Each generation is trying to do a better job of raising the generation that will follow it. We can’t help it, we are genetically programmed that way. The thing is, sometimes the choices we make, despite our best efforts and well-wishes, are the wrong ones and our only way of knowing that is in hindsight. This is exactly what inspired this article.
The way we were raised is unbelievably different from the way our parents were raised, and their parents before that. Here are a few practices that used to be normal a few decades ago but will now result anywhere on the scale of raised eyebrows to a call to child services.
Shabby Safety Belts and Car Seats
Today strapping in is like second nature. Our arms immediately reach for the seat belt and we buckle-in without a moment’s thought. In fact, now, you could consider us well trained when it comes to car safety. Sadly, this wasn’t always the case.
Back then kids would be flung to the back seat without any protective means. If you were an infant, you might have gotten a ride on mom’s lap. We’re not sure which is worse.
Childproofing Was Unheard of
The kids of today have it pretty cushy. There are many things in place, such as certain kinds of latches or childproof medicine bottle caps that prevent kids and especially infants from getting hurt.
Back then, if a baby wanted to play with the goods around the house, they were going to do it. Electrical sockets were there to play with until their heart’s content. We suppose you could say it toughened them up a bit.
Girl Toys and Boy Toys
Toys back then were very strictly defined by genders. Everything blue or red that could shoot stuff, fight or move fast was for the boys and anything pink and soft was for the girls.
If a boy was caught playing with a doll, it wouldn’t have been so pleasant. Of course, there are still hang-ups as to which goes to who, but now there are certainly many toys that are for all kids.
Fire Hydrant Showers
This was popular in urban areas and large cities. In fact, it was almost like the official policy that during the summertime, fire hydrants would be opened to blast sweaty kids after playing in the streets.
If city officials didn’t do it, then parents or an older sibling would surely do it. This way, all the neighborhood kids could get a spritz of water to cool them down. While it sounds like fun, as you might have guessed, that water wasn’t always the best quality.
Walking To School
Unless you live in an incredibly safe area, it’s unlikely that you will let your kid walk to school in this day and age – especially if they’re in the first grade. Of course, it was a different time then and it was far more normal to let the kids run free.
Though it wasn’t all bad, generally it was the older sibling or one of the older kids in the neighborhood that would accompany the kids to school. Think of it more like a ‘boomer carpool’.
Family Talks
In those days, the kids were with the kids, and the adults, with the adults. While parents certainly cared deeply for their children, deep discussions and conversations about feelings were not for the public domain.
Today, of course, there is a strong culture of parents engaging with their kids, some even argue, too much. Maybe we still have not struck the balance.
Drinking from Water Garden Hoses
Bottled water was not really a thing until a couple of decades later. You would just drink from the tap, and in the summer, kids, after running around the yard for a while, had no shame in taking a sip from the garden hose.
No one ever thought that water from garden hoses was unregulated and potentially unsafe. This was totally normal. The hose was a fixture of summertime fun, with kids running in and out of sprinklers.
