Grass Doesn't Grow Where Real Kids Played

Another Christmas has come and gone and, as I look at the toys and electronics that the kids now ask for and receive I am convinced that they have been cheated out of the best part of childhood; using their imagination to create real fun. There have been great books such as the Harry Potter series, but as soon as the book is published a movie is released; and the movie leaves nothing to the imagination or wonder of a child.

The imagination has been replaced with reality TV, MTV, movies and XBox games. There is the iPod, PSP, Wii, and dolls that actually pooh and pee. Even Candy Land has been digitized and Scrabble can be played on an electronic board. When we tell kids to use their imagination it is viewed as punishment or, they think their parents are poor or cheap. Kids think reading a book and trying to visualize what the author has written is boring; they don't know how to escape through books.

When we used our imagination it was unbelievable fun. And yes sometimes, actually most times, it was dangerous as well.


When my husband was growing up every Monday morning after the weekend card games he would take his "tips" from running back and forth to the store and buy about 10 G.I. Joes, they were about $2.88 each. Now we are talking the full size doll,excuse me, action figure. When the Last Stand took place Ty probably had about 200 of them and his friend David had another 200. At the time they were collecting these dolls they really didn't know what they were going to do with them. But the guys were at a turning point, they were making that transition from kid to teenager and they wanted to mark this rite of passage with a memorable event. He and David could not imagine just boxing up the action figures or giving them away. Instead they planned the epic battle. We are not talking some small scale skirmish. We are talking a full fledged battle. A Band of Brothers battle, a Saving Private Ryan battle, a Full Metal Jacket battle, A When We Were Men battle. Do you get it?... I am talking that kind of battle. They named it the Last Stand.

The battle would take weeks of planning. There were the logistics, the supplies, picking the date and setting up. This was no small feat. First there was the location. Of course it would have to be Ty's backyard which was a good sized yard (about 30'x60') with a huge barbecue pit that sat dead center. There were two trees that would be critical to the battle. The logistics required enhancing the landscape. Trenches were dug, hills and mountains formed. The end result was a pretty sophisticated layout that covered the whole backyard. With that done the focus then moved to the supplies. Of course they already had the armies. But it was a process of collecting lighter fluid, cherry bombs, and firecrackers. They crafted mini bow and arrows and booby traps with trip wires and of course they needed flame throwers -aerosol cans and lighters. Are you starting to visualize how this thing was shaping up.
Finally it came, battle day, the Last Stand. It was a Saturday, the morning started off a little hazy, but the sun was bright and slowly burned the haze away. The final preparations were underway. The G.I. Joes were strategically placed all over the yard, in the trees, the barbecue pit and behind mounds of dirt. Next, muffin tins were pushed down in the earth to form pools for the lighter fluid, the booby traps were laid and the trip wires set. The bows were loaded with the mini arrows. The cherry bombs were piled into the little triangle stacks and the firecrackers were hung in the trees, along the fences and along the ground. And then it began. It was shortly after 10 in the morning, the battle would rage for hours. It can only be described as a firestorm and as much fun as any two 13 year olds could possibly have and not get arrested. Bombs were set off, flame throwers ignited the wicks of the firecrackers which sounded like machine guns being fired. Cherry bombs were tossed and exploded in the pools of lighter fluid. G.I. Joes and mini arrows were flying through the air. The action figures were being blown to pieces and melting everywhere. It was a magnificent scene. At the end of the day as the smoke began to settle and the fires burned low, the stench of melting plastic and polyester fatigues stung your nose and eyes you could look out over this burned out yard and know for a fact that two young boys experienced as much fun as they could imagine (and yes destruction) and 40 years later the story is still the highlight of family gatherings. The yard, well it was never the same after that day. Although the barbecue pit still stands in the center of the yard not a blade of grass has grown there since that hazy Saturday morning. To this day if you walk through that famed battleground you may still find a rubber boot or, arm. When folks walk past the house they point at the backyard and tell the story of why grass doesn't grow where real kids played.