A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

opinion

What has happened to baseball?

It was only a matter of time.

The blue-ribbon society has taken baseball, too.

As many of you know, I love baseball. I truly do. It’s a big part of my summers. But I’m a fan of the game. Of the history. How it’s played.

I’m not a fan of making it … not baseball.

I can’t stand the DH (pitchers should hit).

The only time there should be inter-league play is the World Series.

If a catcher is in the way, he should know he might get plowed over.

A takeout slide is a wonderful thing.

Brushback pitches, or a fastball in the back is an equalizer and a way for players to police themselves.

Instant replay sucks.

That’s just the start. I could go on for quite a while. I’m old-school. When I watch a game live, I keep a scorebook. I watch the game. I’m not worried about all the games and things. I want to watch baseball. I like picking up nuances of players in certain situations.

It’s how it should be.

Last year, in the National League playoffs, Chase Utley (now a Dodger)took out Ruben Tejada with a slide that was offline (but watch it, his hand is still in range of the base…). The play ended with Tejada  having a broken leg. Bad luck for sure and it magnified a slide that has been done for decades.

Utley, of course, was with the Phillies for 12 seasons – so Mets fans hate him. The ire of the play came from all over. In fact, MLB in the offseason made a rule adjustment about slides.

That comes on the heels of the change a few years ago banning collisions with catchers (when Buster Posey got rocked – the start of that rule).

So on opening day this year, Utley had an interesting slide coming into home with the Padres. Apparently, the way the rule is written it was illegal. But there are some fans and columnists and writers basically calling for his head over this.

Seriously.

The slide wasn’t even that bad.

I’m glad I have true fans I can talk to about things like this and we all agree that all these changes are ruining the game. One of those fans is a Met fan – who even said last year was just bad luck.

Alas, with the onset of bloggers and people like that who feel they know it all, Utley is the top on the public enemy list.

Full disclaimer – I am a massive Utley fan. I always have been and always will be. He plays hard and plays to win. That’s how it should be. This isn’t tee-ball. It’s baseball. And it’s adults making millions of dollars to play the game. Risk is part of it.

When I covered minor league baseball, one of the coaches I dealt with was Bill Monbouquette. He was a colorful character who never held back opinions on the game. In 1962, Monbo pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox against the White Sox.  I remember having interesting conversations with him about the game and how it’s gotten softer (pitch counts, not playing through any injuries etc.) and how players get hurt more now than when he played. It’s an interesting thought, if you think about it.

When covering the Hall of Fame one year, I remember Bob Feller – one of the greatest pitchers of all time – bash pitch counts because it made people think more about how many times they threw the ball rather than pitch.

The modern fan isn’t like an old fan, I don’t believe. There are so many things to take the attention away from the game. Writers don’t always have the background of the game and with the lack of funding, some “beat” writers don’t even travel with the team anymore. Bloggers add to things with opinions etc.

The internet has made it easier for people to be experts. Fans and “columnists” (I use that term lightly, as many “professional” sites hire out people cheaply to fill their sites – and the quality is often not where it should be). Comment sections are full of people spewing things they’ve “heard” or assumed, not having a clue about what they are saying.

For example, when this Utley thing happened, somebody wrote about it and one comment talked about how Utley was a “rich boy playing baseball for the Dodgers.”

I didn’t realize only snotty rich boys played for the Dodgers? Must be they never saw the clip of Utley when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 – the “World F’N Champions” clip. Blue collar.

Back to the situation at hand, though.

It’s truly sad to see the game being made softer. Some fans seem in support of it, others don’t. I sometimes wonder, when fans cheer for changes that alter the game from what it is and its history, if they ever actually played the game. I don’t mean tee-ball or local little league where their parents coached and they all got blue ribbons. I mean actually play.

On one thread of comments, I saw people bashing Utley saying he’ll get his! Somebody will throw at him etc. (Ironic that people like the takeout slide rule … yet apparently also like somebody being thrown at?) These people make it sound like that’s something new.

Do some research.

Utley has been hit 180 times in his career. He doesn’t shy away from it. He takes it and runs down to first. Why? Because he’s a player. Oh, by the way. Do you know how Utley got on base to start that whole sequence where he had the slide at home?

Hit by a pitch. Do the research – the more you know!

The game is truly beautiful.

Take-out slides are brilliant. Sandlot baseball when you threw at your buddy because he jacked a home run off you last at-bat is part of the game.

Salaries keep going up. Prices, too. And that means rules change. It’s not the game it was 20 years ago. I’m glad I grew up in a time to watch Pete Rose (my all-time favorite) and players like that. Utley was a throwback. It’s a shame that a mass of today’s fans (not all) don’t understand the history of the game and what “dirty” really is.

Allow me to leave you with the clip of Utley’s slide. You can form your own opinion.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Why care how others geocache?

I started geocaching in 2008. This was before the boom, but after the game had been around for a while. Though I wish I had come into the game a lot earlier, I was happy with the time I got into it.

The game itself really is marvelous.

Think about it – somebody hides something in the woods (or elsewhere) and gives you the chance to go find it by posting coordinates on a website. You get the coordinates, put them in your GPS and go find said container. Inside might be some swag where you could trade but, at worst, you sign the log with your trail name and then go back and log it online, if you wish.

It’s a nice, simple game to get you outside and enjoying nature.

But when things grow and expand and such, it’s not always for the better.

In the time that I’ve been involved with geocaching, I’ve seen it get to a level where the rage is smartphones to cache with (I admit, yes, I cache with my iPhone, but I also use my GPS), and where it’s grown to massive numbers.

When I started, it was usually bigger containers and some adventures. Now, micro containers are the main thing, and it seems like more people start and stop geocaching faster than it takes some people to find their first 10 caches.

But what really happens when all of this occurs is the clashing of personalities.

It's way better to get out and actually find a geocache than worry about how others play the game.

It’s way better to get out and actually find a geocache than worry about how others play the game.

Our area has had its ups and downs when it comes to geocaching. There are times when it seems like people can and can’t get along and that’s normal – we’re all humans, after all. But I would hope most differences can be put aside over time. I would think we all at least know how to be cordial with one another, or so it would seem.

But as things grow in the world of technology, so do the things people use each day (social media etc.), which means there’s more forums for games such as geocaching. There are groups and all set up for different aspects of the game.

And that’s where it gets dicey.

You see, geocaching is a game. There are NO winners and losers. There are NO prizes for the most finds or hides. There are NO paychecks. There are also NO true rules, rather guidelines set up by the main group running this game – geocaching.com.

So, in turn, that means there’s NO way to cheat.

It’s always been said that individuals geocache the way they see fit. Are there some “rules” that are basic? Absolutely. Find the cache. Sign the log. Replaced the cache.

Those three are pretty dead-on.

That becomes different when doing things like virtuals and Earthcaches etc., because there are no physical containers and logs. Instead, there are other requirements, like photos, answering questions etc.

The issue here is those who don’t actually do the things they are supposed to, or “cheat” to log geocaches.

Why do that, some may ask? After all, the main point of geocaching is to get you out for an adventure and take you somewhere cool.

And I agree with that. In fact, I can say if it wasn’t for geocaching, I wouldn’t have seen or gone to many places I’ve been to because of the game. State parks, different states, and things like that. I’ve found fantastic places to eat while out and about. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of people. It’s been great.

But I don’t worry about what they do when it comes to finds.

Here’s the reality – I love statistics and numbers (remember, I’m a baseball guy), so I love seeing stats and stuff for geocaching. I like knowing how many finds I have, how many I didn’t, how many of this kind etc. I like knowing what my best day is, how many miles I’ve traveled and where I’ve cached.

Love all that.

But I love it for me – not anybody else. I don’t care if people have more finds than me. I could care less if they have more FTFs, been to more states or countries, or have placed more. In fact, good for them because hopefully that means they’ve had the chance to see more!

But, in all reality, it doesn’t matter. Why? Because I won’t get anything in the end if I am “competing.”

So I don’t care if somebody wants to “cheat.”

Recently, I saw a post in one of these Facebook groups ridiculing a couple of Europeans who were apparently vacationing in America. They logged a virtual where they had to climb a mountain and posted photos. The photos were obviously photoshopped and didn’t look convincing at all.

The venom that followed was crazy.

Cheaters! All of their finds were now “in question” according to this jury.

Who cares?

If somebody feels the need to spend the time it takes to try and make a photo look convincing just to log a virtual, then whatever. It’s up to the cache owner (if they are still active) to deal with it, not a bunch of people on Facebook thinking they are the morality police.

I can somewhat see the point by some people who have made that hike. I get it. They did the work and earned that smiley, while the others didn’t (so we think. Maybe they did it, forgot to take a photo and thought they needed to do this? Probably not, but we never know). But some people, who had never made the hike were up in arms. Is it really worth posting the photo all over to ridicule them?

I didn’t see the dates these people who had the pitch forks started geocaching, but it makes me wonder.

The new generation of geocachers are quicker to judge, at least in my dealings. But it’s society now. See something you don’t like? Call people out on Facebook (or some other spot).

Look, I get the argument on both sides. Is it annoying that people do this? Sure. But in the end, it really does nothing. Ignore it and move on. Well, the only time I would agree with this is when there’s a cache with several DNFs over a larger period of time and all of a sudden somebody finds it with an “easy” or something like that. If they are in a situation where they are armchair logging, then in the end that could have an affect on somebody else’s game as they might go try and find it and it might not be there. In that case, I am with others in that it’s an issue because it could make somebody else’s experience negative.

And heck, I’ve matched signatures in the logs of my caches with online logs sometimes … they don’t always match. But I try and give the benefit of the doubt and laugh it off.

In the end, one thing we have to remember is geocaching is a game. It’s not a competition. It’s definitely not a sport as many call it. It’s a game. A hobby. Something people should enjoy doing. If you are worrying too much about how others play the game then you aren’t playing the game well enough yourself. Go find some geocaches. If others want to be “cheap” and armchair things, many will know they are doing it. But it’s just a game. Do it your way and know you are doing it right.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

AAA finally responds, works hard to make things right

Don’t ever doubt the power of social media.

If you read my blog last week – Thursday – you saw the power of social media and online working. As noted in that story, I had a tremendously bad experience with AAA. Basically, I feel like I got hosed and ignored, when waiting for a company to come change my flat tire.

As noted, too, we were all capable of changing the tire, but it was cold and, reality is, If something is paid for, I expect service when it’s needed.

The one thing that had fired me up quite a bit was that the third person – yes, I spoke with three people that day – told me he would file an electronic complaint and that somebody would be in touch with me in 48 hours.

It never happened. So when I wrote the initial post, it was more than 100 hours later. I wrote it and went to bed, with it set to publish at 6 a.m. Eastern.

Oh, yeah, I also made sure to tweet AAA at the time it published.

It didn’t take long for a response from AAA. At 7:31 a.m., I received this response via Twitter:

Who knew all I had to do was to write a bad review of something, tweet it and this would happen? So, I DMd my membership number and went along with my day.

At 11:37 a.m., I received a phone call from Nils, a manager with AAA – somebody who had been with the company for 37 years. He was in the New York office, though, and had received the message from the national office.

Remember this? Changing of the tire as we found out nobody was coming to help...

Remember this? Changing of the tire as we found out nobody was coming to help…

Something was finally going to happen.

Anyway, he said he was trying to figure out what happened in hopes of making sure it never happened again. I expressed my displeasure in the service and received apologies – to which he also acknowledged don’t count as much when somebody went through what I did. I also noted that we were more than capable of changing the tire, but it was about principles. He fully understood my concerns and told me he wanted to pay for my membership for the following year, to make up for it.

He also actually thanked me for writing the post I did because, if not, he might have never known about this.

Here’s the kicker from the initial call (and one follow up as I had to call him back with the number of one my friends, being that’s whose phone we used for the initial call):

  • The first person I talked to wasn’t listed as ever talking to me (that was on a different number, so may come up with the other number).
  • He was looking to see why the service station wouldn’t go.
  • He also was trying to figure out why nobody called me.
  • The last person I talked to didn’t file the digital complaint, as he said he would do.

I asked Nils, too, to call me back to let me know what happened. I don’t care about people’s names or anything and I hope – truthfully – if these are competent people, they don’t lose their jobs.  I know how tough it can be in that situation. That being said, one needs to realize what they are dealing with when you are handling calls like this. It isn’t a joke. Real people are out there, broken down and need help. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be calling.

If you can’t handle the job, you shouldn’t be doing it. And if one isn’t trained well enough, they shouldn’t be live on the system.

Anyhoo…

He got back to me and explained what he could piece together. The only question mark was that first call — when I got put back in the queue. He couldn’t seem to find it, so that — for some reason — is out there.

What I fully appreciate here — and why I’ll give AAA the benefit of the doubt that this was a rare thing (to be fair, until this time, I had gotten extremely good service from AAA), is how honest Nils was with me and how he quickly made sure to note this was AAA’s fault and they were taking steps to make sure it didn’t happen again. Would it help me now? No. Is it nice to know they are reacting? Yes.

Apparently, what happened, is as follows:

The person who told me he was sending somebody never actually sent somebody. In other words, when I called back an hour later to wonder where the service station was — and was told by that person that the station said they didn’t have anybody available — It’s because they never got the initial call. Therefore, with the calls they already had, they couldn’t come. So not their fault one bit.

We were sitting on the side of an Interstate and nobody was called, let alone coming. That’s downright scary. Hopefully it’s found out why this person didn’t make the call.

Finally, the final person I spoke to never sent through the complaint, or I was assured I would have received a phone call.

There was definitely a communication breakdown here. Whether the service station wasn’t called because of some technical thing, purposely or something else, it should never happen. I go back to this — think if it’s somebody who can’t change their own tire and need that help. It’s messing with real life. So if I was a bit upset or brash, it was because of the first person who put me back into the queue and because somebody didn’t understand what I meant when I said a mile past an onramp.

AAA-Logo

No matter if you get mad or not, remember I’m the paying customer. I’m already frustrated. It’s not personal. It’s not right (and I honestly don’t think I got upset until I had to explain where I was more than once when I was pretty direct with where I was in the first place), but I’ve been in customer service and realize, sometimes, you need to be able to deal with all situations and reactions.

As noted before, hopefully this was a rare thing.

And, AAA did everything is could to make it right with me. I appreciate the one-year membership. I appreciate the manager calling me back more than once to tell me what happened. I appreciate AAA admitting wrongdoing here. And I appreciate the fact that we were able to do something without anything bad happening.

Hopefully something like this doesn’t happen again because you never know what kind of things can happen to somebody when services aren’t delivered as promised.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Disappointed in the service AAA gave me in cold conditions

Sometimes I wonder why people get into customer service. I also wonder, sometimes, why one pays for a service that doesn’t deliver.

Let me tell you a tale of AAA, the American Automobile Association. The company that offers benefits when you join — such as roadside assistance. The company that comes and fixes flats or tows you, if needed.

The backbone of a company like that are those who handle the phone calls. I’ve been a member of AAA for several years (my card says 2011, but I was a member before and had a break somewhere in there) and really haven’t had any issues. In fact, a couple of years ago, when in Watertown, I had a flat. They told me it could take upward of 1:30 for somebody to come. By the time I cleaned my trunk a bit and got the spare out, the guy was there.

The service was so good, I tipped the guy happily.

That brings us to this past Saturday. Three of us were heading to the Binghamton area for a wrestling show. We picked up our third member in one spot off Interstate 88. As we hit the Interstate, something seemed off. Turns out, I ran over something and got a flat.

Working on the tire ... what we should have done in the first place.

Working on the tire … what we should have done in the first place.

So there we were, on the side of I-88 with temperatures in the mid 20s. One of the guys with us can fix tires without issue (his father used to own a tire shop), but that wasn’t the point. It was cold — and the service I have is paid for. So, I wanted to use it.

That was my first mistake.

I quickly call AAA and get their roadside assistance people. The first person I talked to was female (shame on me for not remembering names) and I explained what was going on. The basics — side of an interstate, need help etc.

Over and over, I was asked where I was.

“Bainbridge.”

“What city is that near?”

“Bainbridge.”

“But what city?”

“I’m in Bainbridge. It’s the town I am in.”

“Can you spell that?”

“B-A-I-N-B-R-I-D-G-E.”

“I can’t find it. Can you please hold?”

I didn’t even have time to answer, I don’t think. I was then on hold for a good 3-5 minutes.

Seriously.

Next thing I know, a male picks up — “AAA, can I help you?”

Turns out I must have been put back in the queue.

But, before I tell you how this conversation went, allow me to go to the AAA website and quote what it says about roadside assistance:

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, emergency road service is designed to assist you when the vehicle you are either driving or riding in becomes disabled. Whether it’s a flat tire, a dead battery, an empty gas tank, or practically any other reason – as a driver or a passenger, in your own car or someone else’s – as a member, you are always covered. Even in a rental!

And this is what it shows for the flat-tire service:

A wheel with a flat tire will be replaced with the member’s inflated spare tire, at no charge. Special lug wrenches or keys needed to remove the wheel cover or wheel must be supplied by the member. If the spare is not available or in need of repair, the service station will tow the vehicle. Dual-wheel vehicles are not eligible for tire service.

OK, with that out of the way, allow me to continue. So the second person I talk to at least tries to get more info. I explain it more times than I think is needed, but if it gets somebody here, then so be it.

One bright side? A cool view.

One bright side? A cool view.

I had to explain what an onramp to an interstate was.

Even then, I got: “I’m sorry, sir, I am not familiar with your area.”

I gave him the exit number. I told him where we were. He finally seemed to get it and found a place. It was in a town about, oh, 10 miles away or so. I was told it would take up to an hours. So it was 3:26, they should be there no later than 4:26.

After I questioned that and asked about it, he repeated — in a stern voice — “Sir, it’s now 3:27. They will be there no later than 4:26.”

I didn’t want to explode. I accepted it. We waited.

And waited.

And waiter.

Mind you, there was somebody in the car more than capable of quickly changing this tire. But this was more about principles. A situation where you want to get what you pay for.

Something tells me, if you are reading this, you know where this is going.

Yep, 4:26 came and went. At about 4:30, I called back and got somebody else. This person seemed genuinely apologetic and concerned and said he was going to find out what was up. He put me on hold and came back a minute or so later.

Seems he called the service in question who then noted they didn’t have anybody who could go change a flat. My response?

“So, basically, nobody was coming and nobody was going to tell me?”

“Basically, yeah.”

Solid work, AAA. The company can’t blame the service company, either. There is no reason AAA shouldn’t monitor every situation. We pay for a service. Deliver.

The person then told me he could try and find somebody else. At that point, said friend was starting to jack up the car. I said fine (the guy was going to call me back), but noted if we had this changed and all, I was not going to be a happy customer.

He called back about 10 minutes later, noting he had somebody who said they could be there in about 45 minutes. At this point, the lugnuts were being tightened.

I noted that. And also noted I was extremely displeased with the service — well, lack of — that I received. I told him I’d like to know who to contact and he said he could put in the complaint for me and asked if I would like a call back, to which I said “Absolutely.”

He told me I’d hear back within 48 hours.

That was Saturday, at about 4:45 p.m. So, 48 hours would be Monday at 4:45 p.m., right?

It’s now (as I am writing this) about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. So, like 96 hours later. I haven’t received a call or any sort of communication.

Solid, right? Customer service is right up there.

I’m seriously re-considering any membership with this company. This has nothing to do with me or this situation. But what if it had been my mother? Or one of my aunts? Or my sister-in-law when she had been pregnant? Put yourself in my shoes here. What it if it had been your mother? Your grandfather? Somebody else?

Changing the tire.

Changing the tire. (Note: not somebody sent from AAA. He should get paid for the service AAA was supposed to give.)

Seriously.

This goes way beyond three guys going to an event and just wanting to stay warm and use a service that was paid for. This comes down to looking at the big picture and wondering what happens if this is somebody who couldn’t do what we ended up doing. It was cold. I was on the side of an Interstate. What if somebody’s phone was dying and they got enough of a call to set up the initial service call? And nobody comes?

There’s a lot that can go wrong here.

I firmly believe I deserve more than a small apology here. I need an explanation. I need to know why this happened and how AAA will make sure it doesn’t happen. People pay for this service. Some people may have panicked in this situation. Some may have continued to wait.

This isn’t a joke. It’s serious. And something drastically bad could have happened, if the situation had been changed.

Being it’s been so long, I’m not holding my breath AAA is going to call me back. If it gets past this weekend, I may end up calling. And if that’s the fact, I’m going to be extremely annoyed and peeved.

I’m beyond disappointed. And that’s a shame. Until here, I’ve been pretty satisfied with AAA. Now? Not so much — in more ways than just a failed service call. This was a fail on a much larger stage.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Society needs to take a deep breath, and fix itself

Allow me to start by saying I’m not a parent.

So, I don’t know exactly what goes through one’s mind when dealing with something like this. But what I am writing about today is just downright ridiculous.

Look, I’m in favor of a government organization that watches over children — to a point. It’s needed because there are some families who fully and utterly neglect kids. However, “protecting children” has gone from being smart to being downright ridiculous. Since when is a kid walking a few blocks neglect?

It seems Child Protective Services can do pretty much anything they want. And if somebody wants to be a jerk, they can call the cops or CPS, say they think a child is being abused, neglected or whatever and things can hit the fan quite quickly.

What I’ve read about a situation in Ohio is downright ridiculous.

It seems a 6-year-old wanted a little independence. So her parents allowed her to walk a few blocks to the post office. Seems harmless, right? When I was 6, I’m pretty sure I was able to roam freely, to a point. Could I run anywhere? No. Did my parents or brothers know where I was? Absolutely. Could I go a couple of blocks to another kid’s house? Sure.

See, it’s lessons like this that allow a kid to grow.

I do realize that the threat of something happening is greater than it used to be. Well, at least reported on. Things happened back when, too. But with media, social things and everything else, it’s reported way more. When I was younger, a convicted child rapist and murderer was sent to my town by the department of probation. He didn’t have the chance to do anything because people knew who he was and he spent most of his time shuttered up in the basement of a local church. He was run out of town a bit later. During that time, our town was quieter, that’s for sure. But when it ended, kids started to be seen again.

In this day and age, we also have lists you can see to know where these creeps are. Well, at least the ones convicted. Depending on the town or area or whatever, though, I would hope parents have a good grip of where their kids will be going.

So back to the current situation.

Would I let my kid walk 3-4 city blocks in New York to go play in Central Park? Probably not. But in a small town where most people know who you are and such? I’d feel a lot better.

The realization is this — kids have to grow, explore and learn. It’s part of life.

Anyway, it turns out this poor child has been taken into custody more than once because she was walking alone. According to the parent who wrote into the Free Range Kids website, the girl knows her address, phone number and all vital things. She does small errands within a few blocks (store, post office etc.) and she’s been detained or stopped by “concerned citizens.”

Am I missing something? Is there a law that says a 6-year-old child can’t walk somewhere? Especially in an area where she is known?

I can’t rehash everything here. I’d encourage you to read the whole story/timeline on Free Range Kids.

I dug around and somebody in the comments noted their situation, which had been previously reported on Free Range Kids. The “charges” are just as silly, but the one that caught my eye — she was a bad parent because she let her kids (aged 8 and 10) walk together to a bus stop 300 feet away.

Seriously.

That’s not even the FULL LENGTH of a football field!

A 10-year-old kid can’t walk with an 8-year-old sibling to a bus stop 300 feet away without setting off a red flag?

We have issues in this country. Our politicians spend more money on so many frivolous things that it makes people’s heads spin. These same people get paid oodles of money to do what? We have these organizations that flex their muscles like they own the world. It’s time to back off. While these may be isolated incidents, they happen. And they shouldn’t. Not once. Let kids grow. A parent needs to be able to do what they need to do to raise their kids.

I once said I’d love to live forever. But I have to admit, with the way society is going, I don’t know if I want to see what it’s like in 75 or 80 years. It’s going to be downright ridiculous.

The biggest thing? People need to get their noses out of other people’s business. If you see something truly bad (such as a parent beating a kid or something crazy), it’s one thing. But a kid walking to the store or the post office in a quiet area where people are bound to know one another?

It’s called growing up.

I have no issues with parents who want to make sure their kids are supervised on these trips. And I have no issues with parents who trust their kids or surroundings enough to let them walk freely, as long as they know where they are going. It should be up to the parent. Respect the parent to know and believe what is best for their kid.

Reality is this — who are CPS to tell somebody what’s best for somebody else’s kids? They aren’t. Back off.

I roamed with my friends as kids all the time. We explored the woods. Played in creeks. Played sports and rode our bikes. In the winter, we went sledding at the local college. We did some crazy things and parents weren’t always around. We were allowed to scrape our knees, get dirty and whatever else. Our parents trusted we knew right from wrong, wouldn’t talk to the wrong people and would run, yell and scream if anything was to happen to us or if we got into a sticky situation.

We’re all fine.

Kids need a chance to grow and learn just as much as anybody else. It’s up to the parent to decide the criteria for that, not the cops, CPS or any other government agency.

Period.

Fundraiser: I am, again, trying to raise money for the Relay For Life. If you donate to me — a minimum of $5– you will be entered to win a super-sweet quilted lap quilt or pillow. Click here for all the information!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!