I took my grandson to the range today.

[Intheshop]

Agree Ben but would also add that it "aint" just their generation.Yes,theirs is,or should be of the most concern but like high fructose corn syrup there's systematic issues going on.

I read one time that back in the early to mid 1950's,when Tv's had really gotten some traction...... meaning,they're popping up in folks living rooms,at a fast pace....

That,in a very noticeable trend,almost overnight,folks stopped walking in their neighborhood say,after dinner..... saying hello to the guy on his porch.Stopping to pet the neighbor's dog, yada,yada.Nope,they were INSIDE watching Ed Sullivan.

So yes,anything that keeps folks "inside" will have an impact on the subject at hand.Communication skills,obesity,economics, etc.

 

[Ian]

That,in a very noticeable trend,almost overnight,folks stopped walking in their neighborhood say,after dinner..... saying hello to the guy on his porch.Stopping to pet the neighbor's dog, yada,yada.Nope,they were INSIDE watching Ed Sullivan.

Exactly that. Death of the neighborhood, of communities, and human relationships, right there. No more lemonade at the Jones' after supper, no more ladies afternoon tea/gossip after laundry, Sunday drives after church, etc.

 

[KHornet]

Ben,
I also share your concern with that generation. I come from a flag waving,
George M Cohan generation, and with a military background to boot.
Kids don't even know what "hide and go seek was/is", most have never
played baseball in a cow pasture, been swimming in a pond, road a bicycle
10-15 miles to play with a friend, and road home just before dark. I blame
parents, television, and the government for child labor laws that restrict
kids from working and learning the value of money. At 9 or 10, I dug fence
post holes for a quarter an hour. From about 12-13, I bought all my own
clothes. Kids today have to take Vit D in quantity, because they have a
lack of sunshine.

I totally agree that "If you don't hold something dear to your heart, you wont stand up
for it and protect it! "

And, now to top it off, there is the attempt to introduce socialism into the country
via politics. Walt Kelly's Pogo had it right when he said "We has met the enemy,
and they is us!"

Paul

 

[Ben]

Well spoken Paul !

 

[smokeywolf]

Shoot, at 3 or 4 years old I was sweeping Dad's shop. 5 or 6, it was my responsibility to feed the dog (Skippy canned dog food). If I forgot to feed him, I went without dinner. By the time I was 9, I took the trash out around the house, pulled weeds in the yard, washed the cars and shined my fathers wingtips (2 bits/pair) that he wore to work. 10 and 11, I had a paper route and took care of the neighbor's yards when they went on vacation. 13 years old, it was my job to mow and trim the yard. 14 years old, it was my job to service my mother's car. Oil, filters, plugs, points, check the air in the tires, fan belts, fluids, including the battery.

For entertainment, neighbor friend and I built a tree-fort and 2 or 3 go-carts. I built model airplanes, both static and control-line, electric and gas powered (Cox .049) model boats.

 

[35 shooter]

Lol, I went to work at my dad’s sawmill in the summertime at 7 1/2 years old.
It was what they called a “ground hog” sawmill as it built off the ground with wood floors.

The floors had cracks between the wood and the sawdust would sift through and pile up to the bottom of the floor over the winter.
My job was “doodling sawdust”, which simply entailed a wheelbarrow and a shovel, then a 100 yd. or so walk to dump it in the firepit....which burned 24-7.

The mill was high enough off the ground that I could stand up under it and the floor was about 6”” over my head.
It would take pretty much all summer to clean it all out and would be about 6” deep in sawdust again on the side I started on....talk about job security!

It would always be about 3 feet deep by the next summer.
Of course I took days off to swim in the river about a 1/2 mile from the house and fish and “hunt” with my B.B. gun too, but most days were spent working with dad at the mill.
I wanted to be close to him all I could and would’nt trade not one of those hot sweaty days for all the salt in the sea.

By the time I was 9 years old I knew how every piece of equipment in that mill worked and could operate it by myself, except for tripping slabs off the head rig or sawing the logs..... dad drew the line there!

No telling how many laws that would be breaking these days.
In those days a lot of us learned a trade before we ever graduated school or even thought of college.

A lot of it would be considered child abuse or endangerment these days, but I loved every minute of it and would do it all again if I could go back in time.
There’s no telling how much trouble it all kept me out of and how much it formed my character from an early age.

 

[smokeywolf]

Children need to spend lots of time with their parents, grandparents and extended family. I think more time with parents and grandparents is one of the reasons most home-schooled kids do well.

 

[KHornet]

Agree Smokeywolf. and need to get back to the family
eating supper (home cooked) together.

Paul

 

[Brad]

Today I took my daughters grandfather to the range. He can't hear worth a damn but he had fun.

 

[35 shooter]

Looks like somebody needs to take me to the range lol.

Since the new administration in 2016, my work load has more than doubled....which is good, but I turned 65 this year...which is not so good.

It was already 6 days a week, but now it’s 6 days full blast.
Can’t seem to get motivated to go shoot on the one day off( except for long bows in the backyard and my air guns).
Maybe when it cools off a bit I can take a little extra time for range work.

Ben, keep that little fellow shooting, he’s really coming on fast.
He’s really lucky to have a granddad like you to take time like this with him.!!

 

[oscarflytyer]

No grandkids - YET! Better get some soon or the wife is gonna go ballistic on the boys! have 5 boys - 20-33. All shooters and hunters. Coached sports for a long time. Now, as much as I love to shoot and reload and cast, I enjoy getting people - of all ages - started in any of it. Finally getting my NRA instructor certs just so I have a piece of paper.

 

[Ben]

Looks like somebody needs to take me to the range lol.

Since the new administration in 2016, my work load has more than doubled....which is good, but I turned 65 this year...which is not so good.

It was already 6 days a week, but now it’s 6 days full blast.
Can’t seem to get motivated to go shoot on the one day off( except for long bows in the backyard and my air guns).
Maybe when it cools off a bit I can take a little extra time for range work.

Ben, keep that little fellow shooting, he’s really coming on fast.
He’s really lucky to have a granddad like you to take time like this with him.!!

Thanks Buddy !!!!!!

Ben