Things about your childhood that would baffle younger people of today

[mjkacmom]

I don’t think they’d be considered “street smart” in that case, IMO. I think growing up in an urban area has given me a greater appreciation for what the real world is really like instead of living in a bubble where I might believe things are rosier than they are. The fact is there are predators everywhere not just in high crime areas. Safety & awareness has nothing to do with independence. We were very independent even if we weren’t allowed to be “miles away” without anyone knowing where we were. I’d argue living in an urban area taught us street smarts for sure. As far as moving, I live in a safe area. I just know where to stay away from & when. I’m sure many ppl like their hometown, but I’m from NOLA. For many of us (and for many generations), being a New Orleanian is who we are. It will have to get really bad before we move. And, I don’t think it’s unlike any other urban area. Imo, growing up in a small town is a very different experience.

I say small town tongue in cheek, it’s 28,000, 3 miles, around the corner from Newark, Paterson, Passaic NJ, certainly not Mayberry.

 

[LSUmiss]

I guess there are parents that won’t let the child swim in the ocean, might get eaten by a shark. Cross the street. Swim in a lake or pool. Ride a bike. Especially with out a helmet. Can they walk outside in a thunder storm. Drive at 16. You keep saying some of us were in danger. How do you know? We were on our bikes up to 20 miles away often. Bus to amusement parks alone at 8 years old. Were out of the house most of the day. There were hundreds of us and no one was kidnapped or harmed. Oh we got yelled at too, by other parents and even adults we didn’t know. Now parents won’t let a child alone out to play. The rate of obduction must be lower than lightning stikes and shark bites combined. I feel bad for children raised in the last 25 years. Mine included. Oh, we even swam in pools lakes and rivers with no supervision.

Things have changed I agree so it does depend on when & where you were, of course. My parents did some of those things too. But, by the time we were kids, some of those things were no longer safe (in our area at least). We all tend to look back on “our time” with fondness as if it were better. And, some things were, but many changes came about b/c of tragedies and awareness (e.g. sitting on the floor of the backseat of a car as a pp mentioned). Things like this changed b/c of ppl being killed or seriously injured. As a society we got smarter & technology got better & we realized this was a stupid idea. If ppl want to let their kids still do things like this despite clear evidence of how dangerous they are, more power to them, but that’s not a chance I’ll take with my child’s life.

 

[Disneylover99]

Oh, and I used to buy cigarettes for my Dad as well....at a corner store where we had a tab that my father settled once a week. We used to buy penny candy on the honor system, too. We'd get a tiny brown bag, fill it ourselves, and tell the clerk or owner how many cents we owed them. The candy was behind the counter and they were all incredibly patient about having 4 or 5 of us behind this tiny counter with them carrying on and making our major life-changing decisions about what candy we would buy.

That reminds me....when we were about 9 or 10, we used to buy packs of cigarettes and fries with gravy for our teachers at lunch back in the 70’s. There was a convenience store and greasy spoon right next to our school. The staff room always had a cloud of smoke coming out of it.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Well that’s a minuscule chance I’m not willing to take with my kid & my parents didn’t take with me or my friends. Perhaps it’s also b/c I have always lived in an urban area too. Off topic, but rates of SIDS are relatively low too, all things considered, but ppl still out their babies to sleep on their backs to be safe b/c it’s not a chance anyone wants to take. Home invasions are rare, but most ppl look their doors. The list goes on. Some ppl were lucky back then & didn’t recognize the danger not b/c there wasn’t any.

I think you're overstating this a bit. Yeah, we roamed unsupervised a lot. but we were in groups and knew to be aware of our situation. The odds of a child being kidnapped are 1 in 300,000. Odds of choking to death are 1 in 3,400. Odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 103. Do you avoid eating or driving? Of course not, you make yourself as safe as you can but you still take that chance each day. Teach kids their name, address, and phone #, warn them about dangerous situations and how to get help, and teach them about safety in # s and they will most likely be ok. I grew up in poor urban areas too. Not New Orleans, but not Pleasant Valley Sunday either. We were fine.

 

[LSUmiss]

I think you're overstating this a bit. Yeah, we roamed unsupervised a lot. but we were in groups and knew to be aware of our situation. The odds of a child being kidnapped are 1 in 300,000. Odds of choking to death are 1 in 3,400. Odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 103. Do you avoid eating or driving? Of course not, you make yourself as safe as you can but you still take that chance each day. Teach kids their name, address, and phone #, warn them about dangerous situations and how to get help, and teach them about safety in # s and they will most likely be ok. I grew up in poor urban areas too. Not New Orleans, but not Pleasant Valley Sunday either. We were fine.

I can agree with most of this, but being “20 miles away” & no one knows where you are as the pp mentioned it not being as safe as possible IMO. Being in the neighborhood & someone knows where you are is a compromise to this & what we were allowed to do. In this area, you would have to navigate some major city (not pedestrian or bike friendly) highways & interstate just to get that far.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can agree with most of this, but being “20 miles away” & no one knows where you are as the pp mentioned it not being as safe as possible IMO. Being in the neighborhood & someone knows where you are is a compromise to this & what we were allowed to do. In this area, you would have to navigate some major city (not pedestrian or bike friendly) highways & interstate just to get that far.

We weren't 20miles away but my mom didn't necessarily know where I was 24/7.

When my friends and I would ride bikes we would go to each other's houses, we would go to parks and on trails, we would even bike to the animal shelter located near one of the parks we would go to. Some of those parks you would cross busy intersections and be along busy roads to get there. Now if we planned to go to the parks we would tell my mom and I def. remember calling my mom on the park's payphone to ask if I could stay out later (as the rule was by dinner/dark time) but we didn't always know. I would usually just say "I'm going out with so and so be back by dinnertime".

I don't presently have a dog in this fight but I do know there's a lot more pressure nowadays to know exactly where your kids are at all times because of cell phones and tracking devices for cars. I do think people's perception is aided by the ability to have instaneous information. There was no way to contact me when I was out and about with friends, nowadays there is.

 

[barkley]

girls not being permitted to wear pants to school (public-did not change until i was in 2nd or 3rd grade)

'school clothes' vs. 'play clothes', 'school shoes' vs 'play shoes' (you changed into both when you got home from school)

no school supply lists until jr. high (schools supplied everything)

no backpacks for school (don't remember these being around much before high school-and they were expensive so not many people had them)

mass absences from schools every chicken pox and measles seasons (teachers lesson planned around it)

raising your hand for the hot lunch count in elementary (food cooked fresh/from scratch-they had to have a count of how many to prepare)
along the same line-pizza, hot dogs, corn dogs, burgers were offered maybe each once per quarter as a 'special hot lunch'

male vs. female required high school classes-home ec vs. wood shop. if a female showed a propensity/inclination to be employed after graduation they went into 'business classes'-stenography, typing (rarely was a guy in typing-if it was needed for his future career he would have a secretary to do it). WAY MORE males vs females in higher level math/science classes

summer school-idealy when you took drivers ed/drivers training (free) but you could also take almost any class offered during the regular school year in a much more condensed form (whack out those classes so you could take more fun electives during the school year)

no such thing as 'happy meals' (hard to believe but they didn't come out till i was in college-1979), no mcnuggets (1983)
wendy's served baked apples (sooooooooooooo miss these)

getting tax forms at the library or post office that you filled out by hand

mail delivery twice per day (at your door, none of those clustered boxes except at apartments)

antibiotics for every illness (minor sore throat-penicillin, minor ear ache-penicillin...)

 

[lovesmurfs]

Having to go to blockbusters if you wanted to watch a movie.

You mean GETTING to go to Blockbuster. This was my kids' childhood -- it was a great Friday night when we got take out and each got to pick a movie.

...that you had to rewind.

My childhood? Hearing a busy signal when you tried to DIAL a friend.

 

[LSUmiss]

We weren't 20miles away but my mom didn't necessarily know where I was 24/7.

When my friends and I would ride bikes we would go to each other's houses, we would go to parks and on trails, we would even bike to the animal shelter located near one of the parks we would go to. Some of those parks you would cross busy intersections and be along busy roads to get there. Now if we planned to go to the parks we would tell my mom and I def. remember calling my mom on the park's payphone to ask if I could stay out later (as the rule was by dinner/dark time) but we didn't always know. I would usually just say "I'm going out with so and so be back by dinnertime".

I don't presently have a dog in this fight but I do know there's a lot more pressure nowadays to know exactly where your kids are at all times because of cell phones and tracking devices for cars. I do think people's perception is aided by the ability to have instaneous information. There was no way to contact me when I was out and about with friends, nowadays there is.

I agree, but we have those capabilities so why not use them? As an adult, someone usually knows round about where I am most of the time so I would definitely expect that of DS. That doesn’t in anyway prohibit me or anyone else from being independent or enjoying life so I don’t see the harm in doing it. We did those things then b/c we didn’t have any other choice.

And I’m talking about crossing a major hwy or road occasionally. Here to get that far, you would need to ride a bike actually on the interstate or major expressway.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree, but we have those capabilities so why not use them? As an adult, someone usually knows round about where I am most of the time so I would definitely expect that of DS. That doesn’t in anyway prohibit me or anyone else from being independent or enjoying life so I don’t see the harm in doing it. We did those things then b/c we didn’t have any other choice.

And I’m talking about crossing a major hwy or road occasionally. Here to get that far, you would need to ride a bike actually on the interstate or major expressway.

Well I didn't say anything about using or not using but on that note there is such a thing as using it too much.

Having that access has for sure made some people feel like they have to know where their kids are 24/7 despite the fact that before there wasn't a way to do that. My mom's neighborhood and surrounding areas isn't any more dangerous than it was back when I was growing up. But no doubt because of the cell phones and whatnot walking out the door for some parents means you need to tell me exactly where you're going, what you're doing, the timing of everything, etc.

And as an adult people don't know where I am. I don't give my husband a play by play of what stores I'm going to, my ETA and whatnot. If I'm going out to go shopping I say "I'm going shopping be back in a while". Sometimes I'll tell him that I might go to so and so place (as sometimes he wants to go) but I def. don't keep up with him. If I'm going to multiple places with no real common theme I'll say "I'm running errands". When I get together with my best friend and have dinner I never tell my husband where we're going, what we're doing or when I'll be home. He knows I'm eating dinner with her and likely going to random places afterwards. He doesn't know where and the times. Half the time I forget to even text him when I'm headed home lol. But the cell phone has allowed more instaneous communication and sometimes it's used between my husband and I but most of the time it's generic information being shared. The one and only time that I request my husband keep in contact with me is when he's flying for work. When he does that I do request he let me know when he boarded the plane and when he landed. Now back in the payphone area you wouldn't have been able to notify when boarding the plane but you could have when you landed.

 

[lifesavacation]

There is a really funny video on YouTube of a father challenging his teenage sons to use a rotary dial telephone. No spoiler.

That video is hilarious.

Using encyclopedias for research.

Laying in backseat of car to sleep while parents drove. Or sitting in mom's lap in front seat. Or sitting between mom and dad in front seat. No AC, no electric locks or windows. A car with 2 doors (having to fold up seat to climb in back). With an 8 track.

I have this really awesome bald spot on the top of my head from a scar I got when I hit the windshield back in the day. I was sitting on my mom's lap and we got into an accident.

 

[crazylady]

Cameras with film and having to wait to see your pictures - tried to explain this concept to my oldest a few years ago, he just couldn't grasp it.

I found a new role of film the other day so I cracked it open to show the kids. They thought I was weird.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Delicious school lunches

 

[mamacatnv]

When I was in 7th grade, my brother in 8th grade - Our wing-nut parents left us home alone for a month. Yes, a month. They clipped some cash to the bulletin board and departed. We had to rely on neighbors for a ride to the grocery store.

My Dad worked for a Union, he was on strike so they went to another City 700 miles away where my Dad could work for my Uncle.
My Grandmother was ill at the time so Mother went along as Grandmother lived in same city as Uncle.
I remember they gave us about 12 hours notice that they were coming home and we skipped school to clean the house.

Looking back, I have no idea why everyone around us thought this was ok.

 

[Squirlz]

Riding our bikes around with our rifles or shotguns slung over our shoulders.

 

[dish rag]

Riding our bikes around with our rifles or shotguns slung over our shoulders.

Yes we did that too. Even walked down the township farm roads when older with AR15’s and the police would wave at us. Guys took 30:06’s to school to go deer hunting after.

 

[disykat]

Girls only being allowed to wear pants to school on "tumbling days."

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

They'd pull the fire alarm if they saw the smoke coming out of the teachers lounge that we did.

 

[barkley]

smoker's sections for the STUDENTS in high school.

 

[dyna]

Lunches actually cooked at school.

No handicapped ramps anywhere.

After I was married very early 80's we had an intelevision game system I remember a car racing game 1 car was re other blue an because they did not have the know how yet to split the screen if winner got to far ahead of loser winners car would stop till loosers car caught up.