Snowballs

[Seabird]

When i was younger i had some great snowball fights,but we never threw snowballs at vehicles and never threw them at any person not involved in the snowball fight.(not deliberately,we may have hit the odd person accidently)
Today i watched 10 teenagers in a school field throwing snowballs at vehicles passing on the main road and at any person who came within range.
These practices are very dangerous and i think schools and parents and the police are failing to control this attitude that children have of total disrespect for other peoples right to go about the street without being assaulted with snowballs,and running the risk of a vehicle accident.
I feel like confronting the culprits but i know the outcome would not be nice. ( i have a very short fuse)
Children today can talk to you any way they like and they know you can do nothing about it.
What are the children of today going to turn into tomorrow?.....its a depressing thought.

[Fifi]

Seabird, sadly what you say is true. I have relatives who live near Wick High School and have seen a gang deliberately targeting passersby, cars and motorbike/scooters. I believe that if you complain to the school they will offer you a video camera so you can tape the offenders! However, that is just putting pressure on the 'victims' of this and I don't think there is any follow up action taken.

Did anyone see that 'Driving Mum and Dad Mad' programme on ITV last night? It was a right eye-opener as it just proved that it's the parent's behaviour that 'makes' the kids the way they are. Maybe it's time that the school/PTA or whatever got the parents in for education in how to respect others!

[spiggie]

I myself was driving past the high school yesterday at lunch time and got about ten snowbals thrown at my car windows, i thought they were going to smash through they were thrown that hard. I was furious, i really felt like going into the school and complaining but i know absolutley nothing would have been done about it!!

[trinkie]

Are the children not supposed to be supervised whilst on School Premises ?

worth looking into .
The Staff would like to know what the youngsters are getting up to.

[cullbucket]

Never mind passing motorists, teachers cars were being hit by snowballs when I was at thurso high school 20 years ago. I remember one of my classmates hit Mr Maine the maths teachers car, (outside of school mind you...) he got spotted and the next day was leathered with the tweeger....
...So i don't think its a new phenomena, maybe they are now just throwing them harder, with more intent to cause damage rather than before....
Or it could be they are fed up with their 37p school lunches - can you believe that Jamie Oliver programme?

[Rheghead]

Aww, come on all you Victor Meldrews!! Kids will be kids, if you get hit throw one back and put on a smile!

[~~Tides~~]

Anyone driving past Wick High at lunchtimes must have a death wish anyway.

[Seabird]

Last year Taxi driver crashed after his car was pelted with snowballs.
13 year old boy taken to hospital after being kicked about the head when someone took exception to being pelted with snowballs Daily Mirror page15 today (24/2/05)
I'm sure there are lots of violent reactions to this sort of so called fun that we dont hear about.
Assault is assault and is no fun when you are on the receiving end.
The idea of throwing snowballs back sounds o.k until you consider the possible consequences.
1. You miss and hit someone who comes over and kicks you around the head.
2. You hit your target in the face and he complains to his parents. he swears he was not throwing snowballs and you end up in court charged with assault.
3. The snowball hits a child in the eye and he goes blind, you end up charged with assault
and end up paying compensation.
4. Large group of lads dont like a taste of their own medicine and come over and give you a good kicking and put you in the hospital, then you are charged with assault for starting the problem.
5. You get involved throwing snowball back at lads (or girls) across a main road, car is hit
car crashes mowing down pedestians, worst outcome, people are killed.
What you seem to have forgotten Rheghead is the fact that Adults are held accountable for their actions and should know better. (Every action has a consequence) adults need to consider what the cosequences are before they take the action It' about time children learned that fact as well.

[2little2late]

I agree 100% with seabird.

[squidge]

adults need to consider what the cosequences are before they take the action It' about time children learned that fact as well.

Children dont think about the consequences of their actions cos they are children. When they begin to think about the consequences of their actions they are on their way to being adults and this isnt likely to be until their mid teens at the earliest.

This conversation is about snowball fights right? They arent battering each other with sticks or throwing around petrol bombs or pulling guns on each other - we are talking about snowballs right?

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill

[2little2late]

This conversation is about snowball fights right? They arent battering each other with sticks or throwing around petrol bombs or pulling guns on each other - we are talking about snowballs right?

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill

Which takes us back to what seabird said in his previous post.

[squidge]

.
The Staff would like to know what the youngsters are getting up to.

OH MY GOD!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

They are (whispers in a horrified fashion)

Throwing snowballs

[evelyn]

Last winter a snowball hit my windscreen as I was driving past the school. I could not have believed the impact one snowball could make. It almost put me off the road....and considering the way all the kids walk out in front of the traffic, it could have ended up in someone being injured. I telephoned the school once I arrived at work and the depute rector was most sympathetic and spoke to the kids involved.
A similar incident happened to my mother and the kids were made to write her an apology.
It is worth complaining.

[squidge]

Its still snowballs

If it was a brick you would have gone off the road.

Kids throw snowballs you must take care where they are playing for that reason. Evelyn probably did and thats how she didnt go off the road

[evelyn]

Can I just say Squidge , that I like you would have scoffed, and did, until it actually happened to myself. I had no idea how frightening a sudden thump and a blanked out windscreen could have been. I reckon if I had been an elderly person with a heart condition I may have taken ill after the shock. In fact I felt physically sick with fright and my heart rate must have doubled.
It may 'only ' be snowballs but the kids need to be aware of the consequences of their actions......MY KIDS HAVE BEEN WARNED!

[girnigoe]

Last winter I was driving down George Street towards High Street and there were a group of boys standing at the top of Kirk Hill. They threw an ICY snowball at my car and it hit the roof! I was VERY lucky there were no cars in my vacinity as I would definetly of crashed as I lost control momentarily!! I didnt know what had happened at first but when I got out to investigate the boys ran away.

I was left with a huge dent in the roof of my car!!!

Im all for a good snowball fight but in the right place at the right time!!

[spiggie]

Squidge, you tend to think that it is nice little children throwing nice little soft snowballs at eachother right...? wrong they are teenagers and old enough to know that throwing hard icy snowballs at passing motorists could have bad consequences, as seabird has listed!!

Its bad enough trying to dodge them when passing the school anyways never mind trying to dodge ice balls aswel!

[brandy]

ok they are just snowballs right? so tell me does that make it ok to pelt a woman 7 1/2 months pregnant?
and before you start saying no one ever did that like was said last time.. yes it did.. because it was me that was pelted.. was down at safeways.. and was a group of teenage boys throwing them at any passerby .. didnt matter if they were old or young!
and yes ive been in the taxi's with MY children.. who are babies.. and have had snowballs thrown.. and nearly driven off the road at the harbour.. so you tell me what is it going to take.. someone getting hurt or killed.. luckily i dint fall when i was pelted at safeways but it was a close thing.. so yes i think something should be done.. there are lines and they have been well crossed.. so something has to be done.. before there is more than just cars swerving and people trying to advoid children.. come on .. whats it come to when people advoid children in the fear they are going to be hurt? one night my husband and i were down the town a couple years back.. coming back from dinner ... and there was a old mannie who was obviously worse for drink.. a group of about 10 16ish boys were litterly attacking him with hard packed snow balls and shouting abuse chasing him.. he was doing his level best to get away from them.. and i can attest he never did or said anything to them.. i shouted at the boys.. and told them to leave off but what could we do a heavily pregnant woman and one man? got out the fone to call the police but of course as soon as they saw that they were off... fto torment someone else

[squidge]

ok ok ok I stand corrected

I still cant get worked up about snowballs though folks sorry

[Rheghead]

My opinion of all the posts so far argue against the reckless and irresponsible youths who don't give a damn about other people rather than the arguements against snowballing in general.

Snowballing is great fun and I used to look forward to getting anyone off guard. Quite frankly snowballing is not the problem. Yes, i agree ice throwing and snowballs with stones in them is terrible, but the people that do this would have no hessitation in throwing a brick either.