The vinyl illusion ?

[Macca]

I know you're being somewhat facetious, but the question you have to ask is WHY is that all they've got??

When I was that age, I had both parents who cared about me, and who took me all over the place with them on trips out to the seaside or countryside, and friends I interacted with in REAL life, by playing football with them in the park, going out on long cycles together, listening to music and all sorts. In the summer time I was never in!

These days, that simply doesn't seem to happen, and kids are cooped up inside glued to their phones or xbox, often grossly overweight because of a lack of exercise, and as a result suffer from low self-esteem or ADHD, and you have ask yourself WHY that is..... What has caused such a wholesale change in the world we live in??

Marco.

Speaking to parents about this, it seems the main cause is paranoia over kiddy fiddlers and Madeleine Mcann style abductions. I know people who won't even let their children play in their own back garden unsupervised. Now these are not stupid people and they know how small the chance of it happening is. But if they took a chance and it happened they would never be able to forgive themselves. So they won't take any chances.

[narabdela]

Speaking to parents about this, it seems the main cause is paranoia over kiddy fiddlers and Madeleine Mcann style abductions. I know people who won't even let their children play in their own back garden unsupervised. Now these are not stupid people and they know how small the chance of it happening is. But if they took a chance and it happened they would never be able to forgive themselves. So they won't take any chances.

I remember reading a while back that the incidence of kiddy fiddling/abductions per head of population is pretty much the same now as it was fifty years ago. However the increased media coverage has given rise to the paranoia we see now.

My Mum took me to my first day at Primary School. I was on my own from then on!

[struth]

I know you're being somewhat facetious, but the question you have to ask is WHY is that ALL they've got??

When I was that age, I had both parents who cared about me, and who took me all over the place with them on trips out to the seaside or countryside, and friends I interacted with in REAL life, by playing football with them in the park, going out on long cycles together, listening to music and all sorts. In the summer time I was never in!

These days, that simply doesn't seem to happen, and kids are cooped up inside glued to their phones or xbox, often grossly overweight because of a lack of exercise, and as a result suffer from low self-esteem or ADHD, and you have ask yourself WHY that is..... What has caused such a wholesale change in the world we live in??

Marco.

Maybe some, I agree(perhaps too many actually) but not all by far. My grandkids are out playing or out with parents etc. Parents rarely get any time to themselves, not that they mind, and thats the way is should be.
Actually their pals are all slim and fit too so its deffo not rife everywhere, but I do see way more fat kids than you used to see.
Think we had 1 fat kid at school and he got teased badly but did lose weight.

[Marco]

They should ban non smokers from pubs. it's done harm to the great British pub and most regular drinkers are smokers anyway. I would always blow smoke on any twat who had the temerity to complain of my smoking even though I was outside!

Jez, you know I like you [I do], but sometimes you write stuff that makes you come across as a selfish, inconsiderate arrogant twat, and I'm sorry, but the above is a case in point!

I have no objection whatsoever to anyone doing what they want (legally), including smoking, providing I'm not indirectly forced to partake in their activity. So smoke away, as long as I don't have to inhale it or have my clothes stinking of fags, after a night out in a pub, where I all want to do is enjoy a drink (and possibly eat some food).

Thankfully the smoking ban has eradicated the above, and now other non-smokers and I can exercise our right to breathe fresh air, and not go home smelling like an ashtray!!

Of course, the proper way to have dealt with the situation, rather than imposing an outright ban, would've been for the government to have given grants to pubs, which allowed them to build proper segregated areas between smokers and non-smokers, so that both sets of needs were catered for.

However, that's bloody self-serving governments for you, who'd rather spend money on creating financial perks for the rich or on arms to further pointless wars, than making the lives of ordinary people that bit nicer!

Marco.

[struth]

Speaking to parents about this, it seems the main cause is paranoia over kiddy fiddlers and Madeleine Mcann style abductions. I know people who won't even let their children play in their own back garden unsupervised. Now these are not stupid people and they know how small the chance of it happening is. But if they took a chance and it happened they would never be able to forgive themselves. So they won't take any chances.

They aint doing their kids any favours doing that. You have to age grade what they are allowed to do and where to go, and you have to talk to them reminding them on protocol etc.
I know its a worry but you risk a lot more damage wrapping them in cotton wool

[Marco]

Yeah, wrapping them up in cotton wool isn't the answer, as then they simply don't learn any proper life skills, so it's no wonder so many youngsters today are shy and introverted, rather than confident and outgoing, certainly as I was at their age - and there are valid reasons for that.

The key is to spend more TIME with your kids and supervise them properly, which might be possible if both parents didn't have to work often ridiculous hours to pay a huge mortgage...

When I grew up, my mum was always at home, looking after the house and me, while dad was at work. That sort of set up is rarely seen these days, because of the pressures of modern life, and *that* is the main problem in all of this.

Also, the reality is, all of what you were referring to [child abduction, etc] was rife 'back in the day', Martin, but it simply wasn't in the spotlight as much, and hence reported on... So in reality, we were no safer then than kids are now!

Marco.

[Haselsh1]

I gave up working as a project engineer and went back on the tools self employed due to the utter bullshit talked by these young up and coming stab you in the back twats I had to sit through meetings with.

Oh Paul, I so 'connect' with you on this one...!

[Haselsh1]

Yeah, smokers should be gassed rather more quickly than they actually are doing. I drink loads of beer. My by product is urine. I'm guessing it would be OK to piss all over people because they smoke all over every fucker else...?

[Joe]

Shyness or lack thereof is partly down to genetics, and partly down to upbringing. Some children were shy when I was young, so it's hardly a new phenomenon (indeed, way back in the eighteenth century Jane Austen commented to her sister that children were much less shy than when they were young). People often comment on how 'mouthy' children are these days, compared to the good old days when children didn't speak unless they were spoken to, would never dream of 'answering back' to their parents etc etc. It all illustrates the danger of sticking big labels on people, ignoring the fact that we're all different, that such differences have been there throughout history, and probably always will be there.

[Joe]

Yeah, smokers should be gassed rather more quickly than they actually are doing. I drink loads of beer. My by product is urine. I'm guessing it would be OK to piss all over people because they smoke all over every fucker else...?

So it's you and Marco (in the pissing corner) versus Jez and Macca (in the smoking corner). They could sell tickets for that, show it live on Sky Sports maybe.