Pick Up Games

Who would of thought that my generation, growing up in the late 60's and 70's , would see the last of  "the pick up games".

After school or during the summer if we wanted to play baseball, football or basketball, we would walk the neighborhood and knock on our friends doors and make up our own teams and play until the 8 o'clock whistle blew. We knew that was the time to head home.

Kids no longer have that ability because they rush home to tap on the computer or play video games and most kids just don't hang out in the neighborhoods like we use to for several reasons, some being safety.

If we weren't playing sports, we were just hanging out on the front steps or the picnic tables playing cards or talking. Our dogs roamed free along side us, no leashes and certainly no picking up their poop.

Today everything is organized, from the age of six and up. You need to join a team. Adults need to coach and parents need to drop you off. In some cases, you need to get chosen and you may need to sit the bench.
Parents that stay to watch some times get so involved that they yell at their kids and put pressure on them at a young age.

I can't help but think that this all starts to effect young kids with how they learn and communicate and it also can build or start to erode a young person's confidence. It carries over as young adults and adulthood with how a person interacts and what they feel they can do or not do.

Kids need to be kids with just kids and given the chance to try things without an audience or adults or being judged.