What's The Riskiest Thing You Ever Did When You Were A Kid..
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
July 22, 2011 10:04am CST
..and did you get told off for it lol.
I suppose the riskiest thing I did was climb up the cemetery wall that's at the back of Mum's house..up at the top of the big garden. It runs the whole length of the street and - obviously, beyond that is the cemetery itself.
The wall is about 12 foot high I would say and a fox has been known to jump right over it but for someone that's accident-prone like myself..it's not a good idea to climb it really.
Amazingly, I didn't break any bones in climbing the wall, jumping down into the cemetery, then climbing back up again (there are cups in the wall that feet can use as "steps"...don't ask) but one thing none of us did was run along the graves. We knew the difference between right and wrong. Doing such a thing was considered way too spooky and disrespectful..not like now. Many of the older graves have been vandalised and now there's a voluntary team looking after them, which has worked I'm pleased to say.
There are many trees in the cemetery but I reckon I only climbed up one in particular (it was huge..dead now) once. Like a cat, I was worried that I couldn't get back down again. A neighbour actually broke his arm doing all this climbing so I guess it was the correct decision not to "go there" so to speak.
So, tell me about your childhood climbs..or whatever else you did that you considered "risky."
I suppose the riskiest thing I did was climb up the cemetery wall that's at the back of Mum's house..up at the top of the big garden. It runs the whole length of the street and - obviously, beyond that is the cemetery itself.
The wall is about 12 foot high I would say and a fox has been known to jump right over it but for someone that's accident-prone like myself..it's not a good idea to climb it really.
Amazingly, I didn't break any bones in climbing the wall, jumping down into the cemetery, then climbing back up again (there are cups in the wall that feet can use as "steps"...don't ask) but one thing none of us did was run along the graves. We knew the difference between right and wrong. Doing such a thing was considered way too spooky and disrespectful..not like now. Many of the older graves have been vandalised and now there's a voluntary team looking after them, which has worked I'm pleased to say.
There are many trees in the cemetery but I reckon I only climbed up one in particular (it was huge..dead now) once. Like a cat, I was worried that I couldn't get back down again. A neighbour actually broke his arm doing all this climbing so I guess it was the correct decision not to "go there" so to speak.
So, tell me about your childhood climbs..or whatever else you did that you considered "risky."2 people like this
19 responses
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
22 Jul 11
riskiest thing...
gosh, I can't even remember how many times I might've been hurt but wasn't
Probably the biggest danger I ever was in was actually NOT taking any risk, I was building a sand castle with my brother and cousin and suddenly people were yanking us up and out of the way and then there was a BOAT in the middle of our wonderful sand castle
1 person likes this
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
24 Jul 11
Cemeteries, eh? I nearly took one of the neighbour's kids heads off (accidentaly!) with a .22 when I was shooting rabbits aged about 17... dangerous places these cemeteries!
Down here, there are plenty of dangerous things young lads end up doing. Just as well I tried them all too, as now I work in a profession with the second-highest on-the-job accident rates around (the highest being farming, on which I grew up!).
I'm not sure which act was the most dangerous, but I think climbing on top of a huge folded blade plough would be right up there with the best. One slip & you have eight chances of instant decapitation before your remains finally hit the earth, three meters below. Of course, I had plenty of big tree & house climbing experience before that! Grain silos were up there as well - you can see quite a long way from the top of one of those! Spotlighting in an open jeep was also quite dangerous. Climbing the 20 meter TV antenna tower was on the list as well. I can't think of anything I did that wasn't risky & dangerous - otherwise it would be boring!
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
24 Jul 11
What is it with you Aussies? Right little action men you lot are lol.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
25 Jul 11
Haha! 
I know what you mean. A New Zealander worked in our office of the League of Nations as I liked to call it (people from around the world worked there, it was great) and he was called Gene. I've never known anyone so active! His weekends were packed full of stuff he could do outdoors and he loved the Lake District as it reminded him of home (very green) lol. What he didn't like about the UK, though, were the winters and I always remember him going on about "how can you cope..it's only 3.45 in the afternoon..why is it dark at this time?!" Then I would kindly inform him that the nights go a bit lighter every day from 21st December onwards. This didn't really pacify him that much, to be honest.
It was great fun when England won the Rugby World Cup..I think in 2003 or something. Anyway, it was fun seeing his face when he turned up for work the following Monday lol.
I didn't like the way he was treated though. He'd been off on one of his adventure holidays (or something) for about 3 weeks, came back..after riding a fair way into work on his bike..and he got SACKED there and then. He was a temp and it was decided (behind his back of course) that he wasn't required anymore. Fancy letting him ride into work before telling him!
I do know that he went back to NZ and I can't say I blame him. He made a bit of money here so he could buy a house over there..along with his English girlfriend!
I know what you mean. A New Zealander worked in our office of the League of Nations as I liked to call it (people from around the world worked there, it was great) and he was called Gene. I've never known anyone so active! His weekends were packed full of stuff he could do outdoors and he loved the Lake District as it reminded him of home (very green) lol. What he didn't like about the UK, though, were the winters and I always remember him going on about "how can you cope..it's only 3.45 in the afternoon..why is it dark at this time?!" Then I would kindly inform him that the nights go a bit lighter every day from 21st December onwards. This didn't really pacify him that much, to be honest.
It was great fun when England won the Rugby World Cup..I think in 2003 or something. Anyway, it was fun seeing his face when he turned up for work the following Monday lol.
I didn't like the way he was treated though. He'd been off on one of his adventure holidays (or something) for about 3 weeks, came back..after riding a fair way into work on his bike..and he got SACKED there and then. He was a temp and it was decided (behind his back of course) that he wasn't required anymore. Fancy letting him ride into work before telling him!
I do know that he went back to NZ and I can't say I blame him. He made a bit of money here so he could buy a house over there..along with his English girlfriend!@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
24 Jul 11
And here's the age-old Aussie reply...
"If you think we're bad, wait until you see the New Zealanders!".
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
23 Jul 11
Behind our house we had a farm. I come from a part of the country that is mostly arable and they had a huge grain barn on the farm. We used to climb inside and use the artesian screw that was designed to pull the grain up and down the chute into the lorries that took it away as a slide! The grain could be 6 feet deep at times and it never occured to us that we might (and some did) drown in it! We also used to have Warfarin ball fights. Like snowball fights only with deadly rat poison!!
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
26 Jul 11
Country kids have so much more fun than city kids I reckon!
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
I'm surprised you're still around!
Glad you are, though!
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
23 Jul 11
I wouldn't dare be in a cemetery , because it's scary to be there. 
When in was in high school, the riskiest thing that i have done is climb the roof of our warehouse to get some ripe guavas whose trees have risen so high and its branches spreading on the roof. I would be there always after lunch to get a "dessert" .
I stopped climbing the roof, when i accidentally slipped off from the roof and fell into the ground on my butt! Good thing that the ground is with grasses. I didn't suffer any broken bones. However, i was spanked by my father for it, because he was already warning me against it.
When in was in high school, the riskiest thing that i have done is climb the roof of our warehouse to get some ripe guavas whose trees have risen so high and its branches spreading on the roof. I would be there always after lunch to get a "dessert" .
I stopped climbing the roof, when i accidentally slipped off from the roof and fell into the ground on my butt! Good thing that the ground is with grasses. I didn't suffer any broken bones. However, i was spanked by my father for it, because he was already warning me against it. @Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
Yes, we always like to go against our parents don't we? It's like a dare of some sort. Glad you didn't break any bones.
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
25 Jul 11
Yes, those were our carefree younger days. The more that we are prohibited , the more that we will do.
I landed on my butt, so my butt hurts for many days.
I landed on my butt, so my butt hurts for many days.
@naija4real (1291)
•
23 Jul 11
Climbing a tall pawpaw tree to pluck some ripe pawpaw and then jump down with a very serious injury. I was 12 years old as at that time.I was very hungry the day I tried that dangerous step. I should have look for a ladder to get to the top of the tree. But I wanted a quick way to achieve my desire without my parents, neighbour or anybody knowing it.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
26 Jul 11
A Paw Paw is a Papaya! Most of the world calls the fruit Papaya, but a few countries, Australia being one, call them Paw Paw. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carica_papaya
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
Oh dear..I bet that hurt. I've no idea what a pawpaw is.
@AngelHope2011 (199)
• United States
23 Jul 11
One thing I did that was risky but not dangerous was steal Easter candy from the Family Dollar. It was at the Family Dollar around where I used to live and still live now because I'm with my dad. It wasn't even two hours before I got caught by my cousin and my sister with the candy. They accused me of stealing gum at first and they wanted to see if I had any gum. They searched me by force and they saw that I had stolen Easter candy. If they had covered for me and threw out the Easter candy that I stole, then my mom would've never known about it. Instead, they waited until my mom came back from the store she was in to tell her what I did. I was beaten and grounded for like a few weeks.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
I once ate 3 Creme Eggs, one after another. Not surprisingly, I was sick.
Bought them first though, lol.
@AngelHope2011 (199)
• United States
23 Jul 11
Everyone should also know that the candy I stole that day was marshmallow creme or caramel Easter egg candies. I think they were from Cadbury. Back then, because I didn't celebrate Easter, I never knew what a candy Easter egg tasted like.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
2 Aug 11
riskiest thing?hmm..
probably climbing a 60ft tree.it had plenty of branches,so i really didn't think of it being much of a fall risk..but that was still crazy to do when i think of it now.
was a great view once you were up there tho.
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
23 Jul 11
Hiya Janey,
In our Street nearly at the bottom are a few Garages and a wall enclosure around them.
My Brothers were always climbing up over there to try and get some apples so I always had to go over there and get them back if I could. I would scrape my knees and lower legs as it was that really hard corrugated concrete as well.
It was high and I was very tiny for my age as well but I was strong enough to get up the wall in two or three goes without scraping the front of my Sandals otherwise I would have been if for doing that as well.
How I never got caught I don´t know as I nad to drag the two of them back away from there.
They were nothing but a pest all the time so I could never go and climb the trees in my Friend´s Garden at the back of her House. I did get to sit under them though.
In my Gran´s Garden you could not get to climb up them as they were way too high even the lowest branch was way off the ground.
xxx
I love trees as well.
They used to have a game to see who was the scaredy Cat that would not walk all the way through the Cemtery as most of it was over grown in parts.
Me I walked right the way through it and was never scared either.xxx
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
24 Jul 11
Hiya Janey,
The Cemetery where I used to go through is quite sad really but it has improved and there is a lot of history there as some of the Graves date from the 15th Century.
My oldest Sister was buried there too so I was not afraid.
However there was no Witches Cauldron type of thing either. I was so glad that there was nothing sinister going on over there.xxx
I was so glad that there was nothing sinister going on over there.xxx@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
Haha! I was terrified of our cemetery, even though it looked gorgeous bathed in sunshine at the end of the day.
There used to be a witches covern in there a few years ago. I wasn't in it.
Haha!
1 person likes this
@inertia4 (27960)
• United States
25 Jul 11
Well, I have done a few risky things as a kid. For starters, I grew up as a kid in the 70's, thats when Evel Knievel was popular. I used to jump ramps with my bike and I made the ramps out of wooden planks being held up by only bricks. Now, I would start from down the block and race to the ramp and jump, I almost got killed a few times, but I am still here. The other crazy thing I did was, in front of my house, there are 15 steps. It;s a two family house and the steps are all brownstone. Now I used to jump from the steps. Now picture this, the steps are steep and the gate and fence are iron, the type with the spikes on top. Now, I would start by jumping from the first step and would go up one step each time. Then I finally went to the very top step and jumped out of the gate. I almost got my pants caught on the fence, but again, I am still here.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
25 Jul 11
This must be how stuntmen start! Glad you're still here my friend.
@changjiangzhibin89 (16762)
• China
23 Jul 11
The wall is about 12 foot high,How old were you then? The kids are fond of adventure.What a pity!My parents kept an eye on me all day when I was a child,Because I was the only boy of my family-here ,regarding men as superior to women,hence,to the best of my memory I haven't done any risky things then.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
I guess I would've been about 10, something like that.
@naija4real (1291)
•
24 Jul 11
I think the riskiest thing I did when I was a kid was to climb a very tall tree to pluck some ripe fruit and I almost fell from the tree.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
25 Jul 11
Yes, risky things to climb, trees. This is why I very rarely climbed them lol.
@bouncybug (614)
• South Africa
23 Jul 11
I can't actually believe what a naughty little kid I was when I look back on it now.. Probably one of the riskiest things I ever did was break into this old abandoned church building - it was just around the corner from my house and it was all locked up and deserted. A lot of the windows had been broken in and plenty of homeless people used it to shelter in during the winter, I think. One night a friend and I decided to be naughty and we climbed through the broken windows into the church. It was one of the scariest moments in my life as we climbed in only to see a group of homeless people trying to sleep in all the corners of the building. Luckily they weren't as upset by our intrusion as they could have been, and we ran away and got home safe and sound!
@funboyrule (33)
• United States
22 Jul 11
I nearly jumped into a river that just had a flash flood and was ten feet higher; it would've been fun, at the moment if I survived, until my mother stopped me.
@cupcakes_n_starrs (305)
• United States
23 Jul 11
When I was a kid we lived semi in the country. M best friend and I always pretended like we was at her house but we went deep into the woods to play. We had so many adventures there! One day while chasing after a rabbit we got lost. We finally made it out of the woods but it was in someones yard. They lived in a shack. The cast person jumps off their front porch with a shotgun and starts shooting at us! Horrified we ran back into the woods! We never did go too far into the woods after that out of fear of accidentally coming upon that crazy person again! We never told our parents about the accident either! Who just randomly shoots at little girls anyway?! Guess we were lucky though!
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
Sounds like a lunatic if you ask me..not you but the guy with the shotgun! Lucky escape there my friend!
@MagicalBubbles (5103)
• Canada
22 Jul 11
Sounds like you were afraid to run off in the cemetery lol. When I was a teenager, we had a "disco" in the basement of the church and of course, we would run around the cemetery at night but never done any damages though!!
My riskiest thing: I was about 15-16, a mansion not far from my house caught fire and my friend and I went to see what was going on. We managed to go by all the firemen unseen, to the back of the mansion and we were next to the basement window looking in at all the antiques burning when all of a sudden, we flew into the air, having been grabbed by the collar by a fireman. Seconds after when he put us down, the whole house blew up. We would have been killed!!!
I told mom years later. Today I know I owe my life to that fireman. (too bad I never knew who he was)
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
22 Jul 11
It's one of my dreams for a fireman to give me a fireman's lift lol. He'd have to be VERY big and strong though to lift me. Also, the firemen I've seen lately are small and scrawny, not my idea of a sexy fireman at all!
You were lucky my friend. Glad you're still with us to tell the tale!
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
22 Jul 11
ha ha, you sound like me! As a child I use to climb roofs with all the guys. I was part of the guy groups each day. They would look for me each time they climbed up the roofs to join the fun. I thought to be as active and adventurous as them. I am surprised I never killed myself as I was always up on tall building roofs. Many times I was actually scared out of my wits but thought what the hooey this is fun. The tallest building I remember climbing up on the roof was 3 stories and sometimes because the buildings were sort of close to each other we would jump roof to roof. 
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
22 Jul 11
You'd be called a Base Jumper now..or something and be making a tidy living out of stunts!
@swatibindal4 (10)
• India
23 Jul 11
hi in my childhood i was very naughty i ate phenephthalene balls when my mom was busy in chores i vomitted and she rushed with me to the doctor the doctor examined me and asked my mom is she playing she said yes doc. said take her home her body is adapted to this no problem.also i ate 2 rupees coin and was fine i have a strong digestive system.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Jul 11
That reminds me of the time I ate orange-flavoured asprin when I was about 6 years old. Mum realised something was wrong when she saw the orange stains all round my mouth. I then told her I wasn't feeling very well so was rushed to hospital to have my stomach pumped.
