Kids Do The Dumbest Things

When I was a kid I did some really stupid stuff. Really dumb. Put my life in danger types of things. Now that I think back I am amazed that I survived some of the stuff that I did.

We used to go to this abandoned mill that was a few miles from where I lived because there was a pseudo dam that had about a 20-30 foot cement slide down to a shallow pool of water. It was covered in slimy algae to aid with the speed factor.

We would slide down this slime encrusted thing down to the shallow pool that was full of sharp rocks and I am certain some other things that I don't want to think about. I was never hurt but some people got some decent cuts if they fell wrong.

By the end of the day our butts were stained green and we would have holes in our shorts and swimsuits. I don't know if my mom ever figured out what we were doing.

The main living area of our house was on the second story. We lived in an area with a high water table so the basement and garage were above ground and our living area was above that. We had a porch (probably about 12x20) that was on the front of our house with the steps going down the side rather than down the front. We would pile blankets and inner tubes on the front lawn and jump from the second story porch onto a big pile of fluffy stuff. We did this quite a bit until I severely sprained my ankle.

Near the school that I attended was a huge hill with lots of trees. During recess we were allowed to go on one portion of the hill and it was really steep. We could get about 40 feet up before it got too steep. There wasn't much undergrowth because the trees were so dense so we got dirty a lot. We would take cardboard boxes and slide down the hill like we were sledding, narrowly avoiding trees on the way down.

There was an easier way to get up another side of this hill that we could take our bikes up. We would push them up the hill and then do these mini BMX bike races around pools full of tadpoles and small but steep hills. I went down one of those hills one time and hit the bottom wrong. I went in somersaults on my bike for about 15 feet until I blacked out and came to a few seconds later. One ear rang for a bit and I had dirt caked inside the other ear.

I think that the absolute stupidest thing that I did was the Choking Game. If you haven't ever heard of it, the premise is simple. One person cuts of your airway in your neck (usually by pushing in gently right above your breast bone) until you can't breathe and pass out. Then they let go while you slide down. You are out for about 5-10 seconds and then wake up and your fine. It was a natural high. I never did it alone. My brother would always be the one to cut off my airway.

I haven't thought about the Choking Game for years until I saw a new show talking about it. I guess that kids are still doing it but now they are doing it alone usually with some kind of rope or device that they can lean against to get the same sensation. With no one there to make sure that they didn't pass out into the thing that was choking them.

I think about my son and I pray that he is smarter than I was.

What stupid things did you do as a kid?