to try and remember what we did after school before The Machines?

[Hullygully]

Mine (13 and 14) come in from school, turn on their lap tops, and chat on fb, catch up on Made in Chelsea (all right, that's fair enough), play games, surf YouTube, for hours. Or as many hours as I let them. They are usually in from school around five, and bed time is around ten. (Obviously some evenings they are out.)

What did we do before machines? What can I make them do?

we went swimming, round a mate's house to play, round the park, went scrumping, played slides down the old quarry, went to brownies/guides, smoked mate's mums fags, camped out in each other's back gardens, lied about staying at each other's houses and went to parties with bigger boys

Oh forgot, also worked at dog racing track on the tote from age about 14, 3 nights per week, told them i was 17. Used to get loads of tips cos I was cheeky as hell to the punters and they loved it. Sometimes till 11pm, then got 2 buses home again after. This was on top of holiday/saturday job and paper round in mornings.
Blimey I must've been loaded thinking back. But I did have to buy my own school uniform as my dear mother refused to.

My own kids don't know they been born really, always had it on a plate. Although i made them get jobs at age 16 (elder DD worked from age 15 of her own violation). Anything they wanted above what they needed was then funded by themselves.

Junior school age ... Read, play out, watch telly etc sooo bored of it by 12 then secondary school age, hang out in the local park near school until tea time, go in have tea then be out for half six to hang out with friends, by 14 we were in the pub even if it was to drink Orange and soda (Monday nights) I did not stay in with my parents for more than one night a week after 12 years old, they were so boooorrring. Thing is now they can gossip and flirt on fb or MSN, there's no need to.leave the house! Some of the things I hear as a teacher make me realise how easy is it is to flirt, be someone your not whilst sat in your bedroom.

yars - like mn with acne

we used to hang around the school gates waiting for the Boys' School bell to ring. Then go to the shop to buy as many sweets as I could fit in my bag.

then home for tea, telly, and endless phone calls to the mates I'd spent all day with debating over whom from the aforementioned Boys' School we might stand a tiny chance of snogging. then reading, normally Smash Hits! or Just 17.

No wholesome activities ever took place, least of all sport. But we were thin. O to still have that metabolism.....

Mine don't have machines ... They hang about with mates then come home.Generally sloop about before dinner then eat dinner and if pushed help clear up. Tonight dd harangued me for forty minutes about going off to Leeds to some boy whose name she won't tell me - on Friday
Then they might faff about for a bit with the weans before hopefully doing some homework . DD will lol around on the phone to some friend for maybe 1/2 hour and in summer might nip out (one friend smokes and they meet for that !!)
DS 2 goes to air cadets , work and band practice one night apiece. Then showers etc .... Very glad they don't have screens as they always seem busy

countdown, or that might have been on as i got home, and the other one, Can I have a P please Bob.
listened to music.
can't remember

but am thinking of cutting off the electricity in my house to stop the advance of the machines,
might replace it with cake baking

on second thoughts. that sounds liek hard work

i think we did a LOT of 'milling about' but i don't mind that

nowadays it always has to involve eating though - with my teens!

I had sky TV when it only had 10 channels. That's what I did lol

No I lie, I did swimming twice a week, ice skating, girl guides, lifesaving and dancing

Spoiled only child ha!