8 Things Parents Did in the 50's & 60's They Could Never Do Today

I'm hoping this post will will be a little diversion from all the anxious-ness going on right now. Plus, it will give you a little walk down memory lane!

I came across an article several months ago. It got me to thinking. I miss a lot about the good ol' days. But there are some things you just can't do these days. In a way, I'm sad about that. Some things were not good ideas to begin with.

1. Letting kids play after dark.
When we were really little, we had to be in by dark. Also, we had to be close enough that we could hear our parents calling us from our house. When I think about that now, it's seems a little weird that our parents would step outside the door and call our names at the top of their lungs. If you didn't hear them, you could count on your friends to pass the word. And you better head home lickety split. When we got older, we were allowed to play outside way past dark.

2. Sending your kids to the store with a note.
That was the time of little neighborhood markets. When I was 2 years old---yes, 2 (mom said I had to grow up fast with Ronnie being one and the twins being newborns---we were all January babies!)---I was sent down the alley a half block to the store with a note. The "nice lady" always gave me a penny for the "pop bead" machine (like a gum ball machine). I loved collecting those beads.

3. Playing in the hose.
Many times, we were allowed to run through the sprinkler. We got drinks from the hose with our friends when we were playing outside. I can still remember that plastic flavor. And then, we'd just play with the hose and drench each other. Sometimes, we'd cause a serious mud puddle and the fun really began. No problem, just hose off! I can't recall the last time I've ever seen kids playing in the hose. That even sounds strange---playing in the hose. You can almost imagine teeny children inside the hose!

4. Correcting other people's children.
OMGosh y'all! This was the worst! If you got yelled at by someone else in the neighborhood, you got it twice as bad at home. And you could rest assured that your siblings would rat you out. They couldn't wait to dart home ahead of you to "tell"! Luckily for us, we were only "hit" by our own parents. No neighbors laid a hand on us, although it was actually acceptable. Now-a-days, parents can't even hit their own kids much less someone else's!

5. Teaching kids how to use the stove or oven.
About the only thing I ever "cooked" was fudge. Reenie and I made it all the time---even in the middle of the night. That way, we got the entire batch to ourselves. I don't think kids cook like that anymore. Most likely they just use the microwave.

6. Kids riding in the back of the car.
Yep, no one thought anything of kids riding "loose" in the back of a station wagon or truck. It was just a way of life. We had large families. It was the only way to get us around.

7. Sending baked goods to school.
I can't really relate to this one as my mom NEVER sent baked goods to school. Nor did anyone else. When we were growing up, there was no such thing as celebrating your birthday at school. School wasn't supposed to be fun--and it wasn't. On the other hand, I did send baked goods to school for my kids in the 70's & 80's. That's all over now. Too many allergies. Honestly, I don't remember any kid I knew growing up as having allergies. We all had the same one: poison ivy! That was it.

8. Spinning kids on the merry-go-round.
Now that was fun. If we were lucky, there might be a parent to spin us really fast. If we had to do it ourselves, it was really hard. You'd run and push along side and then jump on to get a 3 second ride. It was always better if someone else pushed! And then, when you got off, you had that fun dizzy feeling as you staggered around to keep from falling. I can't think of the last time I've seen a merry-go-round. However, it doesn't take much to make me feel dizzy!

So those were the eight things the article talked about. Now you know I cannot have such an odd number. I'm adding two more of my own memories.

9. Climbing trees.
We climbed trees all the time. ALL the time. If we got too high---and we really did---our parents would yell, "Hey you kids! Get out of that tree. You're going to fall and break your arm." We definitely fell out, but nobody broke anything. I'm pretty certain my kids never climbed a tree.

10. Ice skating on a pond or swimming in it.
Thinking back on this, it was probably the most dangerous thing we did. It was not at all unusual for someone to fall through the ice--they just didn't go all the way down. As for swimming, we jumped off of logs without even considering it might not be deep enough. We were pretty lucky that nothing tragic happened.

Yeah, I think growing up in the 50's and 60's was the best. Most of the time, our parents didn't know where we were or what we were doing. We rode our bikes all over tarnation---without helmets! There was no thought of safety. We just had to be home by dinner time. We all took a lot of bumps and bruises and an occasional broken arm. If that happened, you were elevated in the eyes of your friends!

I wouldn't change my childhood for anything!