This is the most recent addition to my collection of Boys Will Be Boys photos. I'm guessing it reminds you of the kind of trouble you got into when you were a "normal" adolescent male. I can remember getting caught stealing candy, jumping from high places, sneaking into the girls bathroom (not sure why), and other forms of (innocent) young male adventure and self-discovery.
If this brings back a memory from your history, please share it in the comments section for this post on the Man-Making blog site. Or email your story to me and I'll post it for you.
If you come across a similar photo, please send it along to me. This archive will make a great slide show one day that is sure to stir men's hearts. More to come.
I had many insane boyhood incidents...here are only a few.
ReplyDeleteBeing pushed (or coerced by my older brother) from a garage roof with an umbrella for a parachute to see if I would get hurt.
Being pushed off (again by my older brother) the steep edge of a cinder hill/mountain at the concrete plant in my wagon. Front wheels dug in the soft and loose cinders and I went head over heels down about 25 feet.
I pulled my home made wagon so fast that it overtook me, bounced against my leg brace, ran me over and went into the main street stopping one lane of traffic while I lay on the ground...embarrassing for a crippled kid.
We gathered about 5 or 6 guys in a semi circle around the front window in front of the A & P Supermarket. The all glass store front displays had a short partition behind the food display so those in the store could not see us in action. We held a magnifying glass up to the bottom bag of a huge pyramid display of coffee beans. We singed the coffee bag until it and burned a large enough hole so the beans started running out. Removing the magnifying glass immediately stopped the singing and soon the coffee bag emptied on the base of the display and the mountain collapsed...we were long gone by that time.
Some supermarkets used to have sloped can displays so that the shopper could see only one can of a product. The shopper took the bottom can and the column slid down to display another can. Bored and looking for excitement in the summer...we terrorized supermarkets. We would push the steep sloped column up very hard and very fast and shoot the cans into the work space behind the wall which was the worker's food loading area and by the time workers got to the service door to see or catch us monsters, we were all gone.
We gathered about 4 or 5 guys on each side of our main street in town...two lanes of traffic... and took a pose like tug-of-war as if we were pulling a rope across the road. Drivers could not see any rope but assumed there was a rope so they slowed down or stopped...holding up traffic for blocks. We soon ran away in many directions.
Those are only a few incidents from my trouble making years...all the time we were being monsters to society, we yearned for, longed for disciplines or parents to be present for us and we often manifest our boredom in dangerous ways. As a father of 6 (2 girls and 4 boys), I worked hard at being present for my kids and being a great father...I can only tell of my parenting success by seeing my children parent so beautifully and complimenting them on their parenting...and hearing the resounding, "We learned it from you."
That is absolutely hilarious!
ReplyDeleteGosh I remember as a kid I heard about a cocktail bomb. I wanted to try it out so I filled up a mason jar with gas. I used a piece of canvas as the wick and threw it at my fence. I still remember the flaming gas pouring out of the top as my arm moved past my face...
The whole fence burst into flames, part of an apricot tree, the ground was covered in fire, a nearby water spigot was consumed. I bolted for the house to get the fire extinguisher. When I pointed it at the fire I realized it was empty! Me and a buddy kicked as much dirt as we could on the flames until they went out.
I spent the rest of the day repainting the fence, replacing the insulation and tape around the spigot, and kicking dirt around to cover the burn marks. And the jar didn't even break!