and TV's.

[flyfisher]

All this chatter brings up a question though....was it really better then or is it just most of us liked our childhood and remember it that way?

 

I mean i know kids who love gaming and have gaming parties and crap and love it.  not my cup of tea but if they look back 20 years from now and say man wasn;t that awesome isn't it hte same thing?

 

Now the fat and lazy part is definitely a problem though. 

 

I took a weightlifting class to fulfill my gym credit for my bachelors degree when i was about 30.  I full on expected that i would be the most out of shape guy in there.  I remember in college pretty much everyone was in great shape.  I was shocked when i got there that all these 18-19 year old kids would get out of breath walking to the class from the parking lot....of course having the highest one rep max on the bench in the class wasn't as rewarding though given the competition....

[aquaholic]

Have you seen the nerf guns these days? My little cousin has one with a detachable mag and adjustable stock. 

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Have you seen the nerf guns these days? My little cousin has one with a detachable mag and adjustable stock.

Yes I have! My boy has two of the nerf pistols. The sniper rifle which is clip fed. Two sub machine nerf guns, and the belt fed machine gun. I dare say the adults in the family get more use out of them. However he still loves playing with us with them.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

All this chatter brings up a question though....was it really better then or is it just most of us liked our childhood and remember it that way?

 

I mean i know kids who love gaming and have gaming parties and crap and love it.  not my cup of tea but if they look back 20 years from now and say man wasn;t that awesome isn't it hte same thing?

 

Now the fat and lazy part is definitely a problem though. 

 

I took a weightlifting class to fulfill my gym credit for my bachelors degree when i was about 30.  I full on expected that i would be the most out of shape guy in there.  I remember in college pretty much everyone was in great shape.  I was shocked when i got there that all these 18-19 year old kids would get out of breath walking to the class from the parking lot....of course having the highest one rep max on the bench in the class wasn't as rewarding though given the competition....

It was better then.

Don't get me wrong I like video games. Hell, I grew up with an NES and have progressed with them. They still don't hold a candle to being outdoors and running around. Give it another fifty years and all kids will be pasty white from lack of sun exposure.

[BassinLou]

Do guys remember the old school laser tag?? We use to  play war and all that good stuff with the fake guns, but when laser tag came out, that was just madness.

[Root beer]

Do guys remember the old school laser tag?? We use to  play war and all that good stuff with the fake guns, but when laser tag came out, that was just madness.

 

Tell me about it. I got banned at the local laser tag arena. Apparently you cannot knife people to save ammo.

[tomustang]

Helll yeah,

War (whatever you can grab outdoors)

Legos (more of a personal toy time)

[slonezp]

Do guys remember the old school laser tag?? We use to  play war and all that good stuff with the fake guns, but when laser tag came out, that was just madness.

A buddy of mine's family owned a plant nursery and had a bunch of greenhouses. We'd get a bunch of guys together and would go there in the middle of the night and play laser tag, hiding in between the rows of plants and trees, and shoot each other. 

[Fish_Whisperer]

A buddy of mine's family owned a plant nursery and had a bunch of greenhouses. We'd get a bunch of guys together and would go there in the middle of the night and play laser tag, hiding in between the rows of plants and trees, and shoot each other. 

 

 

Ya'll were playing the "Jungle map"