: What's something that absolutely screams 'american childhood’ to you?’

[barkley]

We didn't have pools, trampolines or elaborate swing sets. Some of us had those old aluminum swing sets.

the swing sets that's legs lifted off the ground if you swung hard enough or had multiple swingers? . remember the heavy duty metal slides that parks had back in the day? no parks anywhere near where I grew up but if we went into the city closest to us we had the opportunity to scald our legs to pieces on the slides that none of the park developers thought to place under any shading (bonus points to moms who reminded us to bring a bath towel to slide down on).

 

[citruscurtis]

Walking down the farm roads with AR-15 rifles going to shoot groundhogs for the farmers and getting $5 for each. The police waving as they drove by. Sometimes stopping to just admire the rifles.

Wow I didn't think Red Dawn was screaming American childhood... but I will see your Ar-15....and raise Grapes of Wrath in Oregon and Washington has children 8-16 were farm laborers in strawberry and green beans fields...then mid 70s someone had the bright idea that children shouldn't work.... granted there may have been some very isolated neglect but the legislation had no loop holes.... so as my Uncle always shared... the removal of ration stamps after WW2 was the downfall of society