Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Yes, we have to teach gently but also make an impression. I would not advise the parenting I had. Now granted, I was raised in a residential part of Queens, NYC. My mother would tell me things like, "don't go with strangers because they will chop you up in little pieces and put you in the garbage can!". New yorkers since the 1800's in my family, tough as nails. I was given a mask, a cheap costume, a pillowcase, and trick or treated by myself. We went through the candy when I got home. In those days folks would give a kid an orange or apple, no one wanted that!!! I know that there are aspersions thrown on modern parenting, but I do see parents having fun with their children and trick or treating with them, and it just seems better than the past, in some ways. Maybe it is the awareness. The junkies around here would not part with one drop of drugs, so it is not the junkies I worry about, it's the sickos, who fortunately, stand out in a small town. Living on the back roads, like many of us do up here, we do not get the little ghosts and goblins, so for the past few years, the town began a ritual for us poor deprived adults who miss that, and we decorate our cars and wear costumes if we want and go to the famers market field that has a pavilion, park the cars in a circle and hand out treats in town. I never see kids alone except some tweens that travel in herds, as they do. Our yard has huge pumpkins and skeletons hanging from trees, and I put up an old chair by the road with orange lights and a skellie sitting there with a bowl of candy, too, and a bowl of candy for the UPS guy. There are warnings in all the local papers to check the candy when everyone gets home. Teachers have told me that the day is usually useless for serious teaching as the kids are sooooo excited, and that the next day they are subdued from the sugar crashes. It's already spooky up here this time of year, leaves are gone, its so dark by 7pm.