In the old apartment building in Chicago that Grandmother and Granddaddy lived in, the front windows were bay windows, with a wide ledge, and no screens. Long before air conditioning, I remember sitting in those windows, with a straw and a bag of white beans, playing with it as a pea shooter. I would aim at the passing cars, as well as the street posts and other convenient targets. It was a lot of fun, and I passed quite a bit of time doing that. I will say that I don't remember that I shot at the people who were always walking by.
I look back on that memory now, and I wonder why my Grandparents let me do such a thing! Were they just too old to be taking care of me? Or did they see it as a harmless game that kept me busy and out of their hair? I'll never know, but as often as I did it, it's a wonder someone didn't ring the apartment buzzer, complaining about me. If a child were caught doing that today, particularly aiming at cars, they'd probably end up in court, or even Juvie!!
6 comments:
I'm sure a lot of what we considered fun then would involve the police, lawyers and the court system today. Pea shooters, are they even made today? I remember them being fun, but if I think about it, they might have caused some damage.
Just think ... we played Red Rover and Tag, drank out of the outside faucet, had play bow and arrow sets, sling shots, and pea shooters ... and yet we survived.
Evidently road rage hadn't been invented way back then ... or someone would have been banging at their door, don't you think, Jan?
Times were different then. New laws and the court system of today have changed things a great deal and not always for the better.
Not always for the better I can certainly agree with, Naomi. But I would have done some serious spanking if I'd caught either one of our children doing that!!
Yes, I spanked!! So shoot me. My, my, times have changed, haven't they.
Children don't seem to play with pea shooters these days. I remember many hidings for actually shooting at people and getting reported.
Pea shooters kinda fall in the same category as the old time bow and arrow sets for children. Those suction cup arrow ends came off all too easily, as I recall. I even remember whittling down one such stick until I had a really sharp point.
We thought nothing at all about playing with dangerous toys ... and yet, here we are, aren't we, Jackie LOL!!
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