Too old to play with sticks?

[AmyandPhilipfan]

If you had kids who loved playing with sticks, what age did they grow out of it?

My 15 and 14 year old boys will still happily play in our quiet, tree lined street with sticks. Typically they have sword fights. Whack them off the ground. Throw up smaller sticks and hit them with the larger ones. Or just randomly chuck them.

I feel that they're too old for this type of play. It's often accompanied by racing up and down the street and shouting so I do worry our neighbours will be annoyed. 3 years ago one mentioned he didn't like sticks being left all over the path as they get in the way of people walking. I did come down hard on no sticks then but a couple of years later a boy a couple of years younger moved in and he is allowed to play with sticks. So if they're outside with him I don't like to tell them off for having sticks as I know he's allowed and they have fun sword fighting!

But I feel really awkward about it. Am I being mean saying no sticks as it's nice that they want to be childlike and active, or is it ridiculous that at their ages they still enjoy chucking sticks around! I've even Googled to see if there's any advice on when children typically grow out of this kind of play but all the articles I've seen generally say 'it's important for preschoolers to be allowed this sort of play' - but my two are far from preschoolers!

Sounds brilliant tbh - much better than being indoors on screens! Let them enjoy themselves and stop worrying about the neighbours.

Ah let them play, they sound like good boys.

We still do pooh sticks

Never too old

I'm in my mid-fifties and love a good stick fight.

If it's causing problems in the street, tell them to go to the park.

Well I suppose as long as they’re not randomly throwing them where they can cause damage to cars/property it’s not a massive issue.

Although how much debris are they leaving on pavements for someone to comment? Are the pulling trees apart for the sticks? And 15 year old running up and down the street screaming and shouting? Yeah that would be annoying to live near

playing with sticks at any age isn’t an issue but if they’re being a nuisance because of it then it is.

I can't see the problem. Let them play.

As long as they arent damaging the trees or bothering anyone.......... never too old. It sounds fun.

It's fine as long as not near face

Aw that sounds lovely. Just leave them to it.

When I was that age I was drinking vodka and getting into all sorts of trouble, I'd be thrilled they're happy to entertain themselves this way tbh seems like a healthy way for them to spend their time rather than just gaming or hanging around the streets drinking etc

Sounds great. My 13 year old still does it. Great they can still play

Simple pleasures. Childhood is so short.
As long as they aren't disturbing anyone let them be.

If you want to see a true indicator of what age it goes to, put three people in their 50s in a room with two inner tubes from wrapping paper. You are almost guaranteed to hear the whoosh of lightsabres and a declaration of parentage, followed by Nooooooooo within about a minute and a half.

Let them be.

Thanks, maybe I'm being a bit harsh. I was quite mature at 15 so sometimes find their behaviour surprising. But like you say, it is nice that they'll still play.

The randomly chucking them does annoy me though. Nothing of a neighbour's has been damaged but it's more luck than judgement on that front.

I would love to be able to send them to a park to play but we have 3 within walking distance and all get packs of feral youths causing trouble in them so I don't want mine to either be associated with them or be targeted by them.

The neighbour commenting on the sticks in the street was during lockdown when we were doing a Harry Potter topic at home so there was a lot of sticks being used as wands!

They have been told in the past not to pull sticks off the trees but in general we have a clump of trees that shed sticks regularly so they have a plentiful supply!

Sticks are fine - in your garden, in appropriate areas of public parks etc. But I wouldn’t be keen on them stick fighting or throwing sticks around in the street/on the pavement/near other people’s cars or houses. I would find that really bloody annoying to live close to and I wouldn’t let my younger kids make a racket or leave a mess either. Plus for some people a couple of teenage boys in a full on stick fight is potentially quite intimidating to walk past.

“Nothing of a neighbour's has been damaged but it's more luck than judgement on that front.”

You know there’s people that would describe your sons’ behaviour as “feral youth” right? What’s your plan for when they do put a stick though someone’s window or hit someone’s pet or child on the other side of a fence?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/15/uk-families-threats-police-warnings-children-playing-in-street
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/15/cars-dog-poo-and-delivery-drivers-why-children-dont-play-out-anymore
Published just today and so relevant. Please please let them play.

Nerf guns are much worse Imo.

I don't want to be too outing but the street is very quiet, and pets/other children would be easily seen. My kids stay the majority of time in front of my house but when sticks are chucked they sometimes end up in the next door neighbours' front gardens. Who don't have pets or young children. So it's more plants being damaged I'm concerned about. If I witness sticks landing in gardens I usually call the kids in for the rest of the day.

You wouldn't think it strange for 15/16 year olds to do swordfighting or fencing as a sport, would you?