Ta Talking bout my GGGeneration

[Mystic Cobra]

Sometimes I feel like I'm getting old. In about two weeks I turn 46. Thats not so bad. Like most guys my age I could lose a few pounds and I seem to be evolving a solar panel on the top of my head. I'm fairly active and all so it's not such a physical thing its more of a mental thing.

I had a conversation with a friend recently. It seems that he felt the need to sit his eleven year old son down and talk about the facts of life. Apparantly sex among 11 to 13 year olds is becoming common place. I guess there is some sort of bracelet or something that they wear as a badge of honor afterwards. While my friends was discussing this I was too shocked to say much of anything intelligent. 11 to 13 year olds????

I feel older now, less in touch. At 11 to 13 I had my matchbox collection. I had one of those electric race tracks that my buddies and I would race on. I don't think I even noticed girls until about 13 let alone think much about them.

I feel like society is spinning out of control. Maybe it's just a generation thing.

Oh well, enough seriousness - I'm gonna go drive my Cobra, put Led Zepplin in the CD and pretend it's still the 70's.

[Firme]

well, I'm 27 and that kinda thing shocks me as well.. it wasn't like that when I was 11-13

and none of the girls wore thongs either..:eek: now you hear about 7th graders getting in trouble for wearing em..

[smashedheadcat]

I lost my virginity at 14 years old. Early in my Freshman year. I was not THE first in my group of friends, but one of the first. At the time, I felt like Joe Cool. :cool: 11-13 is just getting ridiculous. :eek:

[Mephisto]

T M I alert

[Mystic Cobra]

Pardon my stupidity but what does:

"T M I alert"

mean?

[Firme]

:rotf: at mamba

"T M I" = too much information..

[smashedheadcat]

Originally posted by Mamba
T M I alert

That'll happen sometimes. :D

I'm a youngster, I'm in my prime!!

[grasshopper]

Hey Mystic,
I haven't hit the 40 mark yet (next year:eek: ) and I have an 8 year old daughter. My wife and I are already considering the first sex talk. No I don't mean the act but the fact that girls are different from boys. Last weekend, after a girl scouts outing, I heard her and her friend saying that if they went to Europe they would take their boy friend.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: I am NOT ready for 'boys'!! Time to get that shot gun displayed in the rear window- maybe I should get a pick up first... are there gun mounts for Cobras....
Dating, Scares the hell out of me. ( it did when I was a teenage as well :rotf: )
Firme- you mentioned thongs. Reminds me of the fear I heard from parents when I was growing up about girls wearing bikinis instead of one peice bathing suits.
I agree, Mystic, get in the car and ride- top down, 'real' classic rock blastin'!!!!!

[98banana]

I have 4 kids: 1 boy (15) and 3 girls (9, 13, 14). The girls scare the crap out of me. They have all had "the talk", well, not the 9 year old...she has special needs and will probably never get "the talk". We are lucky to have children that respect us and like to share things with us. Well, the girls share things with their mom and then I hear about it later. :D Most of it, I don't like.

My kids remind me a lot of how kids were when I was their age. Fairly innocent with a dash of naughty mixed in. They are not like their fellow classmates, overall. They don't get in trouble, they don't do drugs or have sex and I can't picture them doing those things either. I know most of you are reading this thinking that I'm one of those parents with blinders on, but that's not the case. The reason I know they won't do anything horrible is because I am involved in their lives and I know exactly where they are 24/7. More parents need to do that. If they did, they could control their terrors.

Okay, I feel myself getting on a soapbox and I'm going to refrain from doing so. I'm passionate about good parenting and it just ticks me off to see how some parents let the kids run the family's lives. That's not how it's supposed to be.

Edit: I'm looking for a volunteer. Preferably a very large male. I'm thinking John Pearson or Big Daddy... If any of you have seen Bad Boys II and know of the scene where Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are talking to the boy that is about to take out Martin's Charactor's daughter, then you know what I have in mind...:D

[smashedheadcat]

Man!!!! How old are you?!

15 Sir......

You look like you're 30!!!!!!!

[Black Horse]

Hey Tom -

Just invite your daughter's suitors out to the garage...make sure you have the welding hood on and the torch lit. A little bit of wild waving of the torch, heat and bend the tube in your bear hands while looking at the kid like it was his neck would get the point across......besides, its a good way to see if the guys are into cars (hint - can you say pit crew?)

[grasshopper]

Now you're talking. Not only do I need to buy a welder for the car but also to help 'look out' for my daughter's safety. Now if I can get my wife to agree...

Tom- you're right, we have to stay invovled with out children's lives. It's not always easy and a car ride is such a simple relief from the pressures of the day- just need to make sure I don't 'excape' too much.:) Better yet, I should excape with my daughter. Who knows, maybe she'll get interested in the car.:doubt:

[Mystic Cobra]

Marc -
I don't know if they make shotgun racks for Cobras, perhaps an internet search is in order! I'll tell you a true funny story though. When my daughter first brought home a "boy friend" I decided that while he was waiting for her to get ready I would have a talk with him. I led him into my office and sat him down facing my trophy wall. I'm a black belt in taekwondo and had competed in tournament karate for a few years. My trophy wall has a black belt mounted on it along with my belt certificate and has the trophies that I have won at tournaments. I never said anything threatening but I couldn't help but notice his eyes going back and forth from me to the wall....:D

Tom -
I completely agree there is no substitution for good parenting.

To all members that are parents of young children -
It seems like every generation of parents must face new challenges that come at a younger age in our childrens lives. My hat is off to you...:thumbsup:

Jeff

[grasshopper]

Hey Jeff- Can I borrow some of your trophies and black belt in a few years!!!:rotf:

[98banana]

Originally posted by grasshopper
Hey Jeff- Can I borrow some of your trophies and black belt in a few years!!!:rotf:

LOL! I was about to ask that same exact thing! :rotf:

[Hazman]

My daughter is 18. She is dating a young man fairly seriously for the first time in her life. We had the talk when she was 14. She later told me that she saw no reason to date guys until she was in college since she was not going to get married until she finished. She enjoys hanging out with the crew but has stayed away from one on one dating until now. Even now there are usually several of her friends around and with the Cobra it is my house they hang out at. Would rather have a crowd around all the time than wonder for a minute where my kids are. Had a big crew spend the night New Years Eve this past year. I asked her about why several of her friends choose to come to our place under my eye and she said that while there were other parties that rumours said would be more fun or wilder and she said no one else was planning on getting up early on New Years Day and going to run the Dragon. :thumbsup:

[97whitevert]

having something that the kids can do, have , be seen in, etc at the house is a big help! for us it was the pool, we didnt' get a cobra till she was gone. then found out shortly after that she was gonna make us grandparents!!:eek: :eek: ( how can that be- i am only 33 :D ) and then it was, "mother..." with that 'look':rolleyes: :rolleyes: oh well, i am sure that the little one will LOVE the car!!!:bounce: :bounce: especially the one with 'no ceiling':thumbsup:

[Mystic Cobra]

Marc & Tom:

Originally posted by grasshopper
Hey Jeff- Can I borrow some of your trophies and black belt in a few years!!!:rotf:

Hmm - I may have to think about renting this stuff out:D .

Hazman & 97 -
I couldn't agree with you more. Having your kids in a safe place supervised by you is the best situation and involving them in activities really works well. From age 13 to 18 I raced motocross. This was supported both financially and emotionally by my folks. It taught me a lot about committment and responsibility and I feel really brought us closer together.

Just don't hand them keys to the Cobra....:eek: