Brit Reacts to 1970s Things That Kids No Longer Do!

✨Patreon: / l3wg
Please subscribe, like and turn on notifications if you enjoyed the video!
1970s Things That Kids No Longer Do Reaction!
📺 Support me on Patreon: / l3wg
🕹️LIVE EVERYDAY on Twitch: / l3wg
🎥Second Channel: / @morel3wg
🎮Gsming Channel: / @l3wglive
Become a channel member and have a channel badge next to your name!❤️💥
/ @l3wgreacts
P.O Box:
L3WG
PO Box 18600
BROMSGROVE
B60 9QF
United Kingdom
Original Video: youtu.be/
Socials:
twitch: / l3wg
twitter: / l3wg_
Insta: / l3wg_
Discord: / discord
Tiktok: / l3wgreacts
MASSIVE THANK YOU to my amazing patreons!!
Matthew Passuw,Joseph Boyce,Lora Moellenberndt,Tom Levi,Melissa Koesel,Chase Taylor,ygnubbs,Kelly Patterson,Jordan Geier,Chrissy Hanson,Monty Ferguson,Ryan,Christina Streiff,Drew Evinger,Jeffrey Butler,Alex R,Gerri,Sheley Harp,Steven Cryar, Kennest Hammond, Ashley Graham,Bri, Pitviper_7, sharon satterfield, Mac Funchess, Elliot Kolmeister, Annette Anderson, klycan, Incursio 23, Bob Smith, Frank Schmitz, Kelby Farley, Angela Engele, Sheli Wynne, Cliff, Blossom,Garth Hill, Eric Gray, Vallary Groda, Nan Peebles, Donna, Larsen,Vertetciel, Pamela Trautmann, Barbara L

[@L3WGReacts]

hope you enjoyed this one! also my patreon if you want extra content: patreon.com/L3WG

[@geraldbrakefield3874]

its not that there wasnt water at home, but mom would come get you outside where ever it was, usually away from the house, so they used what was handy. i would guess british mothers did the same back then.

[@teresawest5602]

Current generation are created by parents, germaphobes, destroying their immune systems no moral or physical strength and endurance, if shit hits the fan, they won't survive!!!!!

[@myrtlebeachmohicanxx]

Yes sir , we did. My birthday is in November,when I turned 10 , I got my first 22 rifle. I’m December for Christmas, I got my first pistol. Also a 22. And a buck 110 pocket knife. I still have all of them 47 years later! And drinking from the hose , we would even hit up our neighbors if we were too far from our own. Not a soul would bitch or complain. Even if they didn’t have kids. We didn’t have air conditioning in the house, just my parents room had a window unit finally when I was in 9th grade. Then in 10th we got a window unit for our living room. Spent many nights sleeping on the sofa ! Couldn’t wait for April when we could start fishing for rainbow trout! We’d spend all afternoon fishing until dark. Sometimes even after dark. Weekends seemed to last forever yet went by too fast. What a great time to have been a kid! Oh,we even built trails with jumps in the woods , with our dads tools . And yes , did stupid shit and got hurt. But did we die? Nah , we walked it off.

[@hampusbrokmann8249]

Your gen is curling Kids 😂😂😂

[@mattphillips538]

I was the same kind of (Gamer) kid as you, but born in 1966. Let me tell you a bit about what it was like. We did all the same stuff as the kids in this video, but we also gamed hard. Some people had early consoles but they were absolute crap (like Pong). They were still fun, but nothing compared to real vector-based arcade games like Asteroids, SpaceWar or Tempest. Allowance was usually around $2.00 a week, which could be turned into 8 Quarters, which meant 8 arcade games if you walked or biked everywhere that week, so you learned to make 3 lives last an hour or more because you only got 8 of these a week. You've probably never seen a vector game, but they were *beautiful*, with perfectly straight diagonal lines (no pixels) etched out in real time on giant oscilloscope screens (here's an example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oovNaoqCe8ppmbs). City schools had remote terminals linked to school department Mainframe IBM or VAX computers, and if you could get your ass to school an hour or so early and get the janitor to let you in, you could play a text-based adventure game like Colossal Cave Adventure, or Zork for an hour before anyone else got there. I say text because these did not have screens, just printers. On Sundays we rode bikes to the local Uni gaming society to play Dungeons and Dragons all day with booger-chomping adults. Eventually most of us learned to program (usually in BASIC) so we could write our own games. If you didn't own a computer (they were fairly rare) you just wrote the code on a piece of paper and ran it in your head while your buddy acted as the player and told you what he was pretend typing. This was loads of fun in the back seat of Mom's car on a long drive. I eventually got an under the table summer job when I was 13 and bought an Atari 400 computer with BASIC for $399 (this was around 1979). I really learned to code on that thing, plus it had Star Raiders which was Arcade quality but didn't cost a quarter. You cobbled together a day of gaming from crappy home console, precious arcade quarter games, table top RPGs, text-based computer games at school, and writing your own code for personal computers where they were available. It was priceless fun.

[@angiemiller1335]

Not only did we survive, we thrived! The one thing we did, that wasn't mentioned here, is that we walked to school without a parent. Even as kindergartners. There was a crossing guard at every crosswalk. We would start off walking from home and as we would pass a friend's house, we would knock on the door, and pick them up. By the time we reached school, we had a whole group with us. Walking home was in reverse. We would wait outside until our group was assembled and then dropped off one at a time as we reached our homes. In the summer, we would get dropped off at the community pool or at the movies to meet up with our friends. We would walk to local convenience stores to get snacks, We had freedom. The only rules being that we had to tell our parents where we were going and we had to be home when the street lights came on.

[@lh5923]

Ya buddy...that street light comes on, and it means your ass is being lit up by the belt😂😂 I remember my mother giving me the guilt trip up a lifetime because I made her "worried sick"..I was 10 mins late😂😂😂

[@bubbablue1100]

We didn't have crossing guard where I lived.

[@candykane4271]

We had the same life! Except I biked to the pool 12 minutes, I just checked.

[@thjonez]

got that right

[@dianajemison105]

I don't remember any crossing guards.

[@RainbowCleft]

We didn't learn the new dances from Tik-Tok. We had "American Bandstand."

[@kimberlyhicks3644]

Yes, and Soul Train.

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

​@@kimberlyhicks3644and plenty of variety shows from Hee Haw to the Donny and Marie show and great movies like Jaws and the exorcist

[@tammywebber2798]

Every Saturday dancing in front of the tv!!! Such great memories

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

​@@tammywebber2798Exactly what I was going to say. Once in a great while I'll watch one or 2. Brings back good memories. Soul Train was on Sundays. I did the same with that show.

[@tammywebber2798]

@@traciemcdaniel3660 Yes me too. We grew up at a great time

[@quinn-tessential3232]

Having your sandwich slowly warm between 7am and noon was absolutely true, but no one got sick. The sandwich was in a lunch bag (maybe not a zip-lock, but whatever) and inside a sealed lunch box. It wasn't sitting out in the air. Nothing was going to make it spoil in 5 hours. Milk was a different story. You wouldn't bring that. The school had a daily milk service that you'd sign up for. I remember getting "milk duty" every so often. When it was my turn, I'd be the one to go retrieve my classroom's tray of half pint milk cartons. Very important assignment!

[@mariateresamondragon5850]

We brought milk to school in the 60's. All lunch boxes came with a (glass-lined) thermos. Sometime during the year, the thermos would get dropped and break, then we'd have to buy milk at school until we got a new lunch box and thermos at the beginning of the next year.

[@paulawitham3579]

I had a Holly Hobbie lunch box and it had a thermos that came with it. I had a class mate that had a Donnie & Marie lunch box. She had Donnie & Marie everything. At school we did have a choice between regular or chocolate milk though. I just remember having so much fun. I grew up in the country and we would ride our bikes into town unsupervised. No way kids would do that now. But times were just so different.

[@Idalianightfire]

Glass lined thermos’. Always breaking 🤣 And “patent leather” lunchboxes for girls

[@adacamper3627]

And ice cream time. 25 cents Milk was 10

[@lunaaurora7]

We did all of this and more! The fact that we are still breathing shows that kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. 😂😂😂

[@claranielsen3382]

100%

[@lynnw7155]

The water that comes out of the hose is exactly the same water that comes out of the indoor faucet. I drank gallons of it and I survived. We could disappear for the entire day, go play in the river (OF COURSE we could all swim...one of the first things kids were taught), as long as we showed up for dinner, all was well. We did all that stuff and have the scars to prove it. If we did something wrong, our parents didn't defend us; they punished us. It made us tough, strong and responsible. And pretty fearless. I don't remember anyone with anxiety or depression. Kids today depress me.

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

@@lynnw7155 just let the water run for a bit to get the bugs out of the hose

[@misslora3896]

Yes. Parents today treat their children like they're made if porcelain... One small bump and they could shatter. The only thing getting shattered is confidence in themselves and a sense of true independence by never getting a chance to build any.

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

@@misslora3896 yeah we didn't bother our parents with minor cuts scrapes and bruises they might ask questions and maybe I didn't want them to know how and where it happened

[@Tigerowltattoo]

I was a kid in the 60s and a teen in the 70s. These videos make me realize how much freedom I had just to be a kid. Yes, we did dumb things and came close to death too many times, but those were things you just didn’t mention to your parents. If you did, they wouldn’t let you do those things anymore.

[@Bigpete1970]

Funny thing is most of the time our parents knew anyway, especially those of us growing up in the same neighborhood our parents did. The question "So do anything interesting today?" let us know they did and our reaction would dictated what they would do.

[@Luma_cookies986]

One of the things I remember is a kid growing up in the 60s. Was that when we would take a road trip to visit family and stuffmy brother, and I would argue Uber who gets to ride in the back window. We would literally lay in the back window of the car on a road

[@petersalerno4298]

The 60s and 70s were awesome.

[@anitaharris9095]

I drank out of the hose a lot. Especially when my mom had just waxed the hard wood floors. You knew that if you got on that floor before the wax dried you could count your self as close to dead as possible.

[@larrybremer4930]

I remember using power tools like circular saws as a kid (7-8 years old in early 1970's), and riding my bike to the Saturday matinee with friends many miles from home, and playgrounds that had tall slides, tall swing sets, carousels, teeter totters, etc. I feel sorry for kids today because all that is gone so I understand why they would rather spend their days on screens rather than outside since there is no longer anything left to do outside.

[@charlotteminshew16]

Born in '69 and loved it! We came home from school by ourselves as well since both parents worked - we were what we called latchkey kids. We were trusted back then. It was great!

[@ThePeppper]

Grew up in the 70's!! Does anyone remember the TV commercial at 10 pm? It would come on at 10 n say "It's 10 pm, Do you know where your kids are?" LoL great times!!

[@tabithabjelland8028]

Yes i remember

[@scottmcneely1927]

Yes, we even made fun of it. "It's 10 pm. Do you know where your cat is?"

[@vickimiller5785]

​@@scottmcneely1927😅, so did my siblings and I, except we would say "do you know where your 'parents' are", lol.

[@richardcramer1604]

Every now and then they would switch it up (like on Apiril Fools Day) and ask it's 10 pm kids do you know where your parents are? Also I don't remember the curfew it was either 10 or 11 pm here in Milwaukee.

[@billyholmes5551]

I was the remote for the tv

[@kenziedayne4234]

I grew up in the 70s. Fell out of a shopping cart onto concrete floor, fell down the stairs head first several times (no baby gates), fell out of the car at a stop light twice (no car seat or child locks on doors), parents smoked indoors and in the car (second hand smoke), had a pocket knife at 8, rode bikes miles from home without a helmet, rode in the back of pick up trucks down bumpy dirt roads, no cell phones so parents never knew where we were until we came home for dinner (or called to say we were staying over at a friend's for the night), climbed trees, swam in the river, played in the woods... Good times. We were very independent.

[@OkiePeg411]

We had those pop caps that we put in a toy cap gun. Also, we'd pop them with a rock or light the whole roll with a match!!! I climbed to the top branches of a 30' tree. I'd stay up there several hours. We'd pretend it was a pirate ship in a storm!!!

[@higgme1ster]

You made me remember in the 1960's my parents were bringing in the hay bales from the pasture in front of the house. Mom and Dad along with my oldest brother were stacking the bales in the bed of the pick-up truck. They had gotten the bales stacked 8 or 9 bales high, so the rest of us kids were helped on top to help hold the the bales in place. Mom was driving slowly toward the old carriage building where the hay was going to be stored, but for some reason Mom gunned the engine. I think she might have been getting close to a Cedar shrub in the pasture that had a large yellow jack nest in it. The column of bales that I was stretched across went toppling down. It was like slow-motion when I rode the top bale to the ground. I was seven or eight then. In the early 1960's it wasn't a crazy thing I did, but something my parents told me to do.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

We had to be home when the street lights came on lol

[@calme-dx2dp]

I did all of these except ride the back of a truck, and swim in a river. I did swim in a lake. Kids didn't have to bring all that stuff to school at ages 5-7. All we had to bring was ourselves. Didn't even need a pencil. But; we did, those 2 fat #2 pencils, and that ABC tablet. That's all we had to bring. School supplied the rest including glue, paste (that big jar we used to eat that tasted like peppermint), and scissors. The only time you had to bring scissors was if you were left handed. I remember I used to cut out things for one left handed student. We walked to school by ourselves. I did not ride a school bus. Also, kids really dressed much better then than now.

[@recycledapathy7411]

The only times I remember my parents actually taking me to the doctor (aside from the usual checkups) were the time I slipped on a wet sidewalk, conked my head and passed out, and the time I stepped on a rusty nail because it got infected.

[@pilotgal6191]

I'm 62 and this is all so true. We drank out of garden hoses, stayed out all day playing, went behind the school stadium to watch the weekend fights between whoever had issues, walked to the bus stop alone while picking up your friends at their houses along the way, rode bikes without helmets or kneepads, played on construction sites until the construction crew chased us away, and never worried about anything except getting good grades and being respectful to elders.

[@SA-hf3fu]

I'm a 70 yo female and we used to LOVE playing with Mercury! 😵‍💫😅 Yup! Break a thermometer on the pavement (hopefully no cars coming) and watch it roll but you could break it into a container and then pour it into your hand and watch it roll round and round! It was just magical watching it break into little balls but bring them all back together and they'll form one mass again! Mesmerizing. 🤪 Car seats for kids??! lol, no such thing. Your toddler stood in the middle of the front seat and you stuck your arm out to hold them when you had to brake .

[@lorrainemiller688]

Oh God, me too!

[@nomadickneads]

Did you drink ammonia coke?

[@mrtbonebones3823]

I'm pretty sure kids used to shine quarters with Mercury too right?

[@clairewyndham1971]

On the first day of my Jr. High, my science teacher was all befuddled so, he GAVE us a quart sized bottle of Mercury and let each kid take a handful to play with. It worked.

[@lorrainemiller688]

@@clairewyndham1971 Omg,that's rich! My class dissected a pregnant sheep in the 4th grade! It was traumatizing as all get out!

[@karenburke8987]

I'm a kid of the 70's and on Saturday morning, we watched cartoons and at 9:00 am our parents kicked us out of the house and told us not to come back until dinner!!!! Oh the fun we had......

[@stevenburkhardt1963]

We had to clean the house after cartoons and before heading out to hang with neighborhood friends

[@timothyblazer1749]

I don't know where you savages were raised, but I had to stay within earshot to show up for LUNCH on the front porch. Then and only then was I released until dinner!

[@Ed70Nova427]

I am sure people reading these comment, do not believe any of it. We drive down streets today and never see anyone even though the population now compared to back then is likely ten fold. We used to play in the street and just move to the side of the road before the cars got to were we were so it let then know we see them and we're waiting. Most of the time they didn't even slow down. As soon as they would pass the pack of us would go right back out and continue doing our thing. No flipping the bird. No slow walking to bring anyone to a stop. Just everyone doing their thing. AAAH the FREEDOM! Where has it gone? What went wrong? I miss it so!

[@JillMcDowell]

I loved growing up in the 1970's. Mom was the original seat belt. We rode in the open back of a pickup truck, often standing up holding onto each other and the roof rack. Bicycles with no helmets or pads. Skating with no knee or elbow pads. Being a latchkey kid. Playing outside all day regardless of the heat in the summer. We had to go home when the street lights came on. Sleepovers were the bomb!!! Birthday parties were fun and only the birthday kid got gifts...no goodie bags. You earned your trophies and awards. And , don't freak out, but the school principal was allowed to paddle you for misbehaving.

[@kevinjhuffman5009]

OMG! Such good memories. Not only did we do all that, we pushed it to its limits. Sometimes failure was the goal. We have scars, not tattoos.

[@jodyhimmelstein4746]

Or both :)

[@ricardocarmona5210]

Well said my friend. ✌️

[@claudiayates7621]

Scars are LIKE tattoos, but with better stories

[@womanonthinice1276]

70s kid here...we had the best time!!! All the kids in 70s the neighborhood hung out all day, rode bikes, some kids made the whole side of the street a bike ramps. Some kids had garage bands. It was extremely free spirit living. So much more, so fun! 70s Rocked!

[@madduck2323]

And the best music!!

[@sazji]

Exactly. And all my friends are still alive.

[@andreadeamon6419]

Don't forget the metal roller skates that went over your shoes with the metal key that everyone seemed to lose

[@sazji]

@@andreadeamon6419 Had ‘em. They were loud!

[@jennifers8843]

This video made me realize- I never see kids playing outside in my neighborhood! I live in a nice suburban area and I never see kids riding bikes, hanging out, or playing anything! It’s sad! They’re inside on computers I guess!

[@charlayned]

OMG, this was a blast from my past. I had one of the banana-seat bicycles with the monkey bar handle bars. I built my first skateboard out of a 2x4 with one of my my old steel-wheeled skates nailed onto the bottom. When I was 10, my dad bought a couple of Honda Trail 70s (70cc mini-motorcycle). I was riding it that first day, misjudged the corner and dumped it, getting "road rash" on my stomach as I slid on the gravel. By the time I graduated high school in 1975, our family owned 10 motorcycles (110-350cc and a couple of touring bikes for the parents), 5 cars, and an RV. Our weekends were riding the riverbed (dry parts) and jumping hills. I raced in the "powder puff" races. We went to the track to watch my cousins race too. I drove a "muscle car" as my first car, a 1968 AMC Marlin which I loved and wish I still had it. I learned to work on my own motorcycle and car (and yeah, I'm a girl). I also climbed trees, loved that merry-go-round, how fast can you go on it!? And I broke 3 ribs playing "touch" football at a picnic. And I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything (and we drank from the hose and I STILL smell food to see if it's good. It's just how it's done.)

[@concettaworkman5895]

The nose knows.

[@montesheppard4719]

Grew up in late 70's to early 80's. I remember all this. We rode bikes or horses all over, even halfway across town. We had BB guns, pocket knives, and we played with chemistry sets. We made our own lunches during the summer, after being left at home alone while our parents worked. No cell phones, nothing but being responsible for yourself and friends.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

Remember the Thing Maker? LoL I loved making those rubbery thing. That toy got super hot!

[@misslora3896]

We didn't even wear a watch. We basically told time by the morning dew, high noon sun and street lights.

[@jstringfellow1961]

Yes, we rode horses down the middle of the street too, but not on busy streets usually. I got a BB gun on my 8th birthday and a real gun on my 12th (rifle). I had a pocket knife at 8 as well, and I'm a girl!!

[@Mr._Anderpson]

Yeah, riding horses takes me back. My grandfather would ride a horse to the local bar. When he got tanked, the horse knew the way home. If I was staying with my grandparents, my grandmother would rouse me out of bed to go brush down & feed the horse when grandpa rode in drunk.

[@natesofla8891]

Yes!

[@wendyl7906]

Grew up in the 70's. We were actually afraid our parents would get mad at us. We were outside all day and came in for dinner. As a girl, my friends and I had rubber band guns that we'd shoot at each other and it stung if you got hit. My son born in 78 use to build ramps to jump his bike. Kids were creative and didn't need all the expensive stuff, we used our imagination.

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

It's 10 o'clock do you know where your children are ?

[@shawnbuckendahl1968]

Growing up in the 70s, we were always injured. But our injuries never slowed us down. We taped up out cuts and scrapes to stop the blood and went back out. We fell out of trees, crashed our bicycles into anything that didn't move and fell off the roofs of houses. All these injuries were badges of honor at school and the subject of many show and tell stories in class.

[@brettmuir5679]

"How did you actually survive"? Lewis asked over and over...those of us that did are strong in body and mind. The better question should be "How are these new generation GUNNA survive when times get tough" :) CONGRATS Lewis on 100K

[@ajruther67]

Exactly!

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

Have you noticed there is NO PATIENCE in this generation. Everything is a click away. Just about everything. I've heard kids get so annoyed with having to wait for something

[@jomart9157]

Amen

[@ajruther67]

@@traciemcdaniel3660 One of the many downfalls of the younger generations. No patience at all for anything. They expect instant gratification.

[@KrisFlicks]

this new generation is doiing just fine, yall sound like yall parents from that generation and its absolutely hilarious how yall turned into them🤣

[@stevekarp3521]

I love telling this story. I'll be 38 later this month. I grew up in suburban Atlanta in the early 90s. Around age 7 my grandfather gave me my first pocket knife (full size Swiss Army knife with the leatherette pouch and survival accessories). I accumulated dozens of cheap, junky knives over the next year or so. Dozens. In 2nd grade, we had show and tell. Without even asking (eh, maybe I did ask), I brought my cigar box full of pocket knives. It was no issue. My teacher passed them around to all my classmates, who admired them, passed them on, and I received them each in turn at the front of the class. A few weeks later, my second grade teacher, brought me a knife she had in her house from her late husband. It was an old Grand Barlow folder. I still have it, to this day.

[@adeleennis2255]

I’m 51 and when I brought my pocket knife to school in 2nd grade I was called to the principal’s office. I got the knife for Girl Scouts activities. I was really excited about it and the school treated me like some crazed delinquent ready to tear up the school.😢

[@stevekarp3521]

@adeleennis2255 im surprised to hear this as my understanding is that it wasnt all uncommon in the recent past certainly in my case. perhaps geography and its cultural implications have something to do with it? if you dont mind my asking, what area did you grow up in? I was for all intents and purposes, in the south.

[@ust2flyjetz147]

That’s a great story! So sad no kid today will ever have a similar experience.

[@adeleennis2255]

@@stevekarp3521 Upstate New York’s Southern Tier.

[@Ninjanimegamer]

I remember in elementary school kids bringing in their swiss army knives to show. It was never a problem. The teachers sometimes asked the blades remain concealed. More of a problem on the buses cause some of those kids ripped apart the bus seats and threw the foam around. Yes, they got in trouble with the school and their parents and were removed from the buses permanently. In middle school, every boy had a swiss army they carried to school. When a fight broke out, it was only fists used, not knives. Knives were considered fighting dirty and the person had to be a sissy if they needed a weapon.

[@Ju-didit]

Wow! Thanks for reviving my memories❤❤ I was also a '70s child! I am from Holland, not from a very big city, but it was absolutely a city, not a village or smaller, and we didn't have any school buses, I would just walk to school. I think I started doing that when I was 4 or 5. We also had no parents at crossings, you just had to look out for yourself! (But in those days there also were a lot fewer cars than there are now) My parents had a phone, that was exceptional, so if people from our street had to call someone, they would come to our place and call on our phone, sometimes we would receive calls for them, and then we went to get them. We used to play all day outside and when you were thirsty, you just drank out of an outdoor tap somewhere, mouth to the tap, or you would ask the mother of a friend for a cup, and you would all use it. When something would happen, a friend's mum would stick a bandaid to your knee or what, and that was it. And about the sniffing of products out of the fridge, (I still do that🤭) when it tastes-, or smells, funny, you threw it away, simple as that. I love that I grew up in the 70s, always outside, playing football or jumping rope or playing with bouncy tennisballs..nowadays we hardly see kids outside! And the danger of childpredators, it was there, we where not allowed to go with somebody-, or take sweets from someone-, you didnt know, but we looked out for each other, and telling your friend's mum something was wrong, was not "snitching", you where just looking out for each other... Thank you so much for this, it felt good, reliving my childhood in a nutshell ❤

[@Teresia12]

1970s were my teen years. Haven't been so free since. They jumped over everything because Evil Kanevil was jumping everything on his motor bike. We got at Swiss Army Knife at 6 years old. Even the girls. All 5 of us.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

Lol jumping over canyons!!

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

I think he must have broke every bone in his body!!

[@MoosefromCanada]

Yup..we were in the bush making forts with our dogs….covered in poison ivy 🤣🤪

[@jstringfellow1961]

I was 8, and it was a Swiss Army knife. That would have been cool. I had the pearl-handled 3" blade and my dad taught me how to gut and clean fish with it. He may have mentioned I could do the same to any boy who tried to kiss me.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

@@MoosefromCanada 😂😂😂

[@snowroses174]

When we were kids , We loved the Merry go rounds...My older sister could make that thing FLY. with us clinging on for dear life...One of my younger sisters got spun off , her leg got caught underneath it and she was dragged about half way around. Not an adult in sight . She was roughed up but not any worse for wear. we were all right back at it the next day.

[@bloodwashedchild188]

Your reactions are pricless! No seatbelts,walked to school at 4 half day,treck almost a mile to grandmas if no one was coming home till after 3. Used the stove,cut our own food with knives,stayed out and as far as our moms whistle could travel,(around 3 to 4 blocks if the wind was right. The best time growing up!

[@suicyco4life666]

I was born in 1969. When I was a kid I was hardly ever in the house. Even in the winter we would be outside building snow forts or sledding. In the summer time we would even sleep outside if it wasn't raining. And we were always up to mischief. But nothing that would be serious trouble. Because being grounded to stay in the house was like torture.

[@maryreilly5092]

Same here! Grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood then both parents were laid off from their factory jobs so we lost our very modest home and had to move to the poor neighborhoods. We lived in old Army barracks rented out to poor families. Even so, these were the happiest years of my life. I grew to be quite strong and athletic for a girl because I was always outside. We only bothered with eating when we couldn't ignore our stomachs growling forcing us, very reluctantly, to stop playing to go inside to eat! I never got food poisoning from my school lunch brought in a brown paper bag and shoved into the cost closet for 4 hours til it was lunch time. We ate at our desks. The school offered a little carton of white milk. On Fridays, they gave us chocolate milk. On the last day of school before summer vacation, we were given a little cup of vanilla ice cream with a tiny wooden paddle to eat it with. That was huge for us! Even better were the kids who had moms that would bring homemade cupcakes to the classroom for the lucky kids who had birthdays during the school week! My birthday was after school ended for the summer so I didn't receive such a huge honor as that! If we were bad at school, we got a paddling at school then one when we got home!

[@Reneelwaring]

Remember, most people didn't have A/C so sleeping in a tent on the lawn was so much cooler in the summer.

[@docdurdin]

I was raised in the 60's, but it was about the same. We knew the Adults were in charge and we respected them. RESPECT is a big thing and what we are missing. 73 and I lived every moment of it.

[@nedludd7622]

Respected or feared?

[@docdurdin]

@@nedludd7622 A little fear can be good for the soul.

[@Durenda-dw7bp]

We had a blast every day. We walked to school and home again. Suffered broken bones and skinned knees but we kept on playing. I wish my grandchildren could experience the true joy of childhood.

[@dangray]

Grew up in the 60's and 70's and am so sorry for kids today. We basically had total freedom outside. We just had to come in by the time the street lights came on. But parents and teachears were VERY strict. There were 2 classes of people, adults and children.

[@OkiePeg411]

I grew up out in the country. There were no street lights. Just didn't want to be out in the dark because of coyotes!!!

[@AlanRussell-l9v]

And only 2 genders.

[@evyonnjames9387]

We live down the country or AKA Forest and my mom had a shipa Bell hung on the front of the house and when she rang and you had better be home in under 10 minutes are you ass would be shined!

[@oregondeb1971]

I was looking for this one - be home before the street lights come on.

[@Ninjanimegamer]

​@@evyonnjames9387my mom used that too. All the neighbors laughed at her and at us. It was embarrassing so I stopped responding to it. Mom didn't care, because if I didn't return she just told me I missed dinner and to go straight to bed. I ate out of gardens all day and drank from hoses so it didn't bother me.

[@tonicardanini1863]

This video is pretty accurate. I always had scraped up knees as a kid. We played outside most of the time, rode our bikes all over the place. Parents never told you how far you could ride. We were completely on our own. You just had to make sure you were back for dinner, or your knee wasn't the only thing hurting that night. I remember riding in the back of my dad's pickup truck, and we would laugh our heads off as he drove over speed bumps and we were holding on for dear life, screaming, "faster!!" And, yes, you did not want to get into trouble at school because that would mean a big spanking at home. Your parents would take it personally, as if you caused them embarrassment for raising such a little beast. It's amazing how much times have changed. Now you can't let your kids out of your sight, and you have to drive them and pick them up from everywhere.

[@eurekasquared9853]

So true on all accounts.

[@MeanMistreater-zq3rl]

It didn't help that the playgrounds had asphalt on them! WTH were they thinking? Not to mention, ALL of the schools in my town had oleanders planted on the school grounds. Totally toxic.

[@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639]

ALL true, except now a days you can't even just drop your kids off and leave, you must stay with, or have another adult agree to watch you!!! The 70s and 80s were an absolute dream to grow up in and those things deemed so dangerous really weren't because you learned how to use them and be cautious when need be, to be responsible and a skinned knee wasn't something to cry over, usually didn't need a Band-aid for it, riding bikes, walking around, swimming and etc., all summer and evenings after chores and school work was done. Oh and this isn't about playing but when you made it home and were told so and so called for you, you actually called them back either right then or after dinner, you never ignored the person, waited until the next day when you saw them, unless when getting the message would be too late to call, like after 9pm or leave them hanging for days before talking to them!!!

[@claudiayates7621]

Knees survived better if ya were forced to wear tuff skins Jeans from Sears!

[@trice5880]

'I always had scraped up knees as a kid.' i swear every photo of me from the 60s shows bruises all over my legs bc my absolute favorite thing to do was climb to the highest tree branch possible & then jump! i prided myself on being a better climber than any of the neighborhood boys (i was a relentless tomboy) & when it came to jumping i was fearless!

[@zynniaquaoar2439]

Scorching hot slides, roller skating on street at night, riding bike 2 miles from fifth through eighth grade. Oh and a lot of us were latchkey kids with no supervision after school until parents got home.

[@karenlackner192]

We were all Evil Knievel in our youth! 🙌🏻 Growing up in the 70’s was the best! We played outside all day long, we built forts in the woods, rode our bikes, etc…

[@jeanettereno4045]

And when "The Fonz" jumped his motorcycle over the tanks of sharks we had coined the "Jumped the shark"phrase.

[@susanmulno9570]

Born in 62. This is all accurate! Had a knife when I was 6. My favorite place was in high trees. Drank out of the garden hose because if mom saw us she would find us something to do, no thanks! Swam in an old sand quarry. I remember mom and dad dropping their cigarette butts on the floor and stomping on them IN THE STORES! On long trips I slept in the rear window of our car, my sister slept on the seat, when dad had to stop quickly I would land on her. No knee or elbow pads or helmets for anything. We rode our horses in the Delaware River. Rode in cars and on amusement park rides without seatbelts. No baby car seats either, usually rode on mom's lap. Those metal merry go rounds were a blast!

[@theajane6444]

We had six kids in our family so if we had a long family car ride, my dad would just take the back seat out of the car and we would pile in in a heap!

[@susanmulno9570]

@@theajane6444 That sounds like fun!

[@goforit7595]

Hahaha, got slung off many metal merry go rounds. Going so fast the Gforce would rip me out of it and fling me off into the woods. Very good times growing up then.

[@susanmulno9570]

@@goforit7595 Lots of skinned knees and elbows, and I escaped it but many broken bones too!

[@kevinjennings238]

ALSO a '62 Baby!! How about the "Big Wheel", bikes with "Banana Seats" with a "Sissy-Bar on Back and Stick-Shift Gears (From SEARS or JC Penney's), "Clackers" (Plastic or Glass Balls on Strings), (I think they were called) "Zingers" Tops (?), that had Gyro Motors inside that you ran the rubber tips on the ground, to Spin them fast, then they would balance/spin for like 5 minutes, "Super Balls" (where the term Super Bowl came from), Skateboards with Metal wheels from actual Skates, and HOT WHEELS!!!!!

[@Daisy-Daisy0512]

And in uk it was a leather strap over your hands by teacher if you misbehaved in class! I’ve seen chalkboard dusters thrown at kids and several times both getting a slap to the back of the head. We collected bees for fun in summer, could be 10 miles from home in the middle of nowhere playing by a river without supervision! We had fun, resilience and learned we could be away from our parents without the world ending. It was a great time. The thing that surprises me is my generation are the ones that started the hovering over kids and worrying about safety in every aspect of their lives lol

[@psc4734]

Born in 58 and had a wonderful childhood, spent most of my time outside. During school holidays was out all day, not in front of a computer. We survived because we were made tougher.

[@teerat8451]

My bicycle offered me the free gift of a broken arm, concussion, and stitches in my head. To top it off I was yelled at for 15 minutes about what I did to my bike before going to the doctor. Good times

[@concettaworkman5895]

lol

[@katrinasanchez5947]

This made me smile. Such good memories. I was born in 1960. I feel very lucky to have grown up in such a time.

[@lorrainemiller688]

Oh boy, I can't imagine childhood today! Some of my fondest memories of being a kid: summer nights playing Kick the Can with the entire neighborhood (15 or 20 kids), bareback horse riding, all over town, full days at the community pool (ride your bikes there), floating down creeks, canals, and rivers in inner tubes-- we called it tubing. Ice skating on same! Roller rinks and arcades, burger joints with juke boxes, candy counters and penny candies. Slumber parties and sleep overs were on the regular... attending fairs and rodeos with no parents! Going to the stores alone, no big deal. Walking to school or riding your bike. Getting seriously tan every summer. And yes, I got the paddle at school a couple of times, learned my lesson, mostly out of the humiliation in front of the class. ✌

[@Ninjanimegamer]

Living in a city by the beach we didn't have as many places to go to bust loose, but the kids who got everything had all the water toys....boats, jet skis, windsurfers, and paddle boards and we did all the water sports. You certainly had more entertainment. We went to the aquarium and to the movies or roamed around the avenues popping in for ice cream or pizza and lots of clothes shopping. It became old fast. So we ventured into NYC by train and that's where I spent my teen years.

[@shellylister7006]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

[@kgs2280]

Oh, yes! I loved tubing (in Florida - we had great rivers) and roller rinks. We went everywhere and did everything, in groups or often alone. We were usually outdoors all day in the summer or school breaks or after school until our mothers called us in for dinner, but once she called, we had BETTER be inside the house within five minutes, or else! I’m so glad I grew up when I did. It WAS fun (mostly). And, yes, my grandfather gave me a pocket knife for Christmas when I was 12, and I’m a girl! I loved it! And you didn’t EVER tell your mother that you were bored because she’d say “If you’re bored I’ll give you something to do” (kind of like when you cried over nothing, you’d hear “stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about” while shaking her fist at you: effective), and that meant chores, so we learned how to use our imagination and create fun things to do.

[@KrisFlicks]

these still happen today, you just arne't a child anymore

[@peggykunkel9180]

Can't imagine kids playing kick the can today. In the 70s those cans weren't light weight aluminum. It was one of our favorite things to do and no one got hurt.

[@ralpholson7616]

I grew up through the sixties, no one was allergic to peanuts or gluten. No one was lactose intolerant. We went out and got dirty, our dogs licked our faces, we shared soda from the same bottle. We developed REAL immune systems. Also, most of us early boomers had WW II vets as fathers. They did not put up with disrespectful kids.

[@AlanRussell-l9v]

I agree. We survived & thrived.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

So true! The allergies today are crazy...we didn't have all those milks! They didn't have ADHD or ADD whatever that's called? There was usually only one or 2 overweight kids in school. (Poor kids got it bad)

[@lydiaedwards8100]

Late Boomers had Korean War/Vietnam War vets

[@jstringfellow1961]

I mean, to be fair, I did know a kid who was allergic to peanuts and to shellfish, so yeah it was there, but his parents had to find him food to eat. It wasn't the school's responsibility. I ran from my bus driver on more than one occasion.

[@geniereiman1089]

I also grew up in the 60s. What was mentioned was how we grew up. We stayed outside most of the day. I remember a lot of new houses were being built in the neighborhood and when the construction workers left we would climb all over the houses, walk on the rafters, swing from the door frames, etc. . .We had a great time!

[@maxinefreeman8858]

I grew up in the 60's and 70's. I drank water from a mountain spring. We played in the mountains. We rode in the bed of pickup trucks. There were vines on trees, we swung on them like Tarzan and Jane. We girls played outside like the boys. It was hot . We waded in the creek and got crawdads out from under the rocks and played with them. As a teenager I met my future husband. Teachers paddled kids. We went to school in the neighborhood. Our parents knew our teachers, they were our neighbors. As a teenager I met the guy I would marry. He drove a souped up car. We'd drag race on the curvy roads of our country roads. It was a convertible. I stood up and watched for oncoming headlights so he or the other guy would have to drop back so the car would pass and then they'd start racing again. During daytime my friends and me walked everywhere we went. I don't remember any fat kids. When boys got about 12 they got a pocket knife. I remember in high school the girls would get into fights usually over a boy. When we seen a teacher coming they would get up, straightened their hair and clothes. We acted like nothing had happened. Rarely boys would get into a fist fight. Even though both of the boys had pocket knives, they never got the knives out of their pockets. We might wanted to fight each other but no one wanted to seriously hurt anyone. I went to a small elementary and high school. We were out in the country.

[@tracycuster4833]

Growing up in the 1960's & 1970's was AMAZING and we had so much fun... wounds and all...

[@sindbad8411]

And if we made mistake or broke the rules there was no discussion with the cops and parents we had to accept a punishment.

[@Ed70Nova427]

I was fun!!!! aaaah FREEDOM! I miss it!

[@exprezzion]

It was a tough time to be a little chubby or slow footed, a different religion or from another area. And you would be beaten daily and systematically excluded by all adults and children from most fun or high achievements for something like racial or sexual diversity or an ethnic or religious garment. And nobody knew a god damned thing about anything and adults and kids were fountains of toxic misinformation metabolizing the traumas of the world wars, economic upheavals, and societal changes, and toxic parenting and gendering and preparing for war that was in every adult alive's brains, did make for confusing and boring times when we were waiting out the time between absurdly fun, mildly risky escapades. There was no shortage of sad, screwed up, addicted people back then. Husbands were fully allowed to beat their wives and kids, and did regularly enough that a good half the men of that generation could be jailed easily for such behavior today. Maybe more like 100%. But I think there were some really gentle and passive gays living as straights that might not punch their way through life. From the boardrooms to the back alleys though, might was right and the stronger person physically asserted their will to get their way in an alarming number of civil sort of situations. Like the big teacher or big insurance rep or big doctor would get their way in a dispute witih a smaller one lest an ass-kicking have to take place to enforce the order of things.

[@lynnw7155]

We didn't live in bubbles. I don't know any kid that got worse than a broken bone from all the stuff we got into. I ate all sorts of stuff and I never had food poisoning until I was an adult. I raised my kids the same way; they aren't afraid to go outside or get dirty or do potentially dangerous things.

[@tammywebber2798]

I was born in 1965. Growing up in the 70's was a amazing time to be a kid.

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

I was born in 1960 and I believe that the 70s was the best decade to be a teenager

[@tammywebber2798]

@@ChuckHuffmaster I agree 1000%. We were a different breed back then

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

@@tammywebber2798 great music from all genres and movies like Jaws, blazing saddles and the exorcist

[@zubee1]

@@ChuckHuffmasterMe, too! ‘60 and better back then. Look at all of the money kids have to spend to have fun now Breaks my heart.

[@stevenburkhardt1963]

Likewise, a 65 baby. The 70’s were awesome as a kid

[@tomford3018]

I grew up in the 70s. One of the craziest things I think about is that playgrounds were basically just parking lots that we played on. We would go down metal slides that were baking in the sun all day all. Now everything is made out of recycled milk cartons and on fake grass with ground up recycled tires in them.

[@Jeanean61TX]

The best days. In the summer, we jumped out of bed, grabbed whatever we could find for breakfast, and hit the door running. We would stay out until the street lights came on, and then we would play tag in the dark, or anything else we could come up with. I miss the type lives we all had back then … innocent and surrounded by family and friends.

[@terihollis8603]

And wait for the lightning bugs/fireflies to catch them in a jar 😂

[@bethshadid2087]

Oh great times.

[@colliecoform4854]

We played hide and seek once it got dark. Lots of fun.

[@bethshadid2087]

@@colliecoform4854 oh yes

[@steveullrich7737]

Exactly, summertime was the best part of the year! After breakfast we'd all meet outside at someone's house and do whatever, ride bikes on the street, built a fort, play ball, climb trees, trade baseball cards, go in someone's above ground pool and go to the park to play on the swings, the slide and the push merry-go-round. In the evening after dinner, we'd be out till after dark playing hide-n-seek. It was such a great time and all without ever seeing an adult pretty much the whole day. Yet overall, it was safe without much trauma or broken bones. So much social interactions with your friends.

[@mikelellsaesser1320]

Im 66 born in 57. It was really easy back then and much more safe. Everyone looked out for Everyone.

[@DianeCasanova]

Did all this in the 60's also.

[@devlishone3994]

Same with the 80s im 47

[@MenopausalMimi]

Cooooolll! I'm 57 born in 66!! I absolutely loved growing up in the 70's but I bet it was better for you being a teenager then. Cheers to us! We made it 🥂😅

[@kristiulin5124]

Me also. Best time ever

[@rickalexander2801]

Born in '57 also. Would someone just please invent a time machine??

[@Turnermama]

Televisions only had four or five channels and no remote control. Dad had us sit on the floor in front of the t v and change the channel until we got to a channel that he liked. It was the best childhood ever.

[@toddashley3082]

We were told "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"

[@princesstelevision67]

All I'm hearing is that children dying is acceptable so long as parents don't have to put actual effort into raising and supervising their kids.

[@deborahsanders6762]

@@princesstelevision67but funny thing is, nobody ever really died much. It was survival of the fittest I guess and we were all fit. We became strong. People did get injuries sometimes, but mostly not very serious. People just learned how to do things, and became capable and unafraid. Ironically, it was the kids who didn’t do these things that seemed to be sick and at risk, not the rest of us. I know that is something you cannot comprehend, but from someone who lived through it, it’s true, and how it was.

[@princesstelevision67]

@deborahsanders6762 ma'am, do you think they made all those laws and regulations because children weren't dying en masse? It was a literal bloodbath and you were just lucky that you didn't have to witness it.

[@princesstelevision67]

@deborahsanders6762 do you think all those laws and regulations were enacted because children weren't being unalived en masse? Well, they were, and just because you were lucky enough to not have to witness it you think it didn't happen.

[@johnjenkins7497]

@@princesstelevision67…..no princess….those were in acted because of helicopter parents like you…..yeah, kids got hurt on occasion, but we also learned more by being out with other kids and having fun instead of growing up with some insufferable parent like you screaming ……on’t do that Johnny….you’re going to get hurt!!!! In the summer…when the street lights came on was the best time…..what was sad was the friends that had parents like you….they had to be inside when it got dark….

[@wyllowyck2826]

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger! This is what we heard on a daily basis. Our teachers walked the hall with inch thick wood paddles that had holes drilled in them, they were also used in the class room. This was punishment on a daily basis for those that were bad. We survived!!

[@buckeyepixie]

Also if you got in trouble in school you would be in trouble at home. Also, parents didn't talk negatively about teachers in front of the kids and didn't let their kids talk negatively about their teachers.

[@Doxymeister]

@@buckeyepixie 👍

[@vickimiller5785]

Early 70's high school, when they still offered shop classes, one of the 'projects' was making paddles for the principal to use! And he did! 2 different types, one a long board with a line cut out down the middle, which when hitting a bare bottom left a red stripe across your bottom! It was called a 'racing strip'! The other was a round paddle with holes drilled in it, the holes would suck the skin out with every whack!

[@staceyshaffer180]

I was born in 1960, this was awesome, like going back in a time capsule. Loved it! ❤

[@michelesanville8822]

The 70s and early 80s were THE BEST!!! We left the house when the sun came up and stayed gone all day. But you better have your butt home when the street lights came on. Climbing trees, roller skating, BB gun fights, building forts, jumping out of the 2nd story window into the pool at my friend Tracy's house, scorching hot metal slides, playing Monkey In The Middle and Kick The Can, prank phone calls, spinning the merry go round as fast as possible to sling our friends off, jumping ramps on our bikes. Just non stop fun with no worries about getting hurt. And you weren't really hurt if you didn't break a bone. Scrapes and bruises were just part of our everyday fun. ❤❤❤

[@lennyo5165]

"And you weren't really hurt if you didn't break a bone" is so true. Now in the 70s I was already a teenager but playing football one weekend I dislocated my shoulder. I had to walk 5 blocks to get home so my mom could take me to the hospital, well after I got an earful for being an idiot. But as mentioned nothing was broken so it was all good... Fun Times.

[@mrdonetx]

And you knew when your mom was looking for with no cell phone in sight. Somehow it got to you. Either you went home or you asked to use the phone to call home, Grandma, aunt, uncle, parents job dialing them all from memory.

[@johnk3606]

When the streetlights came on. For real. Or the other classic “don’t let dark catch your butt in the yard”

[@ladysky2883]

I did all those things as I grew up during the 70's. Good Times. Had to come home when the street lights came on and stay within yelling distance. We played ball games in the middle of the street and if a car came by you yelled "CAR" then cleared the street, car goes by, then get back to the game.

[@highlandergunn9240]

In 1978 at 13 yrs old me and a friend of mine bought a old truck, It didn't have ANY floor board, you could see the road, it didn't have any BRAKES, it had a bench seat with NO seat belts. Our parents let us drive it on county roads but we couldn't go on the state roads. And you know we listened. 😂

[@marycoombe2436]

If you think the 70s looked like fun, I grew up in the 50s and 60s. Now that was fun! You were out on the block all day. One restriction was “Don’t go off the block!” That way you could always be called in at mealtime or other family event. We played in the street and when a car (oneway street) turned onto the block we would yell, “Car” and everyone went to the side. We played ball in the street with one manhole cover being home plate, a tree being first base, another manhole being second base and another tree being third base. Telephones were only for adults. If you wanted to play with or talk to a friend you were told to go ring their bell. Kids today miss out on so much. You had to learn to deal with other kids face to face on your own and solve everyday problems in play. You solved it, parents weren’t there to say their kids was right whether it was true or not. You had to learn to deal on your own which was good for later in life.

[@StevenCook-m3z]

Mary must have grown up in the city. I was in the "country" - we were in 3rd housing development in the area, so lots of fields like the one behind our houses to play baseball on; and forests to play "soldier" in; or trees to climb. There were ponds to watch or catch pollywogs and frogs in. I was "spoiled": got to go roller skating at the local rink; bowling on team on Saturdays; as well as baseball, and after 10 years of age, swimming lesson and swim team in lake.

[@marycoombe2436]

@@StevenCook-m3z Brooklyn, NY in fact!

[@c8Lorraine1]

Yep, I’m a 50s/60s kid.

[@marthaajackson]

I grew up in the 70s and that’s pretty much my experience.

[@Mrs.L.44]

I was born in 61 and in my teens during the 70’s. We had so much fun. Riding in the back of pickup trucks was a blast. I lived in a small town and the whole town was our playground. Gangs of children were playing Fox and Hounds over the whole town at night. We were playing football and basketball during the day and swimming everyday in the summer. There was a river with a lock and dam that was our swimming hole. The lock was on the opposite side of the river so we had a 30ft wall to jump or dive from into the river. You had to know where to go off the wall to avoid hidden rocks. We swam through the currents to the island and would push through the currents to go under the waterfall. Interesting, with all that freedom my mother was still able to warn me about what to look out for, or who, to stay safe. It was like she made me street smart without scaring me half to death. We did have a great time back then. Oh, I did have an older brother who fell out of a tree and broke his jaw. It was rough for quite a while but he made it. I loved climbing trees too and was still allowed after that had happened to him. And for context, I am a girl.

[@LawrenceGrant-b6p]

I am a child of the 60s - 70s.I remember all of these things. Falling out of trees, falling off my bike and getting road rash. roaming through the forest all day sometimes miles from home. Mom called us home to dinner with a cowbell. Dad worked nights so we had to be very quiet or go outside, summer or winter. I even broke my leg at school and the secretary took me to the hospital because there was no ambulance. Getting hurt was just part of the fun. We just got up, shook it off, and went back to playing. We were wild, free, and indestructible and it was great.

[@terryjones446]

Grew up in 60’s and 70’s. We did this because Evil Kneivel did it!!

[@darrenblake8990]

I was born in 65 and my brother 66.(18 months apart. in 1977 he and I got into our paper route money, rode our bikes to the local theater and went to see Star Wars. We told mom and dad about it later that night. We didn't ask for permission because we didn't need it.

[@cyndirankin]

Our teachers didnt have to swat us. It only took a phone call. Mom showed up, pulled you out of your chair, and paddled you for the teacher.

[@dawnscheerhoorn9583]

Yes! This was my generation!!❤❤❤❤

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

It's 10 o'clock do you know where your children are 😀

[@SharonJacobs-r2h]

If you were brought up in the 70's our parents spent all or at least part of their childhood during the depression. They learned to be tough in every situation. They passed on to us the same mentality. You just bucked up and faced the music. If you were sent to the principals office, you just prayed with every fiber of your being he wouldn't call your parents. We ALL had chores. No complaints. No one I knew got an allowance for doing them it was just part of life. In the early years, none of us had a watch. Our clock was the street light. When it came on, you'd better be racing home.If mom or dad had to call you from outside your house, (no cell phones needed) you were without a shadow of a doubt already in trouble. We all did it, we all survived it, and we're all the better for it.... They really were "The Good Ole Days"...😊

[@robertnorris9245]

I broke my right arm four times in 1972 and it started with a 65 foot fall from the top of an old oak tree! I crashed my bike that had no brakes going down a long steep hill through a apartment complex sign. I got a really big bump on my head and dislocated shoulder and some cracked ribs and the frame of my bike broke into three pieces! God I miss the 70s!

[@concettaworkman5895]

lol

[@SuePajcic]

The truth is, times changed. We (I) did really dangerous things like jumping off a swing when it was even with the top bar, jumping off stairs about 8ft off the concrete. Teeth went through your bottom lip sometimes and I got injured a lot. But it didn't stop us playing that way. Moms paid attention though. We never played alone. School was strict. And I had teachers who punished us for acting up. Even in Sunday school. The Nuns would hit your palms with a ruler. I guess we were tougher and expected to be hurt sometimes. I still have dirt in my knee from falling off my bike in the alley. Mom picked gravel out etc but we missed some dirt. It wasn't fun but I was back on my bike an hour later.

[@Sisterluck13]

The 70's was an awesome time to grow up... We had a great time. We were definitely built differently. I'm so glad I grew up in the 70's

[@signheart7520]

That merry go round was great, we had one on our back yard and all the kids in the neighborhood loved it. Yes you could fly off but that was just part of life and fun. They were normally just on parks or playgrounds but my dad came across one that was being taken out of a playground and he bought it for us. My sister still has it for her grandkids. We also had roller states that we would put on over our shoes, they were wheel with metal clamps that fit over the shoe with a key to adjust them. You wouod look for the smoothest driveway you go down and hope you didn't hit a crack in the sidewalk

[@kimberlyhicks3644]

We forgot to mention Vacation Bible School. No summer was complete without that. So much fun and the food was yummy!

[@benning138]

True, and the girls were surpringly naughty! Lol! Great memories!

[@OkiePeg411]

VBS was HUGE when I was a kid. It was rural Texas. All moms were stay at home moms. The moms took turns taking all the kids to their church's week of VBS. It was like a day camp. Crafts, learning a musical play, a puppet show,crazy loud singing, we had homemade cookies and soda pop in glass bottles that was ice cold!!! Then, an ice cream supper Friday night where all the parents came to watch our musical play. My mom had a Chevrolet sedan, and there were at least 10 kids piled in the car!!! The rich ranchers family had a neat huge station wagon. There were probably 15+ kids piled in that thing!!! Mother's never worried about a neighbor taking the kids to visit every week. Moms wanted a break from their kids!!! 😆 🤣 😂 My church was a congregation of about 300 on Sunday morning, but VBS had at least 600 kids each day!!!

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

YEP!

[@ms.krueger2660]

Yes I went to two different ones. Had so much fun.

[@recycledapathy7411]

Yep. And where I lived, the local churches would usually get together to schedule their VBS so they wouldn't conflict with each other. I remember some summers where I was in Vacation Bible School more than I was at home, because my mom took us to all of them. And when there wasn't VBS, it was the summer reading program at the library. My dad actually got a snow cone machine, one of the big ones (I still don't know how, I think he made a deal with someone at his job who had one) and every year, we'd haul that thing out of the storage room and the kids all got snow cones. When I was a teenager, I was one of the "teachers" too, though what it really was, was teaching preschoolers the "Jesus loves the little children" song.

[@msskittlez010]

We are just built different. We did all of this and so much more. My brother and our friends from the neighborhood disassembled a shopping cart in our driveway, and made a go cart out of it. We rode our bikes all day, played tackle football, had backyard wrestling matches, and we knew that our rule was to be home before the street lights came on. In the winter (I'm from Ohio, we usually get a lot of snow), we had snowball fights, made a snow mountain so we could play King of the mountain, built some of the biggest snowmen ever, and went sledding on whatever we could find down the biggest hill in the neighborhood. Man, I miss those days. Gen X is built way different.

[@andreadeamon6419]

Hey fellow buckeye. Grew up right out of downtown Cleveland (close to the Christmas story house)

[@andreadeamon6419]

Was born in 67

[@msskittlez010]

​@@andreadeamon6419 That's awesome! I was born in a small town by Cincinnati, but grew up in Cleveland

[@gregcable3250]

Your post reads as though you grew up in my Pittsburgh suburb. All of the same things. Fun as hell.

[@lorendastokes4148]

That's hilarious. we did the same thing with a shopping cart. When my dad bought a new lawnmower, we used the motor from the old mower for the shopping cart/go cart. Every scar has a story, and I wouldn't change that for anything.

[@RonMcDaniel-lh7pu]

Grew up in the 70’s as a teenager. Did things like bicycle tag, kick the can, flashlight tag, shoot BB guns at each other, hitch a ride on back bumper of a car when snow was on the street, throw water balloons at cars during Halloween holiday, jump railroad tracks on a hill with our motorcycles, etc. You name it, we did it!

[@trice5880]

kick the can is hands down one of my most favorite memories. on any given evening we had at least 15 neighborhood kids playing. competition was fierce and fun!

[@kayecaban5324]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s. But, it was very rural. We didn't have running water (hand pump in the kitchen and outside). The handpump gave the best coldest water. Didhave a bathroom or even an outhouse (we were really poor). We had a "slop jar" aka "chamber pot". Working on the farm We used sand to wash our hands when we were outside. During the day we were not allowed to be inside unless it was raining or unusually cold. I got a single swat on my butt at school one time only. My daddy wore my rear-end out. I will never forget what he told me before the spanking: "There is nothing worse than someone else's brat, I'm not gonna let you be someone else's brat." Here in the country it was usual to get your first gun around about 10 years old- always a 22 rifle. Yeah it was a wonderful life. I had never even heard of child abduction till I was 12 years old. I never remember feeling afraid of someone breaking in our homes, heck we didn't ever lock our homes. Yeah, truly wonderful.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

That's right! To this day I don't fear break ins. I lock my door though 😂 I never ever thought of a stranger abduction walking to school by myself. Ever! I wonder what turned people crazy? I actually do know, but it's too deep for this topic on this channel. These days there's plenty of crazies out there.

[@JJ-vt7sh]

I was born in the 1950s and I know of someone who was abducted when I was about 6. He has never shown up in 65 years. We just didn’t hear about it as much. They just assumed he ran away from home with no money or anything else when he went out to walk the dogs.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

@@JJ-vt7sh How awful

[@webbtrekker534]

Milkman use to put our delivery right in the fridge for us.

[@alfreddaniel1994]

We would grab a hold of the merry-go-round and run to pick up speed, and then jump on. Some of us didn't make it. If we fell, we had to wait until it slowed down, and try again. Sometimes, we'd swing on a swing as high as possible, and then jump off. Good times.

[@markrist4238]

My brother was born in '44 and he did all the same things in the '50's. I was born in '53 and I did all the same things in the '60's. My twin brother and I stayed out all day, every day in the summer and the holidays. After school we stayed out until dinner time. In my home my home my parents didn't have rules and we didn't have punishments; only expectations. And we met those expectations. We had a very calm and quiet household. No drama. My parents were fun. So when I got married and had kids we raised them the same way: no rules, no punishments; only expectations. Their now grown with kids they are third generation of raising their kids the same way and run their households the same way. They have very well behaved kids.

[@AlanRussell-l9v]

Older 65+ American male here who grew up in a middle class suburb in New York in the 60's & 70's. There wasn't anything wrong with drinking out of a water hose. It's the same water that came out of the inside faucet. We were physically, psychologically & emotionally much stronger than the over protected wimps raised today, who get devastated by a harsh word or a mean look. The only "safe space" we knew about was behind a tree in a snowball fight. We survived & are better for it. We learned how to endure, how to overcome, how to compete, how to accept failure & how to push ourselves to succeed or do better. We learned about real life. We learned that some had it a whole lot better than us & many had it much worse than us. We learned the universe didn't revolve around us. We learned how to make the best out of difficult situations. We learned how to take responsibility for our actions. We learned that doing stupid or dangerous things might have significant consequences. We were expected to have an imagination. We kept score & we learned how we measured up to others. We learned to always try, that we weren't always going to be the best, that we weren't always going to win & we weren't "special". Second place was sometimes known as 1st looser. We learned that coaches & teachers were going to be tough on us because they expected us to try & give it our best. When things broke we were taught how to fix things or we tried to fix them ourselves. When repairmen came to fix something at the house we were expected ask questions, to watch & learn & help carry or hold things. Sometimes they even let us help. You did what you were told to do by adults - or else! You never expect to be paid for helping neighbors with projects or yard work. We carried pocket knifes. We played out in the rain & mud. We got cut with sharp objects, fell from high places, we got hit in the face with wooden swing seats, burned on hot metal slides, burned when we played with fire or matches, we stepped on nails, got stitches, broke bones, chipped & knocked out teeth & some pretty bad contusions & we survived. Wounds & casts were something to show off the next day in school. You even removed your bandages if you wanted to gross out your classmates. Ask anyone of my age what happens when you squeeze just the front wheel brake on your bicycle, for the first time, going really fast down hill. It's called a life experience that you will only do once. Our parents expected us, as we grew up, to toughen up & deal with things on our own so we would be prepared for all the crap life would throw at us in the future. In my house we were never allowed to use the "F" word - FAIR. We learned life wasn't ever going to be fair, so deal with it. We played tackle football, without any equipment, on rock covered dirt fields that sometimes had bits of broken glass on it. If you fell down your parents often laughed & told you to get up & deal with it. Only when your parents got real quiet & looked really concerned did you begin to worry that maybe you were really hurt. You wouldn't believe what we said to each other. Sure it hurt our feelings, for a while, but we got over it quickly enough. In my opinion, de-masculinization or if you prefer the feminization of our society, at least in regards to raising young males, has lead to many of the problems we face today & I'm not just talking about those in the US. There is a difference between being a masculine male & being an obnoxious thug. Here's a thought, parents, use this as a check list to see what you've kept your kids from experiencing. I hope you all enjoyed my brief walk down memory lane.

[@LouieLouie505]

I am your age. Our parent said their version of these things as did their parents to them. Nostalgia is fun but don’t substitute it for facts. Children now know MUCH more than we did at a similar age. It’s not because they are better than we were but society changed dramatically with the introduction of personal computers and social media making accurate information available almost instantly. Those are things that have not existed in history before and people have adjusted accordingly.

[@AlanRussell-l9v]

Thank you for commenting. What was life in the UK like in the 70's as a kid?

[@amberlong5498]

We actually lived as kids, I now have a 12 year old daughter and I try to give her similar experiences, but I have to force her to put the tablet down so we can get out of the house. It has gotten to the point that I have honestly wished the damn devices were never invented.

[@dessatt]

This! All of this! I Thank you!

[@trice5880]

'Ask anyone of my age what happens when you squeeze just the front wheel brake on your bicycle, for the first time, going really fast down hill. It's called a life experience that you will only do once.' 63 year old here & OMG this just caused a flashback i'd totally forgotten about. luckily i somehow flipped mostly onto grass instead of the road. haven't thought about that in DECADES and just checked: sure enough i still have the (now very faded) scar on my leg. and of course in keeping with times, what did i do? wiped off the blood with my tshirt & got right back on my bike. no running home to mommy; i tried to avoid that mercurochrome whenever possible haha

[@shawnjones1483]

As long as you stayed out of any serious trouble and treated everyone fairly it was pretty much anything goes in the 60s and 70s. Loved this reaction by the way. Oh the memories!

[@timmccoy4875]

We lived in a small town within walking distance from the house and the school was not far either. We played with everyone that lived on our road. We rode bikes, played down by a creek, drank from the water spout outside, played lawn jarts - the metal tipped lawn darts. We jumped home made ramps, we did something called "skeetching" during the winter. We held on to cars and slid along on the ice on the road.

[@claudiayates7621]

The car/ice thing was called pogo in our neck of the woods.

[@Robin52665]

Born in 1965 and absolutely loved growing up in the 70s! I would walk all over town. Hung out at the beach. Jumped my bike over ramps just like the boys. We would do wheelies on our bikes and see how long we could keep it up. Ride on our friends' handlebars. I would see how fast I could go down the block on my bike and see if I could stop before I got to the next street but I had to wreck my bike in order to stop. Fortunately, I only got a scratch out of it. It was a great time to grow up. My kids were raised in the country playing outside in the woods. They played in the mud puddles getting dirty from head to toe. They weren't coddled. Congrats on the 100K subs.

[@davidmacias741]

Definitely remember the all steel play grounds! Fun but dangerous! Im 62 and have alot of great memories.

[@Steve-YT383]

With packed dirt & concrete below😄

[@msp9810]

The schools now have fun raisers so they can buy playground umbrellas or covered equipment to keep the equipment from getting heated buy the sun

[@TheresaHughes-jh4qr]

And the equipment was on hard dirt!

[@michaelfickel]

I built a tree house sixty feet off the ground with rope slides that crossed a creek and little valley. Tarzan swings with extra loops so six kids could jump on. Someone always fell in the swamp. We had miles of countryside and forest to play in. BB gun wars. I was given my first .22 rifle when I was ten. Learned to drive the farm truck and tractor before I was 10. Had my first summer job at 10, pumping gas and checking oil in people's cars. I had to stand on a wooden box to do it and wash their windshields. Be a gopher and garage rat. I was paid $25.00 a week. Great video, thanks.

[@patriciaclark5428]

When our parents would buy a new stove, washer or refrigerator, it was a lucky day for the kids that could score the large cardboard box that it came in. We'd carefully cut it up into several large pieces and take turns sliding down the large grassy hill on it. They were usually good for a couple full days of outside fun.

[@claudiayates7621]

We kept them whole & they transformed into other things...fort, store, spaceship, racecar, coffin (yup), jail...

[@kristic4472]

we survived because we learned to use our bodies and our minds. we learned that if you do it this way you fall and get hurt, if you do it this other way, you don't. We learned balance from climbing trees, climbing walls/cliffs, balancing on fences, or walking on top of the jungle gym. It was a Blast!! Now kids are tied up in bubble wrap, and parents are sue happy if junior gets a scratch so the parks have removed all the challenging toys, and the schools are prohibiting climbing trees.

[@SharonElizabethWhitfield]

Riding in the back of a Pickup Truck is one of the most fun things you can ever do. And I’m not just talking about driving slow around the parking lot. I’m talking about going down the highway with nothing holding us down. We just held on tight with our hands and hollered with excitement.

[@tye8876]

Growing up in the 70's was awesome and the older I get, the more I appreciate my childhood. As a 5 year old going to kindergarten, I had to walk myself 1/4 mile down a gravel road and stand along the busy highway to wait for the school bus to pick me up. Like all latch key kids, I wore a house key on a chain around my neck. After school, the bus would drop me off on the highway and I would walk back home, let myself in, and wait for my parents to come home from work a few hours later. Often times my mom would call before she left work and asked me to start dinner. I was too small to reach the dials on the stove so I had to push a chair up to the stove in order to turn the knob. During the summer, I was home all day by myself not just a few hours. I would wake up after my parents left for work and there was always a blue notepad on the kitchen table with a list of chores I needed to accomplish before they got home: dust, vacuum, do dishes, pick or clean the strawberries & raspberries in the garden, hoe thistles out of the yard. I hated that blue notebook but there was always still plenty of time to ride my bike to my cousin's house 3 miles down the road. They too were home alone all day while their parents worked . . but they had a swimming pool! On hot days, we would call each other and then leave our houses at the same time so we could meet each other half way. All three of us would then ride back to their house while farmer's dogs chased us and nipped at our heels. Wiping out in the loose gravel was common too. We would spend the rest of the day in the pool with zero adult supervision. As 4 pm approached, I would call my mom to let her know where I was and asked her if she could pick me up on her way home. She struggled to fit my bike in the back of her car sometimes but she never complained. Its just what we did.

[@damightyshabba439]

AI, much?

[@frankisfunny2007]

5:58...... my granddad was a geography teacher. He was issued a paddle by the school board. He was a good enough teacher that his forms of punishment were just a stern talking-to, and pranks on the students. Which was acceptable then, and revolutionary for the time when he started! At some point, he even threw the paddle away. A few of his students made a paddle in their shop class. He was that respected! That paddle is still around, 50 years later!

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

I got paddled on more than one occasion and begged them not to call my dad

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

😂😂😂

[@cathyortiz1280]

True. We came home from school (I walked), went in thru the unlocked back door, changed clothes & played outside until dinner time. I loved to ride my bike. Kids are spoiled now! No disciple. The Principal had a paddle with holes in it & dads would use a belt on you if you acted up.

[@GentleRain21]

Warm summer nights when kids gathered to play in the yard after dinner were the best.

[@ct3po776]

Especially if the homemade ice cream machine was loaded up by Grandma! 🤗

[@walkofnails2923]

And we’d catch lightning bugs and put them in glass jars. We’d stab the lid with a screwdriver to make air holes and then let them out when we had to go in

[@ct3po776]

@@walkofnails2923 They're about the only bug I would touch, (rolly pollies) but I stopped putting them in jars, cause I set em by my bed once, but they died, so I just did catch and release from then on!

[@Deedric_Kee]

Hell yeah 👍🏻

[@valeriegiunca6018]

Tether Ball was a must play at school. People would take challenges very seriously. It was a tall pole with a long rope, with a white volleyball at the end. You would hit it back and forth in a half circle (usually) until you achieved the proper points. If the opposite person could not return the ball properly, you gained points. This was played before any of us knew about volleyball.

[@debrahsegal6092]

I played a lot of tether all too. 😊. Handball also.

[@sandyhickey8236]

Yep, I was a kid in the 60's and a teen in the 70's, the best years ever. Did all this and even more. When my kids were born in the 80's I made sure they experienced the same kind of life I had growing up, I didn't allow them to sit inside playing console games as long as there was daylight, we were outside. I would give my eye teeth to go back to those days.

[@artelosfam417]

Saturday morning cartoons was everything! We all watched Little House on the Prairie as a family every week.

[@livelikemateo6951]

This is only a small portion of growing up in the 70’s. I still have the scars from road rash and probably 8 concussions by the age of 10. We had 3 tv stations and a tv that usually required pliers to change the channel after the dial gears were stripped.. We listened to Sunday night radio. Our gaming console consisted solely of Pong when rarely playing indoors. Our metal lunch pales now sell on EBay for up to $1,000 in great condition. Yep BB guns, knifes and even a .22 rifle were all gifts before the age of 10. Fist fights were left in the streets and not something to bother our parents with. All of the memories, priceless!!!

[@juanalucio79]

I was an 80's kid, and we still did a lot of things that were done in the 70s. We explored abandon buildings, collected bugs, and played in sprinklers, and yes, we just put our lunches in little boxes in grade school. I think the food was awesome back then, and it wasn't as expensive as today. For 100 dollars you could get a whole trunk full of groceries, today that's about 1 bag. Bike riding was also fun. I fell off my bike plenty of times and once torn my knee so bad, you could see the bone.

[@LoriAmburn]

I was born in 1962 and grew up in the 70s and loved it. We were always outside and having fun just taking a walk somewhere

[@cyndirankin]

Born in 63 here. Playing in the woods was some of the best times

[@scottthomas3792]

Grew up in the '70s...can confirm most of this. Evel Knevel was a popular stunt man, and you tried to duplicate the stunts with your bike. Tennis ball shooters...made from tennis ball cans and fueled with lighter fluid. A science teacher built one, and shot it out the class window. I lived in a semi rural area and went on a lot of " away missions" exploring places... sometimes 30 to 50 miles from home. Take the patchkit and pump in case you get a flat, and just go. You could pick up deposit bottles out of the ditch on the roadside and make enough money for movies, trips to the used book store and flea market. Go fishing at a nearby pond. Stand on a bridge and watch alligators go by ( Florida). Go out on big-trash day and see what people set out on the curb.... sometimes, you find cool stuff. I had a " Kamp King" pocket knife at 8. The screwdriver and bottle opener were the most useful things on it. What would now be called " urbex"... exploring abandoned or " creepy" places. Most children and teenagers were semi-feral during weekends and summer. It was generally fun.

[@valeriekokenge659]

I grew up in Florida too. Used to walk along the highway with woods on each side and collected bottles so we could go to the Little General and buy soda and penny candy, a nickel candy bar if we collected enough. Candy cigarettes were a favorite. Went fishing at a nearby lake with bamboo poles and bread wads or corn for bait. Played in the woods all the time.

[@scottthomas3792]

@@valeriekokenge659 I didn't grow up there, but lived in a small town outside Orlando ( Goldenrod) for a few years in the '70s....at the time, it was a really nice place. Walking around the orange groves would get you movie money, or enough for a few used books. I rode my bike from Goldenrod to Enterprise and back in a day...I wanted to see the town with the same name as the starship....

[@rachelcody3355]

1970's kid here. I knew how to cook and bake at 8 years old, plus use a knife and the stovem which we had to light with a match. We never jumped over kids on a bike, but we did ride all over the place. We didn't have water bottle, yes we drank from a hose. We also built forts, rode horses, played baseball, had go carts, and often made our own lunches. Not all of us had a lunchbox for school, most carried it in a brown paper bag and got milk at school. Usually peanut butter and jelly with some chips. We also would buy school lunch as well. We also rode in the back of pickup trucks and pretty much never told our folks anything. There was no real parental oversight. We had to learn how to work things out ourselves. Most of us also knew how to treat a skinned up knee ourselves. We did have some basic first aid ability. Kids in the 70's were the first "latch key" kids. Both parents started working and we were kind of on our own. No daycare, babysitters and summer camp was for rich kids. If you wanted money you had to earn it. Sometimes we would gather bottles to recycle, mow lawns, do chores, ect. Nothing was a given. Respect was earned and we did not get a lot of toys. A slinky and coloring book was about it. No video games. We did have board games, cards and dice though.

[@jonstiner3424]

I was born in '65 in the Midwest. And yes, we did all of those things too. But one thing they didn't mention, was "hopping cars" in the winter. When it was cold and snowy, we would "hop cars or trucks" to get to town. That's where you would grab ahold of the rear bumper (they were all metal back then), squat down and slide on your feet behind the car. When you got to where you were going to, you simply let go, sat on your butt and slide to a halt. The international sign for this was, you stood on the side of the road, arms in front of you, palms up, fingers curled like you were gripping something. The driver would either give you a "thumbs up or down" letting you know if it was ok to hitch a ride.

[@Ninjanimegamer]

We did this in the northeast, but we were on skateboards or roller skates. So much fun until an older kid who was drunk ruined it, because when he got badly hurt it became a car accident. The kid ended up in a hospital and the driver had been issued a ticket. It kind of put a damper on car hopping around us. Not to mention there was a family of cops living in our neighborhood. They didn't care who did what until someone got hurt.

[@billrab1890]

I was born in 65 as well and grew up in Connecticut. We also used to hang on the bumpers of cars in the snow. We called it bumper riding. If we weren't throwing snowballs at cars we would hang out at either a stop sign or traffic light and grab onto bumpers of random cars or trucks. Occasionally a teenager from the neighborhood would drive by and tell you to grab the bumper and then they would take you on a death ride fishtailing or drifting around corners or even doing a 180° turn sending you tumbling off onto the road. During the blizzard of 78 that shut down the northeast for a few days myself and three friends climbed up onto the two story high gymnasium of the local elementary school (which every kid in the neighborhood climbed on a regular basis) and repeatedly jumped off into the snowdrifts on the side of the building until the cops came and literally chased us away and didn't catch us I might add. Like was said in the video somehow we survived. Experiences like that growing up helped us develop self confidence, guts, the willingness to take risks and some great stories to look back on and have a laugh.

[@revgurley]

Having grown up in an orange grove in Florida, I spent all day outside climbing trees or tumbling in the yard. When I got hungry, I'd grab an orange off a tree. Thirsty? Garden hose. It's potable water (unless you have a "gray water" system where waste water is used for gardens/yards). Even when parents were trying to protect us, it didn't always work. During the US Bicentennial in 1976 (200 years), my dad got a sparkler for us to "celebrate" with. I think I was 4 or 5. Dad put a huge oven glove on my hand, told me to hold it far away so I wouldn't get burned, and lit it up. Worked great...until I grabbed the burned end with my non-covered hand. Got a massive burn on my palm. Mom & Dad had quite the um, conversation after that. lol One of the best birthdays I had when I was under 10, was inviting my friends over, and we made cookies. But to make it more fun, we decorated aprons with pens and paint, and while those dried, we went around the neighborhood asking for donations - a cup of sugar, an egg, flour - everything to make cookies. We had a walkie-talkie so we split into 2 groups to search the neighborhood and keep updated. When we had everything, we went home, put on our cute aprons, and baked lots of cookies. We then went to every home who had donated and gave them some cookies. It was fun, safe (back then), and a mix between art, baking, and problem solving. At a birthday party. No joke - my husband's grandfather gave him his first pocket knife as a kid. Grandpa said "a gentleman has a pocket knife on them at all times." It is handy if you have to open something. Husband still carries it. Maybe it's a southern US thing? OH! Chicken Pox parties! As a toddler, as soon as one kid got chicken pox (neighbor, schoolmate, friend), they'd have "chicken pox parties" so all the kids would get the disease, as it's easier to fight off as a small kid and there were no vaccines for it yet. We didn't realize what our parents were doing, but having known a man who got chicken pox at age 17, he had it WAY worse than I did at age 3. Now, check out Schoolhouse Rock! Big during the 70s & 80s. Not many reviews of it on KZbin so maybe you could start a trend, you YT superstar!

[@david-dp5om]

I also grew up in the Florida orange groves and did the same thing. got hungry just pick an orange and eat it or if we got thirsty we would just squeeze an orange and drink. we would play in the woods for hours and in the summer when it would rain every day the woods would be more like swamps. I grew up more in the 60's but it was the same as this video. I think that was so cool that you would share your cookies with people that donated to you. Another thing is we never had AC in school and living in Florida it got very hot in May and June.

[@kimberlyhicks3644]

Please do, it would answer SOOOO many questions you have about Americans, our culture and beliefs, even language and schooling. Schoolhouse Rock is CLASSIC Americana.

[@winterprism9227]

Ahhhh, chicken pox parties.. lol I remember well. Also about going around to neighbors houses, Trick or Treating was a whole other world from what it is now... There was no 'checking candy' to see if it was safe to eat/tampered with.. In fact there were a few houses that would always have homemade treats. Popcorn balls in saran wrap was better than getting a full sized candy bar.. There was a house where this old lady lived who always baked chocolate chip cookies and they'd still be warm when you got them.. I 2nd the School House Rock.

[@OkiePeg411]

Mom's wanted their kids to get chicken pox BEFORE they started kindergarten. Or at least before 1st grade. That way, they didn't miss any school. I had older siblings, so one got it, the rest of us got it too. I was the youngest, so I caught it from my brother, who was 18 months older than me. I always felt sad for the kids that got it during school. They were treated like they had leprosy. 5 teachers all looking at the kids' stomach and back.

[@traciemcdaniel3660]

​@@winterprism9227Halloween right!! I remember popcorn balls and caramel apples one lady used to give out. For me, that was in the 60s. Remember scavenger hunts? That was fun too.

[@ninajones1175]

You may not believe this but can look it up. I was raised in Texas and I am 56 years old now. When I was in high school a lot of the guys had hun racks inside the cab of their trucks and would take off with their friends and go hunting after school. Not one school shooter! My brothers got guns at 8-10 years old. First pellet or BB guns but by teens had a 22. All this vid is 100% on point

[@Karen__kamadu]

Born in 71. They missed the roller skates that went on over your sneakers and all the falls and scraped knees from using them on bumpy sidewalks. We got sent outside after breakfast, back in for lunch, then had to be home when the streetlights went on. We were out super late in the summers and our parents had no idea where we were.

[@RyAnneFultz]

You had sidewalks? I'm jealous. I remember those skates were so hard for little kid hands to adjust to fit different shoes, and our rule was that we had to be able to hear Mom calling, but she was REALLY loud, so we could hear her from almost anywhere.

[@lpm67]

we made and took a sandwich and apple for lunch, drank from someones hose or popped into the school to use a fountain, or local river. Sammies were wrapped in greaseproof paper...not plastic or similar

[@andreadeamon6419]

Our brick road was easier to skate on than our sidewalk

[@Karen__kamadu]

@@andreadeamon6419 our street would have been way easier, but it was a busy road, so we weren't allowed to play in it

[@ckokkola1]

How about digging tunnels in a snow bank and snow forts for snowball fights.

[@AlanRussell-l9v]

Older 65+ American male here. This was probably your the most enjoyable reaction video for me because of all those that took the time to share their stories. Thank you all for your memories & stories. Hey, all you others from the UK & Europe, what was it like for you in the 70's???

[@robebanks5054]

So much fun,we built rope bridges and platforms 20 feet in the air,we swam in rivers and lakes,we ate fruit straight from the tree without washing them.we made bows and shot arrows at each other lol we went through the pain but we laughed so much and no one was allowed on their own as we all stuck together and no one was excluded even if they were annoying.

[@goforit7595]

@@robebanks5054 Our favorite snacks when we were playing outside was eating pecans that fell from the trees and drinking the honey out of the honey-suckles.

[@amberlong5498]

lol yeah, and we also ate black berries and mulberries from the yard and got pin worms for not washing them. Ate peaches and apricots that weren't ripe and were sick as dogs .Lol we learned the hard way, but we learned. @@goforit7595

[@malinda1972]

​​@@goforit7595 Omg. I remember that. My grandparents had pecan trees in their yard and there was honeysuckle everywhere. I am +50 American female. Things are so different these days. I am just trying to figure out how today's kids are going to survive when they realize how life really is. Lol

[@lauriloo38c]

As a little girl in the 70s, I had a metal swingset. One time, I was swinging really high and slipped off the metal seat. I flew into the air and hit the ground sitting up. The metal seat swung back and hit me right in the back of the head. I went inside the house crying and my mom told me to go take a nap, the exact opposite thing you’re supposed to do with a head injury. I woke up with my pillowcase full of blood and we didn’t do anything about it but I got to enjoy at least a week of picking the scabs off of my scalp 😂

[@SKEC212]

He forgot to mention climbing trees, going to the neighborhood swimming pool, playing basketball in the driveway and just wondering around exploring further than your parents wanted.

[@RickyB-u4s]

Did all of that plus going creeking and riding behind a car on snowy days.

[@pauladuncanadams1750]

Yep. The municipal pool was just around the corner from our house. Every year, I had a season pass. I would walk over there when it opened and leave late in the afternoon. Most days, I wouldn't eat lunch, just swim all day and be starving by the time the pool closed. But sometimes, I would get so hungry that I couldn't take it and had to go home and eat a sandwich, then head back. I swam so much that my skin pruned. I've always loved the water.

[@pauladuncanadams1750]

We had an apple tree in the back yard that I used to climb and jump over the fence to the Little League Baseball Field. I would fly kites back there, too. I would cut through the park and the fairgrounds to get to the pool. There was a place on top of the ticket booth at the fairgrounds that I used to climb up to and hide out when I wanted to be alone. I could see the world but it couldn't see me.

[@Eniral441]

I lost my first tooth falling out of a tree. There was a very tall tree where we lived, and the branches were cut high (I think to keep kids out of it). The older kids nailed planks of wood on the tree so they could climb it. I was 4, and the other kids didn't want me to play with them. So when they all went home, I attempted to climb it. I fell and caught my front tooth on the head of a nail that was sticking out. I no longer remember hitting the ground. Catching my tooth on the nail was more traumatic to me, I think.

[@pauladuncanadams1750]

@Eniral441 I went to the playground by myself. I think it was the summer between kindergarten and first grade. We lived about a block away from the playground, which was also connected to the fairgrounds and municipal pool on one side and the ball park on the other. In between was a huge grassy area with lots of picnic tables and plenty of grass to play games on. The morning that I went, no one was there, so I climbed the big kids slide instead of the little one. The big slide had a bar across the top. Getting bored of just sliding, I decided to grab the bar before sliding and do a flip over it as I was sliding down. The first time went great. I did a flip over the bars and then slid down the slide. I had been very careful because I was nervous, but then I got sloppy. The second time, I climbed up the ladder very fast. I did my flip, but I was off balance and cocked to one side. I fell from the top of the slide onto the ground. I was physically OK except for one minor problem, I couldn't breathe! I had never had the wind knocked out of me before, and there was absolutely no one around to tell me what had happened. I thought that I was dying. Without any idea what to do, I just started heading down the path towards the ballpark and the open field behind my house, where I used to fly kites. I wasn't going to make it home before I died of asphyxiation, but at least someone might find me.

[@winterman63]

Had a blast as a teen in Chicago in the 70s. The 70s were amazing.

[@ChuckHuffmaster]

70s was the best decade to be a teenager especially in Texas where the legal drinking age was 18, I was able to get in any bar , club or strip club in Dallas my entire senior year

[@fermisparadox01]

​@user-nr5ux7gr2g Yeah, me and some buddies would go to strip clubs our senior year. We would tell the younger students and they were hanging on every word.😂😂😂😂😂

[@HankD13]

If my childhood happened today my parents would have arrested. I grew up in Kenya and my brother and I would vanish for the whole day riding our bikes out in the bush - with all its attendant fauna. We all had air rifles and it could get very free for all. We had "firework" parties - throwing serious bangers at each other all night in battle Royals! We would spend days at the pools, unsupervised by any adults, or sailing on the "dambo" in a couple tiny sailboats. One friend had a surgeon for a father and a lot of "repairs" happened thanks to him - spear gun shot through the foot - was a more memorable one. Cuts, scrapes and the odd tooth being knocked it was normal. We hunted poisonous snakes, cobra and mamba included, to "sell" to friends at school. We thrived, we really did.