Sorry, no names on your kids' jerseys, they might get molested. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

MSD · 09-03-2008, 05:32 AM

Carmel Dads Club bans first names on kids' team jerseys | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Quote:

CARMEL, Ind. -- Concerned about protecting children from potential sexual predators, the Carmel Dads Club has banned the use of first names and nicknames on the back of team jerseys.

"We did it for safety," said Mike McGinley, president of the organization, which oversees nearly a dozen children's sports and 12,000 young athletes.
A parent's anxiety led to the change.

"She raised the concern about someone coming up to a kid and saying, 'Hi, Mary' or 'Hi, Jimmy,' and that might lead the youngster to believe that they knew them," he said.
The decision, made in mid-August, came too late for fall sports, so teams that have already printed their uniforms for football and soccer are exempt and do not need to order new ones. But the change will go into effect for winter and spring sports.
Roger Levesque, the chairman of the Criminal Justice department at Indiana University, said that, at first blush, the move might appear to be "unwarranted paranoia."

"In some ways it is, and in others it is not," he said. "The vast majority of children are maltreated and harmed by people who already know them. On the other hand, offenders who harm children who are initially strangers to them do rely on establishing contact, and there are few things as effective as knowing someone's first name to get their attention."

McGinley said parents have the option of having a child's surname printed on the jersey, which helps coaches match names and faces. But, he said, anyone who fears a potential lack of privacy has the option of leaving the back of the child's uniform blank.
Previously, Carmel Dads Club athletes and their families could choose any name for the back of uniforms.

McGinley said that, since the new policy was announced, he has fielded some phone calls from parents who are upset about the change.
The safety of Dads Club participants has not historically been an issue, he said, nor does it seem to be an issue elsewhere.

In Fishers, the S.P.O.R.T.S. organization, which oversees 10,000 kids in its youth leagues, has no written policy about uniforms, though many of its parents already avoid printing names on jerseys.

At the Indianapolis Catholic Youth Organization, most jerseys are purchased by parishes and are handed down from year to year without names.
McGinley, who made the recommendation to the Carmel Dads Club board of directors, said he researched the idea with the Carmel Police Department, which advised him that first names and nicknames on jerseys are probably not a good idea.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, allowing children to wear clothing or carry items in public on which their name is displayed may bring unwelcome attention from people looking for a way to start a conversation.
The agency, founded in 1984, seeks to prevent child abductions and sexual exploitation. Its Web site, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is filled with advice and guidelines for parents and the community.

According to the agency, 797,500 children younger than 18 are reported missing each year.

The average victim of an abduction: an 11-year-old girl.
McGinley, a former teacher and coach at Cathedral High School, just completed his first year as president of the Carmel Dads Club. He said the club will monitor the results of the policy change and may revisit the issue.

One of the club's many coaches, Paul McGinnis, said he thinks the move makes sense, with just one hitch.

"It is an unfortunate measure due to the fact that having names on jerseys in youth sports helps the parents get to know -- and cheer for -- the other kids on their child's team, as opposed to yelling, 'Go, number 3,' " he said.

This is fucking ridiculous. My mom tried to explain to me when I was 3 that if I went out in the front yard, something bad could happen. She realized that I hadn't really grasped the idea when we were visiting family friends; I was in the back yard with my friend, and I came running inside bawling and saying that Doug went in the front yard and someone was going to take him away.

When I got older, common sense approaches worked better and I'm no longer paranoid. My mom, however, hounded me about everything school related until I graduated, and now does the same with work. She also didn't want me going to New Haven, CT from 9/11/01 until mid-2004 because she was worried about a terrorist attack. She's not happy about first-person-shooters, but God forbid I play Doom, because that's what caused the Columbine shootings.

Having grown up with a paranoid parent, I can say for certain that this kind of paranoia is harmful to kids. I had a few good friends in high school and a big group of people I hung out with only in school because my mom wouldn't allow me to go to parties with them for fear that all they did was drink and do drugs, and I would be pressured into joining them (a lot of them did, but I was straightedge back then and absolutely wouldn't have joined in.) This left me pretty much entirely socially inept until college (even though I went to a commuter campus because 1: we couldn't afford to send me somewhere, and 2: my mom still tells me that I would have flunked out if she wasn't there to remind me of everything constantly.)

It's one thing to be concerned about children's safety. It's another thing entirely when we let ourselves succumb to a pathological fear that everyone and everything can and will hurt our children. If you forget, the news will always be there to remind you that your attractive, white, upper-middle-class children are prime targets for abduction and that predator lurk around every corner to rape and murder your babies.

In the end, my mom's paranoia was like the boy who cried wolf. I don't do conventional wisdom, I don't worry about my safety beyond what I see as problems, and I'm not particularly afraid of anything. It'll probably catch up to me some day as I'm showering during a thunderstorm (what's going to happen, lightning hits the ground and arcs from one grounded pipe to another through me?) or sticking a fork in a toaster to get my damn English muffin (the plug is polarized and it's not toasting, what's the risk?) I was there when they banned dodgeball, I was there when they banned tag, and I was there when they banned soccer on pavement. When we fell and got hurt, all it took was a friend helping you up and asking if you were OK to get you back in the game; now it's risking a lawsuit to let kids have fun. I'm not a betting man, but I doubt that my high school is still offering archery classes.

Parents, let your kids run free in the neighborhood as long as they look both ways before they cross the street. Buy a rubber playground ball and let them play dodgeball with their friends as long as they don't aim for the face. Give them a Red Ryder BB gun and a pair of safety glasses and tell him it's OK, he won't shoot his eye out as long as he points the end with the hole in it away from himself and everyone else. If he falls off his bike, bandage him up and tell him you know he'll do better next time (and might want to wear jeans that cover his knees) instead of looking for someone to sue. Fight the culture of fear.

Ayashe · 09-03-2008, 09:40 AM

This is nothing new. Granted it may be new for those athletes, but the idea isn't new in the least. Parents had been advised for a long time not to put their child's name in large lettering on their backpacks etc.

I understand where you come from, it is easy to become fearful about the safety of your child(ren). As a parent, I had my own ideas of the safety bubble, the bubble expanded over time but it was always there. It sounds as though your experience was considerably more difficult. Whatever your mom did, I can guarantee was because she cared about you and had difficulty handling her fear in a rational manner.

As far as parties go, my daughter is allowed. I call the parents to check into the details in advance. She has been well informed about drugs and alcohol, has no interest at this point in her life but I refuse to close my eyes and feel secure in a false belief that it couldn't possibly happen. She has already been instructed repeatedly on the dangers of alcohol and driving and the importance of calling home if she or her driving friend are impaired and unsafe to drive. She has a couple years at minimum to go before obtaining her own drivers license.

As far as physical danger, I have a different approach than avoidance. She had her first skateboard at age 4 , she Rollerblade, she bikes, she has been playing paintball since age 9 or 10, she has had two mini-motorcycles on electric and one gas. Helmets and pads, helmets and pads, helmets and pads. I have definitely eased back on the use of pads over time. Helmets, every kid in the neighborhood uses them (not to mention the fact that it saved her skull once when she was hit by a car while on her bicycle) there isn't really anything to enforce.

lotsofmagnets · 09-03-2008, 09:43 AM

there is a chain here (can´t remember which one) where employees wears badges with fairy tale names to protect them from abuse which had apparently happened in the past.

jewels · 09-03-2008, 10:11 AM

I became pregnant with my first daughter shortly after the Adam Walsh case scared the hell out of everyone.

The concept of something terrible happening to one's child had never occurred to me, as a young mother, and this country was now struggling to come to terms with the possibility and how we could protect our children. First-time parents are often overprotective anyway, so add on this new struggle with how to protect our kids from potential predators. It seemed a legit concern to all at the time.

I didn't have any other children until nine years later and, being much older and wiser

was a little more lax. Theses kids were taught to be aware and alert from toddlerhood, but I knew I couldn't allow them to live in fear. I think this can be accomplished by not sheltering them from reality, so that they too can learn and respect what you've taught them, as opposed to living in fear.

When the kids are small, I'm behind the no-names-on-backpacks philosophy, but only because often they walk to or from school alone or in twos.

I have a new neighbor who comes into my yard and chats with me sometimes. I've commented that I can see his kids through the windows sometimes but that I'd love to meet his wife and kids. He says he doesn't want them outside because his wife has allergies and he doesn't want the kids to suffer like her.

Overprotecting those you love doesn't do a thing for anyone.

snowy · 09-03-2008, 11:09 AM

I remember a McGruff the Crime Dog video from when I was a kid about strangers and not wearing shirts with my name printed on them--that was 20 years ago. This really is nothing new, and here it's pretty much the norm for little kids' sports jerseys to not have names on them (keeps costs down too).

As a childcare worker, I pretty much refuse to work for clients who would put their children in a safety bubble. I believe kids learn from the world around them, and guess what? That world is dangerous. We go through safety protocols before a child is allowed to engage in a risky activity, such as tree climbing or jumping off of something; they have to demonstrate their ability to do the activity while minimizing risk to their person. They have to show me that they know how to do a "safety landing" (from gymnastics). Kids don't learn if they're trapped in a bubble all of the time, but there are things that can be done to keep them safe even when they're doing things that might be dangerous.

And jewels, your neighbor obviously understands little about how outdoor allergies work, or how immune systems in children gain immunity. It's a shame that his lack of education on the subject negatively affects his children.

telekinetic · 09-03-2008, 11:19 AM

My daughter will never hear the words 'stranger danger' from me. There are better less destructive ways to protect a child from the .01% who might harm them then to tell them that everyone they don't know wants to snatch them.

Jinn · 09-03-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twistedmosaic

My daughter will never hear the words 'stranger danger' from me. There are better less destructive ways to protect a child from the .01% who might harm them then to tell them that everyone they don't know wants to snatch them.

Do tell. How do you expect a 6 year old to tell the good strangers from the bad strangers?

Cynthetiq · 09-03-2008, 12:26 PM

My parents said to not trust anyone even relatives and friends, unless specifically told to do so by them. Why? Because sometimes people are fucked up, even friends and family.

telekinetic · 09-03-2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

Do tell. How do you expect a 6 year old to tell the good strangers from the bad strangers?

There shouldn't be a 'stranger' category in a child's head. (and in fact, there really isn't...someone who is attractive, friendly to them or they have seen a couple times automatically becomes filed as "not a stranger") They are FAR more likely to be kidnapped/abused by someone they know than a 'stranger', so by teaching them "stranger danger", two things are accomplished:

*you teach them to mistrust potentially helpful people
*you imply that they can trust potentially harmful people

How are either of these things beneficial?

MSD · 09-03-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

Do tell. How do you expect a 6 year old to tell the good strangers from the bad strangers?

They can always ask a police officer for help, they can go to their teachers, if they're lost in a big store (which was the big one that scared the hell out of me as a kid) they can ask someone who works there for help, the list goes on. The point is to let them know that not everyone is out to get them, but that they still have to be very careful because there are bad people out there.

Willravel · 09-03-2008, 12:52 PM

Children should be put inside of giant metal safes until they're 18, that way people who want to control me can't use pedophilia as a scare tactic anymore.

Instead of teaching children to be scared of the world, we should spend time and money to discover an effective deterrent for pedophilia. Vasectomy, the death penalty, prison... none have proven effective to deterring pedophiles. And I'm afraid there simply aren't enough Chris Hansen's to go around.

telekinetic · 09-03-2008, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willravel

Children should be put inside of giant metal safes until they're 18, that way people who want to control me can't use pedophilia as a scare tactic anymore.

Instead of teaching children to be scared of the world, we should spend time and money to discover an effective deterrent for pedophilia. Vasectomy, the death penalty, prison... none have proven effective to deterring pedophiles. And I'm afraid there simply aren't enough Chris Hansen's to go around.

I wonder if my wife would allow me to put "Before you do anything to me, know that my daddy has a 12 gage and a shovel" on all of my daughter's clothes.

Hmm...I was going to say all through childhood, but I'd really like to keep that on when she's a teenager too. Maybe some sort of medical alert bracelet?

Willravel · 09-03-2008, 01:09 PM

I suspect the best deterrent is actually to catch the pedophilia tendencies in people before they can develop into a full on NAMBLA member. That would require better funding and specific training for elementary and high school psychologists.

telekinetic · 09-03-2008, 01:11 PM

or the use of bear traps and nooses from Acme instead of Chris Hanson.

/my ridiculous protective parent threadjack in serious thread

Basic takeaway from my comments here: I'm serious about child safety, but stranger danger policies do more harm than good.

Applicability to OP: This should be a nonissue, because knowing a kid's name shouldn't be an all access pass into molestation fun land...something like 85% of kidnappings (and 65% of kidnappings that end in killings) are done by people who already know their victims.

Starkizzer · 09-03-2008, 01:23 PM

My grandma scared the shit out of me when I was little by telling me that if I ever talked to a stranger they would take me, cut me into little pieces with RAZOR BLADES, and mail the pieces back to her in boxes. Yet she told me that I would talk to anyone, she even had her friends come up to us in the stores to see if we would talk to strangers. I think kids can sense when someone is not right.

Most of the time I have no problem walking around at night or walking down a street by myself. However, every once in a while something makes my skin crawl and I will cross the street to be on the opposite side so I don't have to walk next to someone. I can't explain why, it only happens with certain people and it rarely has anything to do with the way they look.

MSD: the sad part is that you can't always trust the people who we are supposed to trust. Where I grew up it was "trust no one". The High Desert is full of druggies, child molesters...etc. There was a sheriff who shot his high school son while arguing over how to take care of the kids mom who was terminally ill with cancer. A girl I went to high school with was put away for being an accomplice to a brutal theft/murder when she was a freshmen. Her junkie bf got her into the mess, I remember her telling me she KNEW she could trust him, then later in reports they found her huddled in the hallway too afraid to call the police. The body of a girl was found in a field, she was buried there by her marine fiance. A teacher at my school was fired for going to high school parties, buying the kids alcohol,and having sex with the girls, for both grades and for thrills.

World is a scary place, tell your kids that but eventually they will just have to determine whats what for themselves. All parents can do is give them the tools to deal with it. My dad taught me young how to throw a punch and how to fight dirty, never had to use it but know I could if I needed it. I say more of P.E. in school should be self defense courses and not flag football.

As to the OP its sad that kids are having games or practices where there is no parent or guardian there to watch them. Maybe that's idealistic of me, but I would hope, with small kids at least, that there is someone there for them for both safety reasons and as support.Then when the game is over they get into the car with a trusted family member and go someplace safe where they can take the jersey off.

telekinetic · 09-03-2008, 01:30 PM

It is unfortunate that stories of domestic violence made you "trust no one"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starkizzer

There was a sheriff who shot his high school son while arguing over how to take care of the kids mom who was terminally ill with cancer.
(not a stranger)

A girl I went to high school with was put away for being an accomplice to a brutal theft/murder when she was a freshmen. Her junkie bf got her into the mess, I remember her telling me she KNEW she could trust him, then later in reports they found her huddled in the hallway too afraid to call the police. (unclear, but probably not a stranger, if you consider her the victim then definitely not)

The body of a girl was found in a field, she was buried there by her marine fiance. (not a stranger)

A teacher at my school was fired for going to high school parties, buying the kids alcohol,and having sex with the girls, for both grades and for thrills. (not a stranger)

Starkizzer · 09-03-2008, 01:33 PM

Actually it wasn't these stories that made me trust no one, it was my asshole, molester brother who made me trust no one. That is, however, another story entirely.

QuasiMondo · 09-03-2008, 02:21 PM

The sports jerseys I wore as a kid never had names on them. These kids don't know how good they have it nowadays (well, not anymore in this situation).

telekinetic · 09-03-2008, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starkizzer

Actually it wasn't these stories that made me trust no one, it was my asshole, molester brother who made me trust no one. That is, however, another story entirely.

So, also not a stranger?

I'll stop doing that now...get my point though?

dumbhack · 09-03-2008, 07:04 PM

That's some shit

CinnamonGirl · 09-04-2008, 07:54 AM

I don't remember ever putting my first name on a jersey... no names at all up until I was 12 or so, then it was always my last name or a silly nickname. I don't remember anyone putting their first names on a jersey.

09-03-2008, 09:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
lotsofmagnets Upright Location: reykjavík, iceland	there is a chain here (can´t remember which one) where employees wears badges with fairy tale names to protect them from abuse which had apparently happened in the past. __________________ mother nature made the aeroplane, and the submarine sandwich, with the steady hands and dead eye of a remarkable sculptor. she shed her mountain turning training wheels, for the convenience of the moving sidewalk, that delivers the magnetic monkey children through the mouth of impossible calendar clock, into the devil's manhole cauldron. physics of a bicycle, isn't it remarkable?

09-03-2008, 10:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
jewels Eponymous Location: Central Central Florida	I became pregnant with my first daughter shortly after the Adam Walsh case scared the hell out of everyone. The concept of something terrible happening to one's child had never occurred to me, as a young mother, and this country was now struggling to come to terms with the possibility and how we could protect our children. First-time parents are often overprotective anyway, so add on this new struggle with how to protect our kids from potential predators. It seemed a legit concern to all at the time. I didn't have any other children until nine years later and, being much older and wiser was a little more lax. Theses kids were taught to be aware and alert from toddlerhood, but I knew I couldn't allow them to live in fear. I think this can be accomplished by not sheltering them from reality, so that they too can learn and respect what you've taught them, as opposed to living in fear. When the kids are small, I'm behind the no-names-on-backpacks philosophy, but only because often they walk to or from school alone or in twos. I have a new neighbor who comes into my yard and chats with me sometimes. I've commented that I can see his kids through the windows sometimes but that I'd love to meet his wife and kids. He says he doesn't want them outside because his wife has allergies and he doesn't want the kids to suffer like her. Overprotecting those you love doesn't do a thing for anyone. __________________ We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess. Mark Twain

09-03-2008, 11:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	I remember a McGruff the Crime Dog video from when I was a kid about strangers and not wearing shirts with my name printed on them--that was 20 years ago. This really is nothing new, and here it's pretty much the norm for little kids' sports jerseys to not have names on them (keeps costs down too). As a childcare worker, I pretty much refuse to work for clients who would put their children in a safety bubble. I believe kids learn from the world around them, and guess what? That world is dangerous. We go through safety protocols before a child is allowed to engage in a risky activity, such as tree climbing or jumping off of something; they have to demonstrate their ability to do the activity while minimizing risk to their person. They have to show me that they know how to do a "safety landing" (from gymnastics). Kids don't learn if they're trapped in a bubble all of the time, but there are things that can be done to keep them safe even when they're doing things that might be dangerous. And jewels, your neighbor obviously understands little about how outdoor allergies work, or how immune systems in children gain immunity. It's a shame that his lack of education on the subject negatively affects his children. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

09-03-2008, 12:26 PM	#8 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	My parents said to not trust anyone even relatives and friends, unless specifically told to do so by them. Why? Because sometimes people are fucked up, even friends and family. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

09-03-2008, 01:11 PM	#14 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	or the use of bear traps and nooses from Acme instead of Chris Hanson. /my ridiculous protective parent threadjack in serious thread Basic takeaway from my comments here: I'm serious about child safety, but stranger danger policies do more harm than good. Applicability to OP: This should be a nonissue, because knowing a kid's name shouldn't be an all access pass into molestation fun land...something like 85% of kidnappings (and 65% of kidnappings that end in killings) are done by people who already know their victims. Last edited by telekinetic; 09-03-2008 at 01:15 PM..

09-03-2008, 09:40 AM	#2 (permalink)
Ayashe Psycho	This is nothing new. Granted it may be new for those athletes, but the idea isn't new in the least. Parents had been advised for a long time not to put their child's name in large lettering on their backpacks etc. I understand where you come from, it is easy to become fearful about the safety of your child(ren). As a parent, I had my own ideas of the safety bubble, the bubble expanded over time but it was always there. It sounds as though your experience was considerably more difficult. Whatever your mom did, I can guarantee was because she cared about you and had difficulty handling her fear in a rational manner. As far as parties go, my daughter is allowed. I call the parents to check into the details in advance. She has been well informed about drugs and alcohol, has no interest at this point in her life but I refuse to close my eyes and feel secure in a false belief that it couldn't possibly happen. She has already been instructed repeatedly on the dangers of alcohol and driving and the importance of calling home if she or her driving friend are impaired and unsafe to drive. She has a couple years at minimum to go before obtaining her own drivers license. As far as physical danger, I have a different approach than avoidance. She had her first skateboard at age 4 , she Rollerblade, she bikes, she has been playing paintball since age 9 or 10, she has had two mini-motorcycles on electric and one gas. Helmets and pads, helmets and pads, helmets and pads. I have definitely eased back on the use of pads over time. Helmets, every kid in the neighborhood uses them (not to mention the fact that it saved her skull once when she was hit by a car while on her bicycle) there isn't really anything to enforce.

09-03-2008, 11:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	My daughter will never hear the words 'stranger danger' from me. There are better less destructive ways to protect a child from the .01% who might harm them then to tell them that everyone they don't know wants to snatch them.

09-03-2008, 12:52 PM	#11 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Children should be put inside of giant metal safes until they're 18, that way people who want to control me can't use pedophilia as a scare tactic anymore. Instead of teaching children to be scared of the world, we should spend time and money to discover an effective deterrent for pedophilia. Vasectomy, the death penalty, prison... none have proven effective to deterring pedophiles. And I'm afraid there simply aren't enough Chris Hansen's to go around.

09-03-2008, 01:09 PM	#13 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	I suspect the best deterrent is actually to catch the pedophilia tendencies in people before they can develop into a full on NAMBLA member. That would require better funding and specific training for elementary and high school psychologists.

09-03-2008, 01:23 PM	#15 (permalink)
Starkizzer Hi floor! Make me a samwich. Location: Ontario (in the stray cat complex)	My grandma scared the shit out of me when I was little by telling me that if I ever talked to a stranger they would take me, cut me into little pieces with RAZOR BLADES, and mail the pieces back to her in boxes. Yet she told me that I would talk to anyone, she even had her friends come up to us in the stores to see if we would talk to strangers. I think kids can sense when someone is not right. Most of the time I have no problem walking around at night or walking down a street by myself. However, every once in a while something makes my skin crawl and I will cross the street to be on the opposite side so I don't have to walk next to someone. I can't explain why, it only happens with certain people and it rarely has anything to do with the way they look. MSD: the sad part is that you can't always trust the people who we are supposed to trust. Where I grew up it was "trust no one". The High Desert is full of druggies, child molesters...etc. There was a sheriff who shot his high school son while arguing over how to take care of the kids mom who was terminally ill with cancer. A girl I went to high school with was put away for being an accomplice to a brutal theft/murder when she was a freshmen. Her junkie bf got her into the mess, I remember her telling me she KNEW she could trust him, then later in reports they found her huddled in the hallway too afraid to call the police. The body of a girl was found in a field, she was buried there by her marine fiance. A teacher at my school was fired for going to high school parties, buying the kids alcohol,and having sex with the girls, for both grades and for thrills. World is a scary place, tell your kids that but eventually they will just have to determine whats what for themselves. All parents can do is give them the tools to deal with it. My dad taught me young how to throw a punch and how to fight dirty, never had to use it but know I could if I needed it. I say more of P.E. in school should be self defense courses and not flag football. As to the OP its sad that kids are having games or practices where there is no parent or guardian there to watch them. Maybe that's idealistic of me, but I would hope, with small kids at least, that there is someone there for them for both safety reasons and as support.Then when the game is over they get into the car with a trusted family member and go someplace safe where they can take the jersey off. __________________ Frivolity, at the edge of a Moral Swamp, hears Hymn-Singing in the Distance and dons the Galoshes of Remorse. ~Edward Gorey Last edited by Starkizzer; 09-03-2008 at 01:28 PM..

09-03-2008, 01:33 PM	#17 (permalink)
Starkizzer Hi floor! Make me a samwich. Location: Ontario (in the stray cat complex)	Actually it wasn't these stories that made me trust no one, it was my asshole, molester brother who made me trust no one. That is, however, another story entirely. __________________ Frivolity, at the edge of a Moral Swamp, hears Hymn-Singing in the Distance and dons the Galoshes of Remorse. ~Edward Gorey

09-03-2008, 02:21 PM	#18 (permalink)
QuasiMondo Wise-ass Latino Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA	The sports jerseys I wore as a kid never had names on them. These kids don't know how good they have it nowadays (well, not anymore in this situation). __________________ Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

09-03-2008, 07:04 PM	#20 (permalink)
dumbhack Upright	That's some shit

09-04-2008, 07:54 AM	#21 (permalink)
CinnamonGirl She's Actual Size Location: Central Republic of Where-in-the-Hell	I don't remember ever putting my first name on a jersey... no names at all up until I was 12 or so, then it was always my last name or a silly nickname. I don't remember anyone putting their first names on a jersey. __________________ "...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world." "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"