I just reread my post and realized how insane it sounded if you don't have a clear picture of the physical world I lived in.

No, I did not scale skyscrapers.
A. There were no skyscrapers in Queens. Mostly 2- and sometimes 3-storey buildings.
B. I did not climb straight up any flat walls either.

3-storey buildings usually had a fire escape starting at 15' or so off the ground. The trick was getting to it. Most of the time I couldn't. I do recall standing on dumpsters and being able to reach a ledge which I'd inch around to catch the fire escape. Also climbing very large trees and I'd slide out on a high thick branch for access. I was not afraid to jump down 5 or 6 feet. In older neighborhoods in Queens the trees could be taller than the apartments, that's how you do it.

Apartment buildings were often flush against each other, maybe just a slightly different height. One of my best finds was a group of apartments where I could go around 3/4 of a large city block. I ran/climbed back and forth on those roofs for maybe an hour because I thought I had found a whole new world.

98% of the roofs were NOT accessible from the outside, so the challenge was finding the ones that were. I suppose I might've made a good cat burglar, if I had intentions in that direction, which I didn't. A couple of times I got banged up a little because I couldn't figure out how to get back down so I jumped into bushes.

For really tall buildings (which were not in my neighborhood) the easiest access to the roof is via the elevator. I know it's cheating, but the view is still good.

Meredith, who was definitely never Bionic- Wonder- or SpiderWoman.

Still, ... the visual you gave us Meredith is like a film running before our eyes.

I'm looking up from a parking lot between two buildings, and see some long legged girl, with braids (?) flying behind her, as she leaps with a wide stance from one flat roof to another. And I'm thinking; I want to do that tooooooooooo.
LOVE IT.

I was once asked to be a part of the cheer leader team at our high school. After the first practice, they kicked me out. I was the one who was always facing in the wrong direction. Say left to me...and I guarantee you I'll turn right.

Meredith, I would have loved hanging out with you as a kid. Your adventures were right up my alley.

me too maerabith espicallie the no traspassing, which over heer is don't pick apples sighnes, which were always rasaked lol.

i played street football (soccer) I ran long distances and sprint and swam for public clubs and for my school. i always looked like a sprinter, not long and lifth like a true long distances runner but i had stamina even if shortish legs. I played hockie and basketball for the school.
I climbed everieething i could, id fly on my bike.the hard work up the yhill was worth the zoomed of flat out dowenhill riding.
when i was older 13 or so i got horseridding lessons, and managed little jumpes but didn't compeat, i had no horse lol.
by 16 i still had the solitorie sports but add weighttranning and martial arts into the mix, far too much energie. I onlie stoped w tranning and swimming when i was in earlie 30's.

my sons way to energetic too. sport be a great lifsaver for him i am sure as it was for me.

Well, Anne that dress problem was solved for us...because girls were phsycially segregated from boys by having 2 different playgrounds. But I did go to a co-ed primary school. I wonder seriously if I would have been so passionate about softball, if I was playing it in co-ed fun casual games. I didn't enjoy the co-ed softball games during phys. ed. I felt kluztier with the boys around. There is alot of value for children to play group sports amongst their own gender first before they move to mixed/co-ed teams to play on a regular basis.

When I belonged to the women's cycling group, we wonder how we could get girls into cycling. But something like that takes trememdous volunteer work and time during work hours to work within the school-time. Not doable since all of us had full-time jobs elsewhere.

Sometimes it may take 1-2 enjoyable "signature" fun sport event, that child participates with adult support close by....that they remember later on life....to take upon the sport again.

Several years ago I took my niece (15 yrs.) and her brother (13 yrs.), at that time for a 30 kms. bike ride. They didn't realize how much they cycled until I told them at the end.

I know they still occasionally bike ..as adults to university, errands. Their father does a short bike commute ride to his workplace several times a wk. And mother does practice yoga at times (she used to have her own yoga centre & teach it).

The most impressive family story was this summer, my 10-yr. old nephew cycled 50 kms. with his father on a major bike fundraising ride. Actually it was the father with his pals plus his buddies' little sons along for whole big mass ride with thousands of other cyclists.

I hope my nephew will always remember that ride with his father...inspire himself later in life.

orchid, I have a close, out of town friend who took up rowing when her son did it as a chld. He rowed for a team in Syracuse, NY, and them in college for a couple years before he hung it up.

She continues to row. Her boat beat the local high school girl's team last year and her boat is full of boomers who never rowed until midlife. They've also placed in other races. I believe one was in Canada.

Anyway, just hearing about her love of the sport and how fantastic it makes her feel, has made me sign up with a neighbor for our rowing club in the spring. I can't wait. I'm hoping it's something I will embrace. Time will tell. I want a midlife sport to enjoy like you enjoy your biking. I think it's good for our minds and our bodies.

Anne, we could always wear shorts under our uniform skirts so we had no trouble in that area.

Oh, and as we got older and rolled up pur skirts, soemtimes our shorts hung out below the skirt hems. How's that for a fashion statement?

Hmmm...let's see. I played software (catcher) in an organized league from the 4th grade until I was married. I was a cheerleader in high school, played dodge ball during PE and we played against the boys on Fridays. I will never forget the huge wall partition that would slide to one side on Fridays and the boys would be standing there with the dodge balls ready to kill us. I was usually one of the last ones out. I could catch anything..but good Lord did it ever hurt! I can't believe now that the teachers actually allowed them to throw at us...anyway, archery was also something I enjoyed. A little tennis in college. Never did like swimming although I was a lifeguard one summer.

I also roller skated. It was something I could do fairly well and ended up working at the roller rink for three or four years. I had the whistle...power.

My kids played football, baseball, tennis, soccer, and golf. I lived at the ballparks. I drove all over town, had kids in my home from daylight till dark, and sat in the rain, heat, whatever when one of them was playing.

Oh and Hannelore, on the toddler laptops...we just had a woman, Helen Gallagher, give a teleseminar on computers. She expanded on those toddler laptops. The company that makes them is VTech, and the laptop is called VTech Nitro Junior Notebook. Its about 50.00 and is a learning tool and it looks like a laptop in pink, or purple or black or red and it reinforces children’s school skills in either English or Spanish with these cartridges you can insert in them. It makes them think they have a high end electronics but its actually giving them a learning tool. So if you're going to buy your children tools/toys to learn, I think these would be a great learning tool. NOT TO TAKE THE PLACE of other things, such as the gym where you take your grandchild, but in addition to...I think they're great and they're for pre-schoolers.

Thanks for the tip JJ. That’s good to know that the so called laptop is actually a learning tool.
I've bought too much as is. I’ve turned into a secret toy animal pincher. There isn’t a stand I can go by without giving those cute cuddly soft as marshmallow toys a squeeze. I wanna buy them aaaall. Come to Maaaamaaaaaa!...

Sorry…got a little carried away there.