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by johnhenrehan from Fox Five

Last Post 49 days, 19 hours Ago


kids don't play outdoors!
Aug 21, 2008 | 5:50 PM
Category: News
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I did the story, Thursday, about the DC Schools' plan to pay middle-schoolers up to $200. a month for excellent attendance, good behavior, improved grades, etc.

Naturally, we wanted to see how kids liked the idea.  At the first rec. center we stopped at, the kids had left for a movie.  So we cruised the streets in residential neighborhoods for an hour.  We spotted ONE middle school aged kid.

Children don't play outdoors, nowadays.  They're inside on the internet, playing video games, or watching TV. 

In my own Fairfax Co. neighborhood, the homes are filled with teens and pre-teens.  You'd never know it on a beautiful day.  They're not outdoors.  But in the morning (during the school year), they mob the bus stops, so I know they live here.

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LilBits read my blog view my photos
Aug 21, 2008 | 5:59 PM

John,

It seems as though the kids playing outside days are long gone as I am from the old school in which it was a rite of passage to come home, do your homework and chores as quickly as possible to get OUTSIDE....made up all kinds of games, did not have to worry about gunshots, drug dealers and the likes, well it is not like that anymore which may account for the kids not going outside to play, just my opinion. Also, the entire neighborhood looked out for all kids, nowadays, the toys kids play with are as you said called the internet, Wii, Playstation, and the likes, so why go outside and enjoy GOD's glory....beats me as I wish on days at work gazing out the window that I could be outside and these kids today stay in the house, my o my how times have changed.
caffeinated-cow read my blog
Aug 21, 2008 | 6:34 PM

That's probably why children and teens nowadays are overweight, out of shape, and will die of heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol younger than in previous generations.
Melissa read my blog
Aug 21, 2008 | 7:20 PM

This is definitely a new era. Like LilBits, I couldn't wait to get outside to play rope, jacks, hopscotch, 1-2-3 red light, hide and seek; all activities I haven't seen kids play in years. They've taken physical ed classes out of the schools and do they even have recess anymore?. And due to all of the technological "toys", kids now spend their time inside on their computers and texting on their phones.

And it's so sad that when I do see kids outside, I see so many overwieght kids stuffing potato chips, soda and ice cream in their mouths. I can't remember the last time I saw a kid eating an apple.
fitnesskat read my blog
Aug 22, 2008 | 9:13 AM

It is a shame that kids don't seem to enjoy all the outdoor play that we used to enjoy...so many afternoons searching for bigfoot, playing tag, climbing trees, etc...

I am thankful that my kids love the outdoors. I live in a cul-de-sac where the kids do nothing but play outdoors...its music to my ears!
I remember one Sunday afternoon...it had been raining all morning. My 7 year old was going stir crazy in the house. He begged me to play outside with him - rain or no rain we rode bikes around the cul-de-sac, my neighbors joined in and it was like a party in the rain - so silly, but so much fun!
caffeinated-cow read my blog
Aug 22, 2008 | 11:03 AM

fitnesskat, some people don't like children playing outdoors---running about, making noise, leaving toys on the lawn, etc.

Frankly, I don't mind, because I think a neighborhood that looks "lived-in" (where you can actually see people in their yards, etc.) is safer than neighborhoods that look abandoned (where everyone is locked in their homes). Crooks are less likely to break into a house when they know at any given time there are people working in their yards, sitting on their front porches, etc.---too many witnesses ya know!
Honest1inVA read my blog
Aug 22, 2008 | 12:35 PM

By staying inside fixated on violent video games, kids lose their social skills and the ability to learn valuable life lessons from every day experiences.
As far as PAYING kids to do well in school, that's just idiotic. That is an unnecessary waste of tax money as well. Used to be, if you didn't do well in school, you got a tutor. If it was a disciplinary problem, you got a foot in your ass, case closed! Kids need to learn something called SELF-PRIDE and WORK ETHIC!
Instead of teaching them to do something good only if there is a reward in it for them, teach them the REALITY of doing it because their survival depends on it!
What's next, paying them to GO TO SCHOOL??
It's so sad, the vast majority of high school students I met while working in a restaurant in 2005 were incapable of performing simple mathmatics when the power went out! When forced to add up customers checks IN THEIR HEADS, they were completely dumbfounded-"How do I add the tax?"
Seems to me the WORST invention ever to hit the schools was the COMPUTER! It does the work for them. Gone are the days of going to the LIBRARY and doing research, as well as the lost art of being able to perform MATH functions, WRITE AND SPELL!!!
The computer automatically spell-checks everything! We are breeding a generation of illiterate fools!
Take a survey to find out how many students can actually perform these VITAL tasks WITHOUT the aid of the computer! The answer will astound you!
fitnesskat read my blog
Aug 22, 2008 | 12:43 PM

caffeinated-cow, I grew up in a "lived-in" neighborhood and am so thankful that I can raise my kids in the same environment.
my2cent read my blog
Aug 22, 2008 | 3:37 PM

What a joke!! They are getting paid to do what they are suppose to do - if they have that much money laying around pay me!! What next, the government is going to pay them for breathing.

I remember being a kid and playing outside for hours but this day in age - please. Kids can't play in peace - you have too many lunatics out preying on these kids.
AveMaria22 read my blog
Aug 23, 2008 | 2:37 PM

We all have to remember that THAT was a different era. We all know that the pedophiles were out there, but there was an innocence back then. It was safer and moms never once thought we could be shot in a drive by or that a maniac could kidnap us or a wayward car run us down on the sidewalk. Today, moms are at work and are not at home...she cannot keep her kids safe if they are out there on the street...so, new rules... and, thusly, kids play within the new "walls"...it should not be considered their fault...it is the time we live in..they make do.
AveMaria22 read my blog
Aug 23, 2008 | 2:37 PM

We all have to remember that THAT was a different era. We all know that the pedophiles were out there, but there was an innocence back then. It was safer and moms never once thought we could be shot in a drive by or that a maniac could kidnap us or a wayward car run us down on the sidewalk. Today, moms are at work and are not at home...she cannot keep her kids safe if they are out there on the street...so, new rules... and, thusly, kids play within the new "walls"...it should not be considered their fault...it is the time we live in..they make do.
msscrystall read my blog
Aug 26, 2008 | 8:34 AM

Wow..This is a great topic. Not to through the topic off but alot of these kids need their butt spanked and not to be on medication because some kids are so terrible you can't leave them inside or outside. The government need to take all things into consideration before they start paying kids,because if you pay the wrong kid,the kid can spend that money on what is called easy access. Get my drift?
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johnhenrehan

I am a general assignment reporter at Fox Five, and very much enjoy getting to know the different neighborhoods and personalities in our metropolitan area.

Member Since: 4/20/2007


 

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