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Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

theatlantic.com

21–30 of 166 posts

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#21
Loved large wheeled vehicles when I was a child. Made buses out of toothpaste cartons and toothpicks and buttons with my grandma.

Loved to go by the train station to wave at the train. Pretty sure it's all just that they move and are big machines. Didn't take much. We lived out in the country in a different nation where big garbage trucks didn't exist.

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#22
post #8
post #2

I actually wanted to be a garbage truck driver when I was little. I think it was the power to crush stuff that really stirred my imagination. The smell never really bothered me much and I figured that you would get used to it anyway. The dirty never bother me much either; I was constantly playing in our neighbors backyard that we called the dirt-hole. Yup, garbage man was almost the perfect job. Instead, my love for…

I've been thinking about being a garbage man (not the truck driver) for one day a week. Physical work, outside, and it seems your mind could subconsciously work on the big problems in the rest of your life while doing it.

I think there are companies offering controlling-excavators-as-an-attraction (or the always creative team-building), maybe there is also a market for this?

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#24
post #11
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been thinking about being a garbage man (not the truck driver) for one day a week. Physical work, outside, and it seems your mind could subconsciously work on the big problems in the rest of your life while doing it.

Everybody hates a tourist.

I think the world would be a better place if we all took a few days on the shitty jobs.

I spent a few years doing a few days dev and a few days labouring, wading in waist deep water planting out wetlands:

https://www.australianecosystems.com.au/wetland-construction...

It wasn't easy to juggle, and taking phone calls in the swamp about dns config and database connection strings was awkward.

In the early days, everyone was part time, once the company was better established, i was a tourist in a full time crew and it didn't mesh

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#25
This is fun. I grew up on the other side of the world (albeit a "western" culture), and was also amazed by garbage trucks from the day I remember. The whole lift/squash mechanism, their bright orange color (in our parts), the ease by which they lift the containers, the colored control lights/buttons on the side which the cleaners use to operate the lift, the blinkers. And made funny noises. It was something straight out of the toy shop, in full size! I wanted to be a waste collector when I grow up. My parents were keen to make fun of me because of that once I enrolled in PhD studies.

Same goes for fire trucks, I had multiple fire engine toys. But a fire truck is a rare thing to see in action in person, so I guess that's why it was easier to relate to the loud trashcan on wheels :-) .

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#26
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you perhaps discounting the societal influences pushing your kids towards their respective interests? If they view any amount of advertising or interact with other children who do, for example, they could already have ideas about what is "appropriate" for them to like.

My girl was 9months when sh started acrively pushing for bracelets, fancy hats, etc. I took her to a bike shop, an she immediately went for the pink Helmet with stars. We dressed her in neutral cloths (second hand), we dont have a TV. Her mother does not wear juwlery or makeup. To us this appears innate.

That is such a bigoted statement. Impeach now.

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#27
post #25

This is fun. I grew up on the other side of the world (albeit a "western" culture), and was also amazed by garbage trucks from the day I remember. The whole lift/squash mechanism, their bright orange color (in our parts), the ease by which they lift the containers, the colored control lights/buttons on the side which the cleaners use to operate the lift, the blinkers. And made funny noises. It was something straight…

It's a bit unnerving how much this resembles my own experience. Never got that PhD though, stuck with a Masters :)

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#28
post #25

This is fun. I grew up on the other side of the world (albeit a "western" culture), and was also amazed by garbage trucks from the day I remember. The whole lift/squash mechanism, their bright orange color (in our parts), the ease by which they lift the containers, the colored control lights/buttons on the side which the cleaners use to operate the lift, the blinkers. And made funny noises. It was something straight…

It's a bit unnerving how much this resembles my own experience. Never got that PhD though, stuck with a Masters :)

Don't worry, I dropped out from it :D . My mom said:"So, you actually might become a garbageman at the end". Slavic parents...

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#29
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you perhaps discounting the societal influences pushing your kids towards their respective interests? If they view any amount of advertising or interact with other children who do, for example, they could already have ideas about what is "appropriate" for them to like.

My girl was 9months when sh started acrively pushing for bracelets, fancy hats, etc. I took her to a bike shop, an she immediately went for the pink Helmet with stars. We dressed her in neutral cloths (second hand), we dont have a TV. Her mother does not wear juwlery or makeup. To us this appears innate.

Unless your daughter never met with other kids or other adults, it's seems hard to say there's been no bias.

Re: Why Kids Love Garbage Trucks

#30
post #8
post #2

I actually wanted to be a garbage truck driver when I was little. I think it was the power to crush stuff that really stirred my imagination. The smell never really bothered me much and I figured that you would get used to it anyway. The dirty never bother me much either; I was constantly playing in our neighbors backyard that we called the dirt-hole. Yup, garbage man was almost the perfect job. Instead, my love for…

I've been thinking about being a garbage man (not the truck driver) for one day a week. Physical work, outside, and it seems your mind could subconsciously work on the big problems in the rest of your life while doing it.

I’ve a few jobs around the house here if you’re looking for something to do ...
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