Question to all you wise oldtimers

[Patbridges81]

You were all once young and dumb right? I'm 35 now. I've got a few little ones of my own, one 5 and one almost 3. I'm not saying I'm ready to be "old and wise" but I also feel like I grew up in a... I don't know... maybe slightly less challenging world than you guys did. Like, I'm talking to my wife about teaching my son to hunt when he's old enough, so he'll have that survival type knowledge if the world turns upside down after im long gone. I remember a time before computers, but my generation is the last to be able to say that. There was some kind of intel related network glitch that grounded all flights for a day or two a few months back, we've became that dependent on computers and technology... I'm guessing that will eventually be the cause of the downfall of mankind, and those who know how to hunt, fish start a fire, you know, the primal instinct stuff that we seem to be moving away from will be the one's who survive, or atleast survive the longest. What do you think? I just want to leave some wisdom behind for my kids but I don't feel like my wisdom is even close to the level that my parents or grandparents are/were.

[PHPaul]

I think you're absolutely right. Teach the kids to get by without ANY electronic devices. I'd go so far as to say without electricity - which IMHO is a very real threat - but I'm not sure I could manage that for long.

They should know how to grow things, how to fix things, how to cook, how to hunt, just how to "make do" in general.

You'll likely have to take it slow and make a game of it, at least at first. Get them outdoors and get them interested in something that doesn't have a screen.

[GeneMO]

The reason so many kids dont get off the screens, is that teaching them stuff can be hard work (nowdays). It was different in the 1950's and 60's. We just tagged along. People were not worried about us getting hurt, lost, scared, or any of that crap they do now. Now, we did stuff that was dangerous as all get out by todays standards. It is a wonder I am alive. But again, just let em tag along. But you have to start em young on a definate schedule of "time out" from the damned phones and computer and games. And during that time out period, run em outside and let em use their imagination. Plus teach em stuff. I took my little grandson out to the shop a few months back and showed him how to thread a nut onto a bolt, then got out my tap and die set and cut some threads on a piece of scrap rod and let him screw the nut on that. Hope he remembers that stuff.

Good luck, Gene

[Patbridges81]

I appreciate the advice! I'm definitely gonna give it a go and see if it works Gene.

[GeneMO]

It isn't practical, or maybe safe in some areas, but we grew up very rural. When a car would go past on our gravel road, we might be working out in the garden, and the whole family would stop hoeing or gathering and look to see if we knew the car, then it would start a family discussion about maybe where so-and-so was going, when they have been. We had 314 acres,, but it backed up to thousands acres of creek bottom and farm land. There were no houses for several miles either direction, and we were free to roam the neighbors land, as we farmed some of it, and were related to the others. From about the time we were 8 or 9, we would leave the house, and my mom had no idea where we were. We would go to our cousins, or a neighbors kids house. We generally came home by noon. But in the afternoon, it may be close to dark when we came back. No phones. ( I did't know how to use the long distance phone operator, and the neighbor kid ( 1 mile away) was long distance. Now my cousin was on our same line, but I never remember calling. One time my aunt sent my older cousin out in the timer to look for his brother and me.

My cousin and I both learned to weld and use the cutting torch by age 10, and we learned to make home made guns out of pipe. We even made bolts and a stock for them. Used firecracker powder, newspaper for wading, and rock salt, lead shot, ball bearings, even nails for projectiles. Anything we could stuff in the end. Shot a half inch ball bearing completely through and old refrigerator.

I trapped, shot, fished in our creek, and when I was about 13 could take the pickup truck down to the creek, rather than walk. ( the rock road down into the bottoms was too much for a bicycle).

I started cultivating corn on an H Farmall, by myself at age 10. The neighbor had died, and he and my dad traded help, so it left my dad short handed. That was 1964. My dad would get me started, then go to another field, and leave me there. If I had trouble I couldn't solve, I had to walk to find him, or walk home. Unless the tractor would still move, then I took it home. We had two farms about a mile apart. So we moved around a good bit. A different era.

Good luck, Gene

[PHPaul]

Sounds like my childhood, Gene. Can't think of a better way to grow up.

[Red Dave]

The details are different and the neighbors weren't as far away, but if you walked out the back door of our house you went in the woods, up and down a few hills you came out on a large river. Our farm was about a mile away and sometimes we went in the woods, sometimes we rode to the farm on our bikes. I rode up and down all over these hills. It gave me strong legs, but it was probably the beginnings of why my knees are worn out now.

We often left the house in the morning, sometimes we came back for lunch and went back out until supper. Sometimes we took lunch along and built a campfire at lunchtime to eat around. Mom was home, but she didn't know where or we went or what we were up to most days. We were feral kids and roamed the hills and back roads at will.

[GeneMO]

The details are different and the neighbors weren't as far away, but if you walked out the back door of our house you went in the woods, up and down a few hills you came out on a large river. Our farm was about a mile away and sometimes we went in the woods, sometimes we rode to the farm on our bikes. I rode up and down all over these hills. It gave me strong legs, but it was probably the beginnings of why my knees are worn out now.

We often left the house in the morning, sometimes we came back for lunch and went back out until supper. Sometimes we took lunch along and built a campfire at lunchtime to eat around. Mom was home, but she didn't know where or we went or what we were up to most days. We were feral kids and roamed the hills and back roads at will.

And you just can't hardly duplicate that now days. Even the very rural farms out in Kansas, Nebraska, or Wyoming, ( guess they say Ranches), they now have computers and cell phones in their pockets no matter where they go, with an app to track the kids. Never will be the way it was. But that is alway been that way. The old timers probably made fun of us when we invented guns and such.

Gene

[Patbridges81]

That's an interesting perspective that I've actually thought about a time or two. Even though it's hard for me to wrap my mind around, do you think your generation was looked at the same by your grandparents as your generation looks at my generation? Likes it's just a cycle that keeps going over and over? I think it's sad that you can't even spank your kids these days without CPS getting involved. I remember my 3rd grade teacher Mr. Wilson smacking me upside my head so hard I can still feel it 28 years later. And then him calling my dad to tell him why I got smacked upside my head and getting punished twice for the same crime once I got home. That doesn't happen anymore. These computers and phones are making the next generation of men a bunch of sissy's because everyone's talking shit to eachother without being face to face. Remember when running your mouth could very easily end with a bloody nose? That's like non-existant now. I think getting punched in the face helps build character. I certainly make sure I mean what I say from the lessons I got from a punch or two in my face and I'd probably am a better man today from those bloody noses. Ok im done venting ill go to sleep now. gnight everyone.

[Bkeepr]

…do you think your generation was looked at the same by your grandparents as your generation looks at my generation? Likes it's just a cycle …

Yes, I know for a fact that at least the men in the generation prior to mine did, and my Dad (he’d be 113 next month if he was still alive) told me stories that the generation before his was the same (what do you need lectric for…we never had none and we did just fine).
I suspect the trend has been this way since the cavemen… “we never had fire, what’s wrong with shivering and raw meat, eh, you pussy!”