Things Were Different Back Then
Today, children are under the constant watchful eyes of their parents. Their every move and every decision is monitored and controlled by Mom and Dad. It makes you long for a safer time when children didn't just have more fun, they had more autonomy. Here are a few things children could do in the 60s and 70s that they can't today.
Walking Alone to School
Don’t we all miss the days when seven-year-olds could safely walk to school without the threat of being hurt? Back in the day, complex school safety protocols were completely unnecessary. Parents trusted their children to bundle up and get to and from school safely on their own.
Riding Bikes Across Town Without Checking in
Who else remembers feeling all grown up as you cruised through your town on your little bicycle, doing a small grocery run for your mom? Without smartphones (or even telephones for that matter), children could spend hours with their bicycle gangs cruising across town.
Playing Outside Until Dark
This one is important because not playing outside is affecting the health of kids growing up today. In the 60s and 70s, playing outside wasn’t a choice; it was the norm. If you were growing up back then, you spent all your time after school playing with your neighbourhood friends.
Drinking Straight From the Garden Hose
Like most things, water back in the day was also less polluted. Taking a sip from the hose while you helped Mom with the gardening was no big deal. Today, however, that same garden water can become ground zero for a stomach flu epidemic quickly.
Climbing Trees Without Supervision
There is a reason that the average height of children and adolescents has plateaued since the 2000s. Up until even the early 90s, children routinely spent their time outdoors climbing trees and running through yards without having parents hovering over them. This gave them the movement and exercise they needed to develop well.
Staying Home Alone for Hours
Without any baby monitors! If Dad was at work and Mom had a book club meeting, guess what? You spent your time alone at home after school, and your parents were not sued for negligence.
Making Their Own Snacks and Meals
This was so important in teaching children how to become independent as adults. Learning to cook and feed yourself is one of the most important skills that everyone should know. In the 60s and 70s, no one fussed over children making sandwiches and jello for themselves.
Exploring the Wilderness
And no, this does not mean roaming alone in the forests, but children did have the autonomy to explore the woods, fields, creeks, and railway tracks near their homes. These were a natural way to satisfy your inquisitiveness and learn more about how the world works.
Hitching a Ride With Friends and Neighbours
Where did our community spirit go? There are many among us who remember a time when friends and neighbours looked out for ALL the children of the community, not just their own. Today, the concept of community trust is almost non-existent.
Visiting Friends Without Calling Ahead
You know something’s wrong when play dates need to be scheduled like corporate meetings. This just was not a concern for someone who grew up in the 60s. You could just show up at a friend’s house, and their doors would be open for you to hang out.
Babysitting Younger Siblings
If you are the eldest child in a large suburban family, you can bet that you will be babysitting your brothers and sisters often (and you couldn’t fuss about it)/ while this sometimes meant that older children had to cancel their personal plans, it also developed a familial love and bond that is rare to see now-a-days.
Roaming Around Malls Unsupervised
Just like woods and creeks, you could go about exploring malls and downtown areas alone. Unlike now, back then, such public commercial spaces were safe for children to roam in.
Watching Adult TV Shows With the Family
Censorship today has made children’s television a bland, uninteresting hellscape, but this wasn’t the case in the golden days of TV. Children sat and watched the same shows as their parents without complaints, and explaining (or not) the adult themes was the sole decision of the parents.
Using Real Tools to Build Forts and Treehouses
Babyproofing the house, safety scissors, and foam pads were a rare thing back then. Parents believed in teaching their children to use real tools to make treehouses and forts to play in. In case they got hurt, they learned a lesson in safety and responsibility.
Buying Candy or Soda Without Parental Limits
Yes, this might not be the best thing for their health but children then learnt how to save, share and ration out their supplies. Today's parenting rules like only one candy bar a week only makes children more stubborn and unyielding.
Checking in Using Public Payphones
Back in the day, not every eleven-year-old walked around with an iPhone. If they went out alone with their friends, it was their responsibility to check in every few hours using a payphone (or face the consequences if they didn’t).
Trick-O-Treating Without a Parent
Halloween was just more fun when you could go around the neighbourhood with just your friends. It was a night full of fun, shenanigans, and hard-won friendships. Now, trick-or-treating is more for the parents than the children, who hardly even know the kids who stay on their block.
Going Swimming Without a Lifeguard
Whether at the beach or the public pool, there wasn’t constant supervision to keep kids in line. In such a situation, children learned to assess water conditions, understand their own abilities, and make decisions about how to swim.
Spending Their Allowance How THEY Want
This might seem like a small thing but, having the independence and the autonomy to use their allowance in any way they like made children feel capable, responsible and even proud of themselves. It was also a good way to teach your children how to make wise financial decisions.
Riding in Cars Without Seat Belts
Now-a-days, most states require car seats until a child is five-years-old, after which, they are required to wear seat belts at all times. This is in stark contrast to the 60s when children routinely rode in their parent’s cars in the front and even without any seat belts.
Sitting in the Front Seat
According to current Federal guidelines, children under thirteen should not travel in the front seat of the car. However, back in the day, seeing a child (or even many children) riding in the front seat while their mother drove to and from the grocery store wasn’t uncommon.
Taking Public Buses Alone
Public transport overall has become less safe over time, with about 72,000 transit crimes reported in the U.S. annually. Parents understandably feel less secure letting their children take public buses alone. This makes us all long for a time when watching children ride about the city safely on their own was not uncommon.
Handling Money and Making Small Purchases
If your mom ran out of butter mid-way through a baking session, chances are you were the one to pop down to the grocery store to pick some up. This was necessary because ordering food and groceries online wasn’t a thing back then. It was also a great way to teach children to handle money responsibly.
Visiting the Corner Store on Their Own
Whether it was to buy candy for themselves or groceries for the home, children often went to the corner store on their own. For some, it was a daily ritual to stop by and pick up a few snacks on their way home from school.
Playing in Mixed Age Groups
Not just playing but also learning from older kids and, in turn, teaching kids younger than yourself was a common thing. It was a great way to build a sense of belonging and community and find friends and role models you can look up to all your whole life.
Using Fireworks
Oh, the days when fireworks weren’t so heavily regulated! They weren’t just a thing at Fourth of July parties; they were wheeled out for any special occasion.
Playing Contact Sports Without Much Gear
Football didn’t become the biggest sport in the country because children “played it safe”. Roughing up and getting hurt while playing was just a part of childhood that everyone went through. It taught you how to be resilient and not give up.
Packing Their Own School Lunches
Ok, maybe not for the younger kids but once you were in Middle School, packing and remembering to take your own lunch was your own responsibility. Children today need to be waited on hand and foot by their parents when it come to even these basic chores.
Watching Younger Kids in the Neighbourhood
Babysitting for Mrs. Addams was not a “job”; it was just something you did as a part of the community. Children understood that they had to look out for all the kids in the neighbourhood, just like they looked out for their own siblings.
Being Bored Without Trying to “fix It”
No IPads, no laptops, no phones. If you were bored, it was just a part of life you had to deal with. Kids today have become addicted to their screens, making them less patient and attentive.
