What’s good for our kids?
June 19th, 2008 by 
Alica
A blogger, on another thread, made this statement: “The people of Brandon should focus on education and positive things for our children to do as they grow up.”
That’s an interesting statement. I wonder what sorts of positive things for our children to do he or she has in mind.
I’m always in favor of chores for kids. Chores are very positive. They teach kids skills and responsibility and give them a sense of accomplishment.
Sometimes when I hear people talk about things for kids to do, they seem to be referring to forms of entertainment. They talk about movie theaters and skateboard parks and such like.
What kinds of things do you consider to be positive things for kids to do? Is it possible to get too much of a good thing? Is it in children’s best interest to make everything in their lives a positive experience? Can any of us appreciate the light if we’ve never seen the dark? Does going without, sometimes, build character?
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June 19th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I think our community definately does focus on education. They do a great job. We seem to be updating and adding “things” for the kids/adults to do. There is always more to do - no matter what has already been done. Brandon is a great place to live.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I think there is plenty to do in Brandon for our youth. We’re becoming a society where parents feel the need to “entertain” their children constantly.
Just tonight my child TOOK ME to the disc golf course at pioneer park! Very fun and FREE.
I have restricted my teen’s trips to SF due to gas prices. I feel he needs to learn things aren’t cheap and there is quality entertainment that doesn’t require traveling or money.
And to the other poster asking for outdoor basketball courts….there are several at pioneer park!
We have parks, tennis, basketball, golf, disc golf, bike paths, fishing, bike trails, an arcade and I’m sure there’s more I’m not thinking of.
We shouldn’t complain…there is nothing close to this in some surrounding communties like Valley Springs and other small towns.
What are some things you did to entertain yourselves as a kid? Here’s some of my favorites:
Four Square
Jump rope
Hopscotch
Night games
Jacks
Tetherball
Pick up ball games
I also babysat for .50 per hour! Oh my gosh! And we were required to do the dishes and clean up the house including folding laundry! We also had many chores at home.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:27 am
I remember four square. Our driveway had cracks in it that separated it into almost a perfect four square. Where the cracks intersected, my dad put a pipe where we could sink a tetherball pole. We had a bangboard and hoop on our garage, too. Three games on one driveway!
In the summer, we had no air conditioning (hardly anybody did), so we played board games in our basement. We had a ping pong table, so we played that a lot too. Sometimes we draped blankets over the table and made a tent.
In high school, we rode out bicycles all over town in the summer, and we played yard games. We shot hoops and ran foot races and had water fights.
When we got our driver’s licenses, we just drove to each other’s houses. We didn’t drive to Sioux Falls very often. Of course, there was no mall in those days. Or maybe the Western Mall was very new. Once in a while we’d go to a movie, but that’s about it.
We filled the time with stuff we thought up ourselves. We didn’t have scheduled activities. We did chores around the house. Most of our families had gardens, so we helped with them too.
Brandon is a great place to live. Always has been.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
This post also reminds me of playing kick ball using the corners as bases. (Not recommending the street corners as bases, but, just remembering.
Also, did any one every play “Anny eye over” ? This is where you use to have two teams, one on each side of the house and throw the ball over and if you caught it you would run around the house. If the ball didn’t go over, you would yell “pigtails!!”
I was thinking of this the other day. Also when your parents flashed the light when it was time to come home….hmmmmmmm.
Memories!!
June 20th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
My mother just shouted when it was time to come home. We could hear her three blocks away.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:43 am
wonderful memories….I lost a front tooth playing kick-the-can. Always needed to be home to check in when the street lights came on, or if mom blew the whistle. It was such a different, relaxed time. Technology, as good as it is, broke that — I hear kids boasting about what level they got to on what game — not how much fun they had playing with each other on the ball diamonds or courts. #2 — I agree. There is plenty to do. Families need to be active & unplug the tech toys!! I wonder what memories my kids will have of summer evenings with their friends…
June 27th, 2008 at 11:44 am
4. I remember it as Eeny Iny Over/Pigtails (I’m sure it the same thing)…my memory fades on the details, but remember we had a great garage at the end of the block to play it around. We also played Red Rover Red Rover, and about 5 different variations on tag; and my personal fave…Kick the Can. I remember getting 10-15-20 kids from all over the neighborhood.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Water fights!
June 29th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Yes, #7, that’s it. I wasn’t sure of the spelling etc. Never played kicked the can.
Did play Red Rover,dodge ball, tag, hide and seek and had water fights. I will have to tell my kids about “when I was young”. I am sure they will look at me funny!!
I am enjoying this post!
June 30th, 2008 at 12:31 am
We ran foot races around the house. Two people would start at the front steps and run around the house in opposite directions. The one who got back to the front step first, won.
You could tell if you needed to give your run an extra push, depending on where you passed the other runner in the back yard.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Also remember playing ‘500′ and ‘work-up’ on the ball diamond. Played a lot of croquet and badmitton back then, too.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:22 am
I’m too young to share too many of these memories - but I would like to add my two cents about what there is in Brandon for kids to do.
I have arranged for my oldest son who is 5 to spend one day a week at home with our baby-sitter who will be a senior in high school this year - I think that makes her 14. The other days during the week he goes to our regular daycare and is mostly with toddlers so this is a way he can enjoy doing some “big kid” things that summer offers. I was extremely disappointed to find out that after they rode their bikes over a mile to the pool that they were turned away because he is not old enough to be there by himself and that he needed someone who was 18 to supervise him. 18!! Can anyone enlighten me as to why a 14 year old isn’t old enough to watch a single 5 year old??? They wouldn’t even allow them in the baby pool area. Yet there are many, many, many kids under 10 who come without any additional adult supervisor. I am just frustrated with this rule and would love to hear you thoughts as well.
Happy summer!
July 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
If she is 14 and will be a senior in high school she must be pretty smart.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
14 year olds are FRESHMAN.
Have you called the pool to find out the rules?
There’s no way I would allow a 14 year old to supervise my 5 year old at the pool. A pool (or lake) is a whole different ball game than at home.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
i’ve worked at the pool. we had many problems last year with people under the age of 18 coming down. i.e.. the babysitters would leave condomns behind, not even watch there kids, and break every possible rule. So, basically the lifeguards ended up babysitting your stupid babsitters plus your kids. it was a waste of our time and a mess. we shouldnt be supervising 15 and 16 year olds in a baby pool.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Just curious as to how old you think the YOUNGEST lifeguards are? I know for a fact that there are 16 year olds that work at the pool as lifeguards. I personally do not have any problem with that. A 14 year should be old enough to supervise a 5 year - if not, they are rather immature!
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:28 am
hey. just curious. but i think the lifeguards have taken a 30 hour class and are certified. we know what we’re doing. we’re disciplined. just thougth i’d let ya know. we go through a lot of crap and take alot of crap from the parents / people at the pool. we dont need any more.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
#17 I was sticking up for you! I know how much work it takes to be a lifeguard and that it is a job with a ton of responsibility.
I was disagreeing with poster #14. They stated they didn’t think a 14 year old was old enough to supervise ONE 5 year old at the pool. My point is that responsible 16 year olds are watching a pool full of kids of varying ages.
It is unfortunate that, once again, a few kids with unacceptable behavior, ruin the image of all kids (not monitoring the kids they are babysitting).
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
regarding my post #14. I will defend it by saying….there is a huge difference in maturity between a 14 year old and a 16 year old. I’ve had 2 of them. Maybe I’m overprotective but I still don’t think the average 14 yr old has the attention span or critical thinking skills to babysit a 5 year old at the city pool. Tooooo many distractions and it takes a minute for a child to drown. Childcare around water is entirely different.
And the ones causing the trouble need to be expelled from the pool for the rest of the summer. I think we are too easy on the discipline these days and the kids are running the show instead of the adults.
And PS…One of my kids was a lifeguard and it’s a tough job. People use the pool as a babysitting service. Pretty cheap daycare for them.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
#19 Just curious at what age you let your kids drive. Fourteen year olds are allowed to legally drive in this state.
My kids personally were 16 before we allowed them to drive. They did babysit at age 14 - and at the pool. They were definately mature enough to do so.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I know for a fact when I was 14 I was watching my siblings at the pool, My brothers were 12 and 9 and my sister 6. We walked all the way there and walked all the way home, ourselves. If a storm came our butts were to walk home taking aspen to 7th street then across splitrock on cedar. If we were caught walking a different way we were toast. LOL!
I am 29 now and I think we all know that times are way different now, I personally think that kids are not as mature at 14 now as they were when I was 14, they think they are, but they are not. I also think that society has made it that way, when you look around the kids are the ones running the show in families, and its because parents are to afraid to discipline.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:34 am
#21…You got my point. 14 year olds these days are less responsible then in my day. We didn’t have a choice than to be responsible. Kids back then were not coddled like they are now. (mine included)
#20. I’m glad to hear your kids were responsible enough at 14. Most aren’t. Although I have a hard time thinking that driving and being put in charge of a human life around water is a whole lot different.