Sunday, 4 November 2012

Kids in the Street.

I remember growing up in the east side of Toronto, East York, to be exact Sammon Ave, and Woodbine Ave. My brother and our friends on the street or a few blocks down, running in the street skateboarding, rollerblading, playing catch, climbing the sides of our house, putting speakers on the outside on the roof from our bedroom playing records and tapes maybe CDs and pretending we had a radio show, microphone and all the whole block probably heard it through my dads stereo system. Running around outside was not foreign, playing Cops and Robbers with my parents Black Pontiac, Parisienne (the bat mobile) it would be the Cop car and getaway car depending on who was in the drivers seat, now we didn't have the keys and the thing didn't move but we would jump around in and out of it slamming the doors, probably yelling and carrying on like boys would do. Playing Basketball, road hockey and baseball in the alley between the houses were in our repertoire, I was young but I am pretty sure there were no complaints to our parents about this racket.
Then "Game On!" we move to Napanee near Kingston, and in Kingston there are people complaining about street Hockey and wanting it banned, the main complaint, was that someone had to wait a moment while they cleared the equipment or just the players to get out of the way. That opens up another issue with the mentality people have of they need to get where they want to go, as fast as possible. Now they didn't ban street hockey and most people say they did but the put restrictions on it, they just pointed out the obvious. Clear the way when vehicles approach, don't break neighbours lawn or things, keep noise down(F-that one right there) you can't play between 8pm - 9am Street Hockey in Kingston, By-Law.
Then again "from downtown" we, my partner and I move to The City of Kawartha Lakes, and a friend from Toronto who used to partake in the noise in the streets with my brother and I, well he posted a link about a woman in Peterborough complaining about a kid playing basketball in his parents driveway, and getting the Ministry of Environment involved. Are people that out of touch with their younger selves? Do they not remember they were annoying loud bastards also? Its what kids are, That is why we ourselves don't want any yet, we enjoy quietly walking the dogs and sleeping in.
Kids need to be outside playing, making noise, breaking things, getting hurt, adventuring, doing things that might get them in trouble, from the greatest movie ever made, The Sandlot Mothers plea for son to go outside.

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