Feral Kids...

[Triple C]

...heard that term used while watching Clay Hayes YouTube channel describing his two boys. Reminded me of an era gone by when as kids, we would leave the house in the morning after doing chores and often, not return until supper time as we spent the day just roaming the woods.

Unsupervised kids, toting .22's, or riding bikes in a pack with no helmets, totin' pocket knives or Bowie knives, swimming in the river, mostly barefoot in the summer time. Riding on a bumper, sitting on the rail of the bed of a pickup...you get the picture.

An era gone by that most kids will never experience in today's world.

We've gone from feral kids to sterile kids.

 

[Big7]

That was my life staying at the family farm when school was out.

The rest of the time, we lived in a small town with 3 red lights. It's not a small town today.

When I got about 12- 13, my parents quit having Nannys and full time Housekeepers so we would come home and play for a while, then do homework. Dinner was served at 6pm sharp, then we could play some more until the streetlights came on.

The house was never locked except at night or when we were out of town.

 

[HermanMerman]

Kids have “play dates” now. That just about sums it up.

 

[alphachief]

Kids still run around unsupervised with .22’s. But these days they’re jacking cars and robbing convenience stores with them.

 

[ugajay]

I'm sure in towns and cities they can't do that. No way I'd let my kids these days roam around in town unsupervised. But out in the country there's still kids doing most of those things. I had to work late yesterday and when I got home my 2 were in a mud puddle nekkid as they came in the world covered in mud and mama was in the house.

 

[2dye4]

I look around at some of the young adults men and see no testosterone running through their veins. Most all wearing skinny jeans and sporting a man bun. Man I hate to see this place in 20 years.

 

[Buck70]

Triple C, you have described my childhood.

 

[sinclair1]

We have golf cart kids everywhere.
8 yr olds driving on main roads looking at the phone instead of the road.

I worry for them as that’s not going to end well when they start driving.

They fish and ride bikes way more here than in the metro areas. I didn’t see kids outside in Woodstock. They were driven to football practice when you could throw a rock and hit Etowah from town lake.

My only concern here at the swamp is they like some game where teenagers hide somewhere in the hood and get pursued. It’s an older hide and seek of some sort, but before I knew of it, it became a kid staring down the barrel of my pistol for being on my sun porch.

The cops put out some warning to the parents that we were about to lose some kids if they continue to trespass playing this game.

 

[JonathanG2013]

That was me and my cousins growing up. Just after finishing breakfast, we would run out the front door. Either wondering the woods with our pellet guns or riding bikes. Would also play tackle football with friends up the street. No pads needed. Just hit your friend as hard as you could when they were running back or receiver. Find creeks to swim in. Also get an old coffee can an put some dirt and worms in it and off we went with our cane poles.

We also were not allowed inside, so we drank out of the water hose. It was a lot more fun when we had no technology. Would come back when the street lights came on. I do miss that time.

 

[NCHillbilly]

That's the same way I grew up. At least what part of the time we weren't out working our butts off on the farm. When we were 8-10 years old, we would go on camping trips back in the woods by ourselves all the time. I bet that doesn't happen any more.

 

[sinclair1]

That's the same way I grew up. At least what part of the time we weren't out working our butts off on the farm. When we were 8-10 years old, we would go on camping trips back in the woods by ourselves all the time. I bet that doesn't happen any more.

We had a camp setup “in the woods” never saw a landowner for that Tract the whole childhood. We left our playboys and cans of dip at the shack
My brother stashed and hung some pot plants there too.

 

[Milkman]

...heard that term used while watching Clay Hayes YouTube channel describing his two boys. Reminded me of an era gone by when as kids, we would leave the house in the morning after doing chores and often, not return until supper time as we spent the day just roaming the woods.

Unsupervised kids, toting .22's, or riding bikes in a pack with no helmets, totin' pocket knives or Bowie knives, swimming in the river, mostly barefoot in the summer time. Riding on a bumper, sitting on the rail of the bed of a pickup...you get the picture.

An era gone by that most kids will never experience in today's world.

We've gone from feral kids to sterile kids.

The 60s were great. I grew up the same way.
Thanks for the memories!!

 

[Duff]

That's the same way I grew up. At least what part of the time we weren't out working our butts off on the farm. When we were 8-10 years old, we would go on camping trips back in the woods by ourselves all the time. I bet that doesn't happen any more.

Yep. We would wear out a tent every summer.

And the forts we built up in the trees. Its a wonder we didn't fall and break our necks. My uncle was building his house one summer, so we had a endless supply of scrap wood. When the leaves fell off during the fall, it looked like a subdivision of treehouses through the woods . He wasn't happy

 

[leroy]

I was 13-14 had friend who was 14-15 but he had a little toyota 2wd truck that he drove us around in, we would seine bait in the creeks then camp out and run trot lines in the lake.

 

[mrs. hornet22]

I reckon I was a feral kid. Left the house after breakfast and came home when the streetlights came on.

 

[mrs. hornet22]

That's the same way I grew up. At least what part of the time we weren't out working our butts off on the farm. When we were 8-10 years old, we would go on camping trips back in the woods by ourselves all the time. I bet that doesn't happen any more.

My son camped a lot. He even went to the beach in high school with a bunch of friends and camped.

 

[Toliver]

I reckon I was a feral kid. Left the house after breakfast and came home when the streetlights came on.

I was definitely feral. I hit the back door, into the woods and came home whenever. I spent most of my time turning things over, either on land or in a creek, looking for whatever lived under them. I didn't tell anyone, I just went. When we moved to the new house I was 9. I began exploring and Lord was there room to roam. I have no idea whose property I was on but I wasn't up to nothing bad. To a kid it was just "the woods". Property ownership never even occurred to me.

So at the new house I discovered a new phenomenon. Neighbors with kids. I had been the only kid in the neighborhood prior to that so I was always alone in my adventures. So when I had other kids my age and I wanted them to go with me to the creek, they would reply with "let me go ask my parents". This was an utterly foreign concept to me. I just stood there confused waiting for them to get back.

Oh, and there were no street lights anywhere near me. There was only 1 traffic light in the whole county then.

 

[mrs. hornet22]

I spent most of my time turning things over, either on land or in a creek, looking for whatever lived under them.

Me too! Loved finding those little salamanders, crayfish, tadpoles and frogs. Good times for sure!

 

[sinclair1]

We were catch and release to the grease. No Nonsense fun

 

[Silver Britches]

From an early age, where ever there was a nice patch of woods, I was in there exploring and shooting a pellet gun. I’ve always loved being out in the woods. A friend and I built forts out there. Dug a long tunnel through some dirt that liked to have been a disaster. Made bike ramps to jump our Huffys and BMXs on. Never hung with a big crowd, just a handful of close friends, and usually no more than two or 3 of us at a time. We’d stay out past dark playing. I could go on. Never got into any trouble, thankfully.