6 ms·

What about the theory that they're a good place for children to play outside?

Johnnybe 10y ago
This is what I came to say. My children love playing on our large lawn. I consider them lucky given the number of dirt (drought resistant) parks these days.
- skyrw 10y ago
  False. If HN has taught me anything it's that we should all be living in energy neutral cube farms while drinking soylent. Any free time should be spent learning how to code. Your lawn is frivolous.
analog31 10y ago
Depending on the climate where you live (and the tolerance of your neighbors), you can scale way back on maintenance, and still have a lawn that's good enough for kids and pets. My family lives in central Wisconsin, and our neighbors are OK with us having a crappy lawn. We don't fertilize or water it. (Fertilizer increases the water demand, water increases the need for mowing). It's full of weeds. Kids can run around on weeds. It only requires a handful of mowings every year, then it goes dormant unless there are unusual amounts of rain (like this year). By late July, the grass has stopped growing, and it's only weeds, which I can control with a manual "weed whip." For better or worse, the weeds are drought resistant. So I doubt the contention that my lawn requires water, fertilizer, or even weekly mowing. As the kids have gotten older, the need for an extensive backyard has diminished, and I'm gradually turning more of it over to the vegetable garden every year.
- swiley 10y ago
  This whole thread I thought this is what people meant by "lawn" because I live in a rural place where this is very normal. I thought everyone was really whiny because it really doesn't take /that/ much work to maintain a yard like this. I honestly don't understand why it's so uncommon.
  - xlxlxlx 10y ago
    Where I grew up in the US you'd literally get fined if your lawn wasn't neatly trimmed grass. It's absurd. Here's where you can report my parents if they slip up on their lawn game for a few weeks: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/inspections/report/inspections_report-long-grass-weeds http://www.minneapolismn.gov/inspections/report/inspections_...
  - douche 10y ago
    The concept of expending any effort on the lawn beyond mowing it when it starts to get too high (think knee-high...) is baffling to me. The only times I've ever seeded anything is once after clearing a section of woods, and another time when we plowed and harrowed a field and put in clover special. Grass is just something that grows on its own, mixed in with dandelions and clover and other stuff. If it gets dry and the grass dies, congratulations! now you get a break from having to mow it as much this summer.
mikeash 10y ago
How many of those 40 million acres of lawn regularly have children playing on them?
- koluft 10y ago
  None, because the lawn owners are sitting out and yelling at the kids to get off.
kasey_junk 10y ago
Are they better than shared use spaces that are better utilized & thus much more efficient?
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
paulddraper 10y ago
Children are a soul-crushing timesuck and most of us would be better off without.
- mentat 10y ago
  Modern consumer culture's real message. Spend time and money on entertainment, not on children.
sndean 10y ago
Growing up, at least for me, the woods were a much more entertaining place. I gotta think all of those lawns are replacing a lot of trees which could've been climbed.

This is what I came to say. My children love playing on our large lawn. I consider them lucky given the number of dirt (drought resistant) parks these days.

skyrw 10y ago
False. If HN has taught me anything it's that we should all be living in energy neutral cube farms while drinking soylent. Any free time should be spent learning how to code. Your lawn is frivolous.

analog31 10y ago

Depending on the climate where you live (and the tolerance of your neighbors), you can scale way back on maintenance, and still have a lawn that's good enough for kids and pets. My family lives in central Wisconsin, and our neighbors are OK with us having a crappy lawn. We don't fertilize or water it. (Fertilizer increases the water demand, water increases the need for mowing). It's full of weeds. Kids can run around on weeds. It only requires a handful of mowings every year, then it goes dormant unless there are unusual amounts of rain (like this year). By late July, the grass has stopped growing, and it's only weeds, which I can control with a manual "weed whip." For better or worse, the weeds are drought resistant. So I doubt the contention that my lawn requires water, fertilizer, or even weekly mowing. As the kids have gotten older, the need for an extensive backyard has diminished, and I'm gradually turning more of it over to the vegetable garden every year.

swiley 10y ago
This whole thread I thought this is what people meant by "lawn" because I live in a rural place where this is very normal. I thought everyone was really whiny because it really doesn't take /that/ much work to maintain a yard like this. I honestly don't understand why it's so uncommon.
- xlxlxlx 10y ago
  Where I grew up in the US you'd literally get fined if your lawn wasn't neatly trimmed grass. It's absurd. Here's where you can report my parents if they slip up on their lawn game for a few weeks: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/inspections/report/inspections_report-long-grass-weeds http://www.minneapolismn.gov/inspections/report/inspections_...
- douche 10y ago
  The concept of expending any effort on the lawn beyond mowing it when it starts to get too high (think knee-high...) is baffling to me. The only times I've ever seeded anything is once after clearing a section of woods, and another time when we plowed and harrowed a field and put in clover special. Grass is just something that grows on its own, mixed in with dandelions and clover and other stuff. If it gets dry and the grass dies, congratulations! now you get a break from having to mow it as much this summer.

mikeash 10y ago

How many of those 40 million acres of lawn regularly have children playing on them?

koluft 10y ago
None, because the lawn owners are sitting out and yelling at the kids to get off.

kasey_junk 10y ago

Are they better than shared use spaces that are better utilized & thus much more efficient?

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

paulddraper 10y ago

Children are a soul-crushing timesuck and most of us would be better off without.

mentat 10y ago
Modern consumer culture's real message. Spend time and money on entertainment, not on children.

sndean 10y ago

Growing up, at least for me, the woods were a much more entertaining place. I gotta think all of those lawns are replacing a lot of trees which could've been climbed.