Reader comments
No more kids just being kids

for the great memories. It really is sad to think of what has happened to the sports world and kids these days. Where did the fun go? My bro and I would spend hours in our yard just hitting the ball to one another or practicing "plays" with the football. Best times of my life.

I hope my kids are able to experience the same thing.

what I think is all the kids are inside playing video games or on the compter. I think kids are playing less and less sports. sports are going away.

We took a drive Sunday afternoon and went past a skate park in Herriman. It was full of kids biking and skating. But I agree with Doug -- the days of getting a neighborhood kickball or baseball game going seem long past. I miss the good old days, too.

There are kids everywhere! Riding bikes and scooters, playing ball, running. But then I live in Utah County. We're "weird" down here.

I wish the kids on my street would go inside sometimes or at least get out of the road. The worst part is that they are in the age of 2-5 years old. I really don't want to hit one. It's a good thing they are outside, but still annoying they are in the road

It's true, there are no kids! Not only are the kids playing computer and video games more, but neighbors and friends are becoming harder to trust. I think it's because it's too dangerous these days for kids to play outside. It's becoming more and more common for kids to be kidnapped and raped and killed by their neighbors than it was even when I was a kid. And if it's not really, we just hear about it more (thank you media) and parents are afraid. My younger brothers still play outside, but they can't venture too far and the youngest one can't join them because he's an easy target. It's not just my mom being crazy...one of her children has been kidnapped before.

Perhaps it is people like you that glorify the elite athletes and their coaches and owners in your weekly columns that can be blamed. When have you just written about the simple things?

As a high school coach you emphasize state championships and expensive summer camps above and beyond just having fun.

Too many people, especially parents in upscale neighborhoods such as yours, want children that are winners rather than kids that are just plain happy.

Good article. Brought back a lot of memories for me.

As a parent of four children, my kids play a lot outside. My neighborhood is full of kids playing sports, jumping on the tramp, having airsoft wars, or riding bikes. I do agree that parents have taken the fun out of being a kid with competitive sports teams. I refuse to put my kids in comp sports even though they have asked. Another problem is the houses are built so close together that there is no room for a backyard game. When you have 4-5 houses on one acre, there is no room for a lawn. Parents also don't give their kids the freedom to just roam the neighborhood. Obviously there are some neighborhoods that are not safe, but I think there is a lot of overreaction by parents. Let kids be kids.

eat something and go play. Usually my mom would fix something up and then I'd go play. Those were the days of no worries.

Parents must closely guard their children because there seems to be an open season on vulnerable young children for kidnappings, rapes, murders and other than custody parent abductions. The days of a childs freedom to play in the front yards and playgrounds or to walk city streets in a moral society are no more. Children must be constantly monitored to avoid tragedies. Sadly, carefree children's spontaneous play is severly curtailed by very real parental concerns.