I got a call from a well-meaning Gas resident after we reported city council members voted to permit use of fireworks year-round.
The person — gender isn’t important — wondered if that meant residents were going to have to put up with noise from firecrackers popping day and night.
I suppose that possibility exists, but don’t worry too much.
A reality that’s universal with kids since I was one, is that doing the same thing over and over eventually gets boring and they move to something else. I’ve a grandson who is eager as any to light up firecrackers when first available, but by July 4 night, I’ve noticed, his enthusiasm starts to wane. Also, few kids would have the wherewithal to purchase enough to last them more than a few days — and state law limits when they may be sold to June 27 through July 5.
On the flip side, if a few extra firecrackers rout kids from in front of TVs and computers, or other devices that keep them outdoors, putting up with a little noise is worth it.
I’m not going to launch into a “when I was a kid” remembrance, because I know times are much different from the late 1940s and early ’50s. The great majority of what kids have today to occupy their leisure time was only found in science fiction then.
If they have fireworks to trigger interest in spending time outdoors — firing off the real thing rather than with a flick of their thumbs — all the better.
I’ve long thought that if we spent less time scheduling what our kids do and turn them loose just to be kids, the outcome would be all the better. Playing in the dirt and getting a little grimy — easy with the current spate of hot weather — wouldn’t hurt a thing.
That’s a good way for them to develop more imagination and depend less on having their lives scripted.
AN ADDENDUM: Among my favorite things to do as kid was to read, and it troubles me that many of the younger generations seem to be immune to that adventure. I like a good movie as much as anyone, but it’s seldom better than a book — because you can project yourself into what you’re reading.
