Dumb Things That Kids Do

 

"A mistake is simply another way of doing things." - Katharine Graham

 

   I spent some time in my old stomping grounds this past two weeks for work. Along the highway near the house I grew up is a memory from my past. On the other side of the freeway from the main street near my childhood home, there is a business park. Center to that, along the highway fence, is a modern art structure that's been there since the early 80's. Pictured above, one can see why me and my brothers referred to it as "the cookie". My mother drove us over once or twice for us to climb up n it to play a short round of hide-and-seek.

   I made a few mistakes as a young man, and I give the description of "the cookie" to tell the tale of dumb things that kids do. An elementary school friend and I rode our bikes around A LOT. I was in the 5th grade or so, and I has told my buddy all about the fun and fame of the legendary "cookie". We rode our bikes along the main road outside my neighborhood to get a better look at the structure from across the freeway. As we didn't know the rules of America's highways, we scaled the chain link fence quite easily, and discussed our pathway to a few minutes of fun. We waited for gaps in traffic, and then hoofed it across 3 lanes of southbound madness. We hiked through 20 feet of shrubbery, then darted across 3 lanes of northbound insanity. After climbing the fence on the other side, we has arrived at the promised land. It was better than we ever dreamed, as it was earned at a higher price. No one would EVER believe it!

   After 20-30 minutes, we scaled the fence again, duplicated our "roadrunner" maneuvers, got past our last hurdle of the final fence, and were on our bikes once again. We headed to our own homes for the day, and when my father got home, I proudly announced the victory of the day. He was shocked, as was my mother. They read me the riot act, and then my mother called my friends mom. While I wasn't grounded (though I should have been), I felt the full weight of the stupidity of my actions.

   Given some of the stories The Wife has told me about HER childhood, we've discussed putting our three little ones in straight jackets as soon as possible. Just THINK of the things they'll do! Wish me luck!

 

J.