I'd like to see some figures on how spending on "self-esteem" programs and other such socio-babble has fared in light of these decreases.

Life is tough, it ain't always fair, but that doesn't mean we give up on trying to make it so. And the best way to do that is teach kids this early on, so they "get used to it" - and learn to overcome obstacles on their own.

Well, these kids need to exercise and not end up being overweight. Even though I hated gym w/ a passion in school, it is necessary.

Agreed, Allen. I despised P.E. when I was younger. However, now that I'm an adult, I see the benefits of having had P.E. all along. It made me a less well-rounded student like some of the butterballs I've seen in elementary school. It frightened me for our future because at a recent outing to a mall, I had seen just how many school-aged children were as rotund as a beach ball.

I sometimes wish their parents would just turn off the TV, unplug the video games and computer, take away the mobile phones and have them go outside and be kids and play outdoors.

I've always been confused by this, most of the time video games made me want to go outside and play to burn off adrenaline. I guess for most kids this isn't the same.

As for dodgeball, I used to love that game, but we used foam balls instead of rubber. You could still rip those things pretty hard, but you didn't get the welts.

We played two games as kids.

"Slaves" based on the Roots mini-series where all the kids in the neighborhood were escaped slaves and I had to run and find them and bring them back to the backyard to pull weeds until I fell asleep again and they escaped. It's so embarrassing to talk about now, but we really didn't know any better. We were all white by the way.

Whiffleball was our other passion. We played just about every day in the summer including a massive neighborhood whiffleball league and world series.

But it all ended when Intellivision came to town. frown

God wiffleball was so great. We'd even play in college. I shared an off campus house with a bunch of other guys and we'd be up all night drinking and go into the backyard, drunk off our asses, and play wiffleball as soon as it got light out. I'm sure the neighbors hated it but we have a great time!

Also as kids we'd put tape around wiffleball bats and use a tennis ball. Since I grew up in an urban area we had to play in the street and those balls would just fly! So much fun.

[ September 09, 2006, 10:20 AM: Message edited by: George Twins fan ]

Another reason why kids are getting fat.

Hee - that is so funny. Politically incorrect, but still, one of those I-know-I-shouldn't-find-it-funny-but-it-still-is-funny, funny. I remember growing up playing cowboys and Indians. Everybody wanted to be a cowboy, but I always wanted to be an Indian. Perhaps something to do with the Village People and barely there loin cloths.