Life How classic was your childhood? - Page 15

**Rain Man** · 09:28 PM

Prison Bitch's fishing thread got me wondering. How classic was your childhood? Take the enclosed poll to find out, and then let us know how many you checked off the list.

Rules: Count only things that you did BEFORE the age of 13.

Disclaimer: I'm a guy so I don't know what girls did before the age of 13. However, I suspect there's significant overlap so hopefully this list is reasonable for people of all chromosomes.

You can summarize your childhood score here:

45 or higher - Your childhood was so American that it was actually Australian.
40 to 44 - Your childhood was classic American and not a pansy soft American. You're an American who eats steak.
35 to 39 - Your childhood was classic American, but probably from one of the coastal states
30 to 34 - Your childhood might be classic American, but more likely it was Canadian.
25 to 29 - Your childhood was more European than American, but one of the tougher central Europe states like Germany or Slovakia. Or maybe Iceland.
20 to 24 - Your childhood was probably English.
15 to 19 - Your childhood was probably French.
10 to 14 - Your childhood was probably Japanese or some other place that's fundamentally different.
9 or lower - Your childhood was probably in one of those bubbles due to an immune system failure.

**SAUTO** · 02-15-2017, 07:01 PM

We would sled on a cars hood tied behind a truck.

**Baby Lee** · 02-15-2017, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWillie

You lived next to a psychopath growing up. Cool.

Yeah, and I was 6yo too.

**Buehler445** · 02-15-2017, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

We would sled on a cars hood tied behind a truck.

I bet you didn't end up with a cactus spine in your leg

**Baby Lee** · 02-15-2017, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

We would sled on a cars hood tied behind a truck.

Our HS auto shop and wood shop teachers were a hoot [think HS teacher versions of Rex and Rob Ryan, though they weren't related. Just two burly dudes teaching shop], and every year they'd show up at the big snow sledding hill with their trusty car hood sled and a Gatorade bucket full of hot chocolate.

**SAUTO** · 02-15-2017, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I bet you didn't end up with a cactus spine in your leg

No lol I didn't.

We would just rip ass all over town on the roads, kck.

Then once I came to the country we would take them down below the dam and do donuts until every one flew off

BWillie · 02-15-2017, 07:11 PM

I would get babysat by my Aunt during the summer. I was probably about 8 years old. My cousin was really into bikes, he would fix them, mix and match parts and custom rig them up. Well one time we went out bike riding and he forgot the bike he gave me to ride didn't have brakes. He got used to riding without brakes most of the time and stopping with his shoes on the pavement dragging or something. Anyway, I was going down a big hill, then found out there was no brakes on the freaking bike. I ran a stop sign, hit the side of a truck, did a somersault and landed in the back of the pick up truck on some bags of leaves completely unharmed. Boy was I lucky to be alive.

**Baby Lee** · 02-15-2017, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWillie

I would get babysat by my Aunt during the summer. I was probably about 8 years old. My cousin was really into bikes, he would fix them, mix and match parts and custom rig them up. Well one time we went out bike riding and he forgot the bike he gave me to ride didn't have brakes. He got used to riding without brakes most of the time and stopping with his shoes on the pavement dragging or something. Anyway, I was going down a big hill, then found out there was no brakes on the freaking bike. I ran a stop sign, hit the side of a truck, did a somersault and landed in the back of the pick up truck on some bags of leaves completely unharmed. Boy was I lucky to be alive.

You won't believe this, same summer as the chin music above, had a bike with a coaster brake only [ie, the one where you reverse your peddling to stop the rear wheel]. Went down a big hill with no shoes on. About 10 yards down the chain comes off.

6yo me tried to stop by dragging my bare feet on pavement, ended up in the bushes at the bottom of the hill with all the skin torn off my toes.

For a while, my mom swore I was going to end up with DCFS for the shit I did to myself.

Could be worse I guess, my aunt has gone through life with 9 1/2 fingers because she stuck her pointer finger on the chain as a kid while they were 'revving' her bicycle upside down [ie, the sprocket chopped the tip off].

**Rain Man** · 02-15-2017, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scho63

Some real good ones there!

I wish I would have thought about drinking from the garden hose and chasing an ice cream truck for the poll. Those are pure Americana.

Frazod · 02-15-2017, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

My cousin biffed by misreading a 'pop-up' jump.

This was a dirt jump, and most are gradual, so you launch off the apex by pulling back on the handle bars and extending your feet on the pedals to land back wheel first.

SO this particular jump was a pop up jump, where it's vertical at the end and throws you into the air. If you pull back on the handlebars and extend your feet like normal, you end up throwing the bike out in front of you. Quite the opposite, you need to stiffen your arms and draw your feet up into a crouch.

So my cousin comes flying along, hits the jump, throws the bike about 20 feet in front of him, and lands heel first from about 15 feet in the air, spraining both his ankles.

Ouch.

I fell like that once, but not a bike. Some of the trees had these vine things growing in them that you could swing on. My street ran along the top of a ridge line, and on the west side there was a fairly steep drop going down to creek at the bottom. On the other side of the creek was a field. I swung out and heard some cracking sounds up at the top of the tree where the vine was connected. That should have been a hint not to do it again, but like an idiot, I did it again. The vine dislodged from the top of the tree, and I landed hard in the field several yards beyond the creek with the broken vine still in my hands.

I was lucky I merely sprained my ankle. But damn did that hurt. The limping/hopping journey home really sucked.

This little misadventure also brought about the end of a rope tire swing somebody had set up nearby. The parents got together and decided our swinging over the creek antics were too dangerous, and one of them sawed off the branch that the rope was tied to.

**Rain Man** · 02-15-2017, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy

Growing up in Louisiana I can check most of these off except the hot teacher and spelling bee.

I lived right on the bayou. Used to go stand on an old bridge and watch/throw rocks at the gators in the evenings. I remember having to take the long way to school one day because one of those SOBs was sunning in the middle of the road.

May I presume that you're one of the three people in the poll who did not build a snowman in their youth?

eDave · 02-15-2017, 07:25 PM

Growing up in KC allowed me to do 28 of those things. Pretty classic.

**Baby Lee** · 02-15-2017, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy

Growing up in Louisiana I can check most of these off except the hot teacher and spelling bee.

I lived right on the bayou. Used to go stand on an old bridge and watch/throw rocks at the gators in the evenings. I remember having to take the long way to school one day because one of those SOBs was sunning in the middle of the road.

How bayou is bayou?

Spent a lot of summers in the W.Monroe/Chatham/Ruston area where my mom's family is.

So awesome that camping consists of pulling the pickup off the highway and setting trot lines on the bank for fish [and the occasional turtle].

My uncle went everywhere with the trolling boat on the roof, shotguns in the rear window, and Coleman stoves and bedrolls in the truck bed. We were never more than 5 minutes from hunting and fishing adventure [well, hunting in the fall, just plain shooting shit in the summer].

Holladay · 02-15-2017, 07:55 PM

Riding trees. Put a little dude (me) at the top of a small/medium size tree with a rope. Pull the tree over, put different "riders" on and let er fly.

Holladay · 02-15-2017, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Neighborhood bully loosened my front wheel

I rebuilt my bike from other parts. Went out for a test ride a popped a wheely. I was pretty good at riding those. Then my front wheel fell off. I was 2 blocks away from home. I tried to wheely all the way back. Didn't happen. Face plant.

**lewdog** · 02-15-2017, 08:09 PM

I once took the car below, down the sledding hill which was my backyard. Got this bright idea when my parents left on a walk and I knew my mother would never let me try it if she was home. Drug that thing up from the basement. I was old enough that this thing was just sitting around and I wasn't actually using it. Managed to squeeze myself in the thing and I barely fit. I have no idea how many times that thing flipped but I bashed my head hard against the side many times and ended up knocking the wind out of myself on the steering wheel. I knew my parents would only be gone about an hour, so I had to muster up the strength after lying on the ground for 5 minutes, to drag that thing back in the house and down the stairs.

Never again.

View Poll Results: Which of the following classic childhood things did you do before the age of 13?
Bought an item from a comic book ad	76	45.51%
Built a sand castle or other sand structure on a beach	128	76.65%
Built a snowman	162	97.01%
Camped in your backyard	133	79.64%
Carried a lunch box to school	148	88.62%
Eaten food cooked over a campfire	156	93.41%
Explored an abandoned house or hobo camp with your friends	113	67.66%
Fired a bb gun	150	89.82%
Got into a bottle rocket fight	108	64.67%
Got into a physical fight on a school playground	128	76.65%
Had a bike wreck	153	91.62%
Had a crush on a babysitter	70	41.92%
Had a line in a school play	106	63.47%
Had an entry in a Science Fair	77	46.11%
Had sex with a hot teacher	3	1.80%
Had your own treehouse	68	40.72%
Joined the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or equivalent	114	68.26%
Jumped off a diving board, high dive, cliff or rope swing into water	146	87.43%
Went to Disneyland/Disneyworld/Epcot	75	44.91%
Collected some type of sports cards or collector cards	129	77.25%
Kissed a person (on the lips) of whatever sex you now like	117	70.06%
Lit sparklers and carried them around	153	91.62%
Looked at pornography	133	79.64%
Mowed a non-relative’s lawn for money (or shoveled a non-relative’s walk for money)	107	64.07%
Operated a lemonade stand	64	38.32%
Owned a science kit of some sort (chemistry, electricity, etc.)	99	59.28%
Owned an optical science tool - telescope or microscope	95	56.89%
Owned Legos, Lincoln Logs, or an erector set	155	92.81%
Participated in a spelling bee	103	61.68%
Played doctor with a person of whatever sex you now like	83	49.70%
Played in a youth sports league	153	91.62%
Ran away from home and stayed away at least four hours	52	31.14%
Rode a dirt bike (as the driver, not passenger)	78	46.71%
Rode a school bus	136	81.44%
Rode your bike to a store to buy stuff	138	82.63%
Served as an altar boy/girl or equivalent in a religious group	50	29.94%
Sold something (candy, cookies, light bulbs, etc.) as a youth fundraiser	138	82.63%
Spent 1+ weeks at a relative’s house without your parents for no particular reason	92	55.09%
Swam in a river or creek	141	84.43%
Took dance lessons	20	11.98%
Took piano lessons	33	19.76%
Took swimming lessons	120	71.86%
Visited a water park	103	61.68%
Walked to/from school on your own	121	72.46%
Went fishing with a grandparent	102	61.08%
Went on a road trip in a station wagon or minivan	113	67.66%
Went to a sleepover (or hosted one)	158	94.61%
Went to an overnight summer camp	107	64.07%
Went to boarding school	5	2.99%
I did none of these things	2	1.20%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 167. You may not vote on this poll

02-14-2017, 09:02 PM
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $2938491 VARSITY	How classic was your childhood? Prison Bitch's fishing thread got me wondering. How classic was your childhood? Take the enclosed poll to find out, and then let us know how many you checked off the list. Rules: Count only things that you did BEFORE the age of 13. Disclaimer: I'm a guy so I don't know what girls did before the age of 13. However, I suspect there's significant overlap so hopefully this list is reasonable for people of all chromosomes. You can summarize your childhood score here: 45 or higher - Your childhood was so American that it was actually Australian. 40 to 44 - Your childhood was classic American and not a pansy soft American. You're an American who eats steak. 35 to 39 - Your childhood was classic American, but probably from one of the coastal states 30 to 34 - Your childhood might be classic American, but more likely it was Canadian. 25 to 29 - Your childhood was more European than American, but one of the tougher central Europe states like Germany or Slovakia. Or maybe Iceland. 20 to 24 - Your childhood was probably English. 15 to 19 - Your childhood was probably French. 10 to 14 - Your childhood was probably Japanese or some other place that's fundamentally different. 9 or lower - Your childhood was probably in one of those bubbles due to an immune system failure. Last edited by Rain Man; 02-14-2017 at 09:28 PM..
Posts: 141,719

02-15-2017, 07:01 PM	#211
SAUTO Shit Join Date: Jun 2008 Casino cash: $10039067	We would sled on a cars hood tied behind a truck.
Posts: 55,715

02-15-2017, 07:11 PM	#216
BWillie El Gato Gordo Loco Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Earth Casino cash: $2051241	I would get babysat by my Aunt during the summer. I was probably about 8 years old. My cousin was really into bikes, he would fix them, mix and match parts and custom rig them up. Well one time we went out bike riding and he forgot the bike he gave me to ride didn't have brakes. He got used to riding without brakes most of the time and stopping with his shoes on the pavement dragging or something. Anyway, I was going down a big hill, then found out there was no brakes on the freaking bike. I ran a stop sign, hit the side of a truck, did a somersault and landed in the back of the pick up truck on some bags of leaves completely unharmed. Boy was I lucky to be alive. __________________ Who wants free money? Use the link below to sign up at Bovada, BetOnline, Black Chip Poker and Ignition. Contact me for private deals, spot bonuses, possible rakeback or any questions! Bovada, Ignition, BetOnline, Black Chip Poker: baldeaglepoker.com Bovada Poker is back! Get up to $500 poker deposit bonus.
Posts: 46,425

02-15-2017, 07:25 PM	#221
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Growing up in KC allowed me to do 28 of those things. Pretty classic.
Posts: 53,803

02-15-2017, 07:55 PM	#223
Holladay Veteran Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $2319480	Riding trees. Put a little dude (me) at the top of a small/medium size tree with a rope. Pull the tree over, put different "riders" on and let er fly.
Posts: 3,608

02-15-2017, 08:09 PM	#225
lewdog Mod Team Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Valley of the hot as **** Casino cash: $1521900	I once took the car below, down the sledding hill which was my backyard. Got this bright idea when my parents left on a walk and I knew my mother would never let me try it if she was home. Drug that thing up from the basement. I was old enough that this thing was just sitting around and I wasn't actually using it. Managed to squeeze myself in the thing and I barely fit. I have no idea how many times that thing flipped but I bashed my head hard against the side many times and ended up knocking the wind out of myself on the steering wheel. I knew my parents would only be gone about an hour, so I had to muster up the strength after lying on the ground for 5 minutes, to drag that thing back in the house and down the stairs. Never again.
Posts: 45,681