FabSwingers.com forum: What did you do as a child

By *layfullsam OP Man
over a year ago

Solihull

That would be considered dangerous today ?

Just about everything I think

But I'll start with get in the boot of the car if there was no room to fit in the car.

Travel in the back of a van with deck chairs as seats (first unofficial people carrier)

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By *partharmonyCouple
over a year ago

Ruislip

Certain things I did when I was driving horrify me now.

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By *onmacMan
over a year ago

glasgow

Cycling with no helmet.

Staying out past sunset.

Walking to primary school ourselves

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By *uxom redCouple
over a year ago

Shrewsbury

Climbing trees

Saying out till it was dark.

Swimming in the river

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Climbing trees

Sitting on the roof of the car with feet hanging in the sunroof watching the airshow whilst sat in the endless queue of traffic to get onto the airfield

Building dens in the woods miles away from home

Riding my bike without a helmet

Leaving home at first light & not getting home till it was nearly dark

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Playing on railway tracks, swinging on a rope tied to the middle of a gantry over a river.

I can't believe we did stupid stuff like that now. If i had kids and I found out they were up to that sort of nonsense, I'd be livid. I'd ground that kid until they were at least...25!

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By *layfullsam OP Man
over a year ago

Solihull

Build dens deep inside hay barns, didn't even think they could collapse.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I climbed electricity pole.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I once wrote into Jim'll Fix It, hoping to meet Tom Baker, and enclosed a picture. Thankfully, I was an ugly child.

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

Seatbelts and child seats weren't even thought of and we had no qualms about cramming loads of kids in to the back seat of cars and if you had a bench seat in the front another half a dozen plus one standing up holding onto the dash.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Life very different when I was a kid. Spent all day out playing. Also of things that would horrifying to parents today

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Willingly accepting lifts in cars that were driven by a d*unk.

Hitchhiking home in the early hours after parties.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Everything

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By *inkyInkedBiWoman
over a year ago

Going off with my cousins and telling our parents ‘we’re off out see you later’ - no phones to keep in contact we’d just go out for hours and often miles away and turn up 5 hours later

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By *rad670Man
over a year ago

South Lakes

I used to go fishing alone at a dockside within a channel that ran at up to 8 knots at certain tide times, sat on the edge feet dangling over the side, probably aged 10-14.

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By *irtylittletramp100TV/TS
over a year ago

Notts

Burnt self with matches and learnt not to play with fire..... yes both literally and metaphorically lol

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

I never did any of this stuff, I was quite strictly brought up. My goodness I made up for it when I was older

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

What?? How are you people still alive?? I spent my entire childhood wrapped in bubble wrap, drinking filtered water and not being allowed out of my oxygen tent, like all good children should. Your parents should be locked up for child abuse.

Some of the above may not be true....

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By *iaisonseekerMan
over a year ago

Liverpool

"I once wrote into Jim'll Fix It, hoping to meet Tom Baker, and enclosed a picture. Thankfully, I was an ugly child."

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By *asycouple1971Couple
over a year ago

midlands

Climbing onto the roof of shops and schools.

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By *ackdaw52Man
over a year ago

Chesterfield

We used to play on the train lines. We also used to roll hay bales down a hill and run in front of them!

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By *olarbear73Man
over a year ago

Glasgow

Go off hiking up the hills with a jam sandwich and a sense of adventure with my mates. We didn’t even wear sun screen!!

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By *elle xWoman
over a year ago

Doire Theas

Sitting on top of the hay bales on the back of a moving tractor fun times

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I fell off the tractor lol

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Climbing onto the roof of shops and schools.

Yeah, forgot that one

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We used to hire rowing boats at the seaside, not a lifejacket in sight.

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By *eyond PurityCouple
over a year ago

Lincolnshire

Always used to kneel up on the back seat of a car facing out back.

Going out all day, without any communication device…went home when it was dark!

Ate chips out of newspaper wrappings

Had a welded bike I used to play on all the time!

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By *actilemale4uMan
over a year ago

London

Playing on barges in London when the tide was out

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By *ucka39Man
over a year ago

Newcastle

Hanging on the back of a car, bus or truck catching a lift whilst on rollerblades

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Made a working revolver from meccano and a steel tube, the garage door was my firing range!

Home made ammunition as well...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Climing up and down condemned building

Out till the street lights came on that was when you new it was time to go home

Playing in the burn

Climbing trees

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Building sites were basically adventure playgrounds

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We went over the woods and made bows and arrows with our own knives and put dart tips on the arrows (you know, the weighted metal dart board type darts) - everything was fine until my brother fired one long distance straight into my dad's car windscreen

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By *elle xWoman
over a year ago

Doire Theas

"We went over the woods and made bows and arrows with our own knives and put dart tips on the arrows (you know, the weighted metal dart board type darts) - everything was fine until my brother fired one long distance straight into my dad's car windscreen

At least you could blame him

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By *layfullsam OP Man
over a year ago

Solihull

Cars with vinyl seats that gave you third degree burns in the summer if you were wearing shorts

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Jumped on my dad’s car bonnet from a wall. Raided a scrapyard looking for car badges being chased by guard dogs.

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By *olymalelincsMan
over a year ago

southend

"Cars with vinyl seats that gave you third degree burns in the summer if you were wearing shorts "

There's a painful memory that I had happily forgotten lol

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Also got into old abandoned houses, once fell down a coal hole. Had to be rescued by my dad. Up to my waist in coal, was a sticky situation.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Droping off a bridge onto coal trains entering the power station and riding on the hoppers

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By *adetMan
over a year ago

South of Ipswich

Hanging on to the back of a milk float on our skateboards. Until a car approached behind us and it was my friends dad

Got a bollocking for that one

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By *olymalelincsMan
over a year ago

southend

"Sitting on top of the hay bales on the back of a moving tractor fun times

Done this as a kid aswell as climbing the bales stacked up in the barn even after being warned not to

and driving the dump truck round the stable yard at age 11 with no seat belt helping people muck out horses

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By *emorefridaCouple
over a year ago

La la land

Depends on the parents, both my boys climb trees etc. And I've even found one monkey on the shed roof once, I did nearly die of a heart attack.

I'm pro them learning their own boundaries.

One thing kids don't do these days be seen but not heard lol.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Driving with my dad when he would say "hold the steering wheel" and pour himself a brew from flask. 70mph and 10 years old.

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By *ockosaurusMan
over a year ago

Warwick

Cycling without a helmet.

Climbing trees.

Being out all day without the parents knowing where and with no way of contacting them.

Playing 'stunt man' (pretending to be shot off walls and diving off them, crashing my bike and flipping over the handlebars, leaking from tree to tree...)

Mixing flamible chemicals up and stuffing them into packed out toilet tubes then taking them to the field to explode. Only caught a few trees on fire

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By *ockosaurusMan
over a year ago

Warwick

Sitting in the boot of the car looking out the window, whilst packed in with luggage as we drove my grandparents 3 hours to holiday.

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By *uvhandle20Man
over a year ago

SE London

Cycling without helmet or protection

Walking into a nearby forest and climbing up the trees

Swimming in a lake after school

Playing around with a chemistry kit that is banned now

Having a normal life and allowed to make my own mistakes without constant supervision

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If anyone's watched Mad Men, it was quite an eye opener: people driving with a glass of whiskey in one hand, children running around with plastic dry cleaning bags over their heads. This was the 1950s. It's amazing what we used to do and would horrify people by today's standards.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Had an opinion that's someone disagreed with

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By *innie The MinxWoman
over a year ago

Under the Duvet

"Sitting in the boot of the car looking out the window, whilst packed in with luggage as we drove my grandparents 3 hours to holiday. "

Yep, we usually had the Labrador in with us too

But to be fair that was preferable to sitting next to my brother for any length of time!

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman
over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

God....... so much .....

Sit on the floor of a van without seats no problem

Drive/Ride without seat belts

Bum a lift on the milk float or the bread van

Put my babies on the back seat of the car without seat belts ( they were in those zip up cocoons ) YES I KNOW !!!!

Walk on the wrong side of the railings on the canal bridge to get to the other side.

Go walking everywhere.

Climb up the pylons

Put bangers through people's letter boxes

Play on building sites. Hiding in empty houses and sewer pipes while the cockey watchman shone his torch. No fun if the cockey didn't give chase.

Play chicken. Running across the road in front of cars at the last minute.

Throw stones at each other.... honest it was fun .....

Run after the bus after the conductor dinged the bell and get a free platformy till he threw you off...

Walk along people's garden walls and jump from gate post to gate post..

Sit on the swing bridge for a ride when the canal boats opened them up

Eat tripe.

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman
over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

"Had an opinion that's someone disagreed with

The art of debate is dying isn't it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I used to go swimming in a pool with a syphon. It used to suck you down the tunnel and out the other side which we thought was brilliant. Have since learned that it's extremely dangerous and we're actually lucky to be alive.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"God....... so much .....

Sit on the floor of a van without seats no problem

Drive/Ride without seat belts

Bum a lift on the milk float or the bread van

Put my babies on the back seat of the car without seat belts ( they were in those zip up cocoons ) YES I KNOW !!!!

Walk on the wrong side of the railings on the canal bridge to get to the other side.

Go walking everywhere.

Climb up the pylons

Put bangers through people's letter boxes

Play on building sites. Hiding in empty houses and sewer pipes while the cockey watchman shone his torch. No fun if the cockey didn't give chase.

Play chicken. Running across the road in front of cars at the last minute.

Throw stones at each other.... honest it was fun .....

Run after the bus after the conductor dinged the bell and get a free platformy till he threw you off...

Walk along people's garden walls and jump from gate post to gate post..

Sit on the swing bridge for a ride when the canal boats opened them up

Eat tripe. "

You must have been a proper Tom boy

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By *layfullsam OP Man
over a year ago

Solihull

Play on ice over ponds etc

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By *layfullsam OP Man
over a year ago

Solihull

Climb into the schools air ducts

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman
over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

Oh yes..... walking on ice.

Putting our mate Jean into the giant tumble driers in the bagwash cos she was daft enough to get in ...... and we'd spin her.

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By *innie The MinxWoman
over a year ago

Under the Duvet

"Oh yes..... walking on ice.

Putting our mate Jean into the giant tumble driers in the bagwash cos she was daft enough to get in ...... and we'd spin her."

Loving that one

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By *irtylittletramp100TV/TS
over a year ago

Notts

I wasnt allowed out I had to stare at a screen for hours while flipping switches and eating processed foods, oh sorry, wrong decade lol so what is more dangerous? Swinging from a tree or only moving your thumb in an unlite room?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

All of it

It's amazing that we're all still alive to tell the tales

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I wasnt allowed out I had to stare at a screen for hours while flipping switches and eating processed foods, oh sorry, wrong decade lol so what is more dangerous? Swinging from a tree or only moving your thumb in an unlite room? "

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By *luebell888Woman
over a year ago

Glasgowish

Road my chopper bike down the big hill where I lived on the wrong side of the road with my hands on my head.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Life seemed so simpler then ! Nicking strawberry from farmers fields girls school up the road cigs and beer were cheap different days !

Good days !

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Actually just remembered. Our next door neighbours grew some fabulous fruit and my brother made me crawl through the hedge to scrump all their ripe strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries. I tore my dress, scuffed my shoes and was filthy after crawling over the dirt. I risked life and limb as I would have been in serious trouble if I had been caught. He also used to make me throw myself off the tree house in our large pear tree on the promise he would catch me - not always true.

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By *eyond PurityCouple
over a year ago

Lincolnshire

Hitchhiked.

I used to take my dad's pick-up and go hell for leather across the fields and do hand break turns before reaching the ditch (11/12 yo)

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

" Seatbelts and child seats weren't even thought of and we had no qualms about cramming loads of kids in to the back seat of cars and if you had a bench seat in the front another half a dozen plus one standing up holding onto the dash."

This

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By *eisurepleasureMan
over a year ago

belfast

Had a penknife always in my pocket

Given to me by my dad for cutting branches to make a ganghut

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