Non clicky Poll for Everyone

JOEBunny

So what did your parents do when you were growing up that would get them roasted on the board?

My parents let us walk alone on the beach by the time we were about 5 and 7.  We had our own little boat at 7 and 9 and took it out alone at the lake. 

shouldbworkin

I was riding my bike around the block alone by 5 y/o.  Riding it up to the corner drug store by 7 (with my older sister).  Lots of spanking in our house too, but no spatulas were used at least.

CleoKitty

Would leave us all in the car for what seemed like FOREVER while she went grocery shopping or ran other errands. I'm from a huge family, so there would always be a ton of kids in the van screaming, fighting, and hitting each other while she was inside the store. It was miserable and just thinking about it now makes me cringe.

ETA: They also used to have us come home from school and stay alone until they got home from work (often quite late.) By the time I was in 4th grade I was stuck at home alone with my younger siblings for hours each day. And again, the fighting between us was horrible. Full-on slapping, hitting, biting...very brutal. 

OctoberBrideNYC

We played outside by ourselves from about 5 years old on in the neighborhood.  We'd take our bikes and my mom wouldn't see us until dinner time. I would never do that, but different times, I guess.  We sure had fun, though. 

SumnerBride

Both of my parents worked full time, and apparently my parents were pretty poor back in the day, so I remember being 7 years old, and bring my brother (5 at the time) home from school, letting us in the apartment, and staying there ALONE until my parents got home from work.  So, we were alone from about 3pm to almost 6pm.  Makes me shudder to think what could've happened to us during those hours alone.

karen6784

My cousin and I would take the city bus to the mall by ourselves (6-7 grade).  The mall was 15 miles away!  We also walked everywhere..to places that were far away (4-5miles)

Our neighbohood was very different then, it was safe and everyone watched out for one another.  Now southside (Scranton, PA) is a disaster area.  I wouldn't do any of those things today without a gun!

gracendantho26

Ummm a gazillion things. They were 21 when they had my sister in 1969 and then me, their youngest, in 1974 so they were young and raising kids in the early 70's = intresting combo! Carseats were ummmm sort of optional and we were able to lay down in the back seat without seatbelts on for the longest time. We also used to sit in the back of my dads Ford truck and pass him Bud Lights from the back to drink while on road trips (and no he never ever got drunk..just one or two). We were able to roam the neighborhood freely at my DDs age. I could go on and on. My parents are great people and when I was my DD's age I had so much fun because they were pretty kick back but I think they'd get into some hot water for a lot of it now.

KoriBrett

I was about 7 ish and I'd ride my bike through UofMich campus alone to my friend's dad's barber shop.  We'd meet up there, sweep his floors & wash his windows for icecream money, and ride bikes all over campus.  As long as we didn't cross the diag we were good. 

Mom sent me to the corner store (sgt peppers for the A2 girls lol) for cigarettes a couple times.  I was, again, 7 or 8 pushing my baby sister in a stroller buying ciggies for mom.  She sent a note with me & they knew us.  But still.. heh.

docmay25

We hardly ever had sunscreen on, even at the beach. 

 We were allowed to walk a few miles on a main street (had sidewalks) to the local drugstore. 

We drove our bikes all around the neighborhood and didn't have to come home until dark.  It was a large neighborhood and my mom had no idea what we were doing and most of the time she was at work.  I was a latchkey kid and my older sister watched us.

 

KrisBriMcBunny

1. rode bike alone around the block at 6yrs old
2. lots of spanking & soap in the mouth
3. took the rowboat out by ourselves way out of sight at 8 yrs old
4. no seatbelts
5. rode in the back of a pick up truck
6. had to walk 3 blocks to the bus stop & no parents were visable
7. no limit on tv...cartoons were the best back then
8, no limit on HFC or anything sugar
9. Kool-Aid
10. We went all over the place all day long without telling them where we were exactly at all times.  We just had to be home in time for dinner and/or when the street lights came on.

DandelionMom

It was a rare occasion but I can remember when there were more kids than seatbelts so two kids would "double up" in one seatbelt.  I can just imagine the drama that would cause on the nest!

Dimplz

CleoKitty:

Would leave us all in the car for what seemed like FOREVER while she went grocery shopping or ran other errands.

Yeah when I was a kid, I had a choice. Do I want to come into the store or wait in the car? I often would wait in the car, listen to the radio and play with the cigarette lighter! LOL.

For DH, starting at 2nd grade, he walked home from school and was home alone until his parents got home from work.

npeacock

We drove ATV's when we were little (like 7 or 8).

Jodi&Joe

Well, aside from the abuse and the driving drunk ALL THE TIME with us in the car...I'll just reference the "normal" stuff.

My mom had an in home daycare and we were allowed outside by ourselves all the time (from the time I was 4 or so).  Then again, I do that now with my kids so......

We rode in the car with no car seats....and would argue over who got to ride on the "hump" in the middle of the back seats.

Rode on snowmobiles with no helmets.

Rode our bikes with no helmets....whereever we wanted to (starting at around 5).

Kids (these days) are NOT equipped to handle these things.  They are WAY more immature at 5 than we were.  I can't imagine Joey being out riding his bike around the neighborhood, and he is five.  BUT he is 5 in 2010.....not 5 in 1981.  TOTALLY different.

xbrooklyngrl

this may take a while...lol

ToledoDeux

I rode my bike everywhere by myself when I was about 7.  I remember that we moved then and I took off to explore the new neighborhood - was gone for a looooong time and mom didn't bat an eye.

I was also a latch-key kid pretty early and was allowed to use the stove by 6 - would make myself a can of soup when I got home if my brothers and sister weren't home yet.  Yikes.

Friday nights I would freeze a huge plastic cup of kool-aid and then eat the whole thing with a spoon while I watched Saturday morning cartoons.  That was my breakfast.  lol.

camrude

1. no carseats

2. riding in the back of pickup trucks (not on major highways, but to/from the country neighbors)

3. spanked

4. soap in the mouth

5. I never owned a bike helmet

6. my sister and I loved winter because my dad would tie the sled behind our pony and he would take us for a ride (without helmets of course)

lildevil968

1. Making us pick our switch, and spanking us with it.

2. Spanking us with whatever they could get their hands on at the moment (fly swatters, high heels, remotes, etc)

3. I had an accident when I was 3 and I was taken outside in the back yard, stripped down, and pressure washed.

4. Letting us stay outside by ourselves until the sun went down, and the street lights came on!

 

grja

I got nothing, my childhood was pretty much what it is these days.

Mom stayed at home, so we were never home alone. She drove us to school and picked us up each day. We lived on a small cul-de-sac with all families, so we'd all ride our bikes around with parents sitting on their front steps socializing/watching us. We had playgroups, tupperware parties, block parties, pretty boring IMO.

gracendantho26

ToledoDeux:

I rode my bike everywhere by myself when I was about 7.  I remember that we moved then and I took off to explore the new neighborhood - was gone for a looooong time and mom didn't bat an eye.

I was also a latch-key kid pretty early and was allowed to use the stove by 6 - would make myself a can of soup when I got home if my brothers and sister weren't home yet.  Yikes.

Friday nights I would freeze a huge plastic cup of kool-aid and then eat the whole thing with a spoon while I watched Saturday morning cartoons.  That was my breakfast.  lol.

This is genius!! I used to looooove to do stuff like this and this and my kids are into it too.

LeisureSuitLauren

-We used to ride in the back of my Dad's truck all the time.

-We also rode/drove snowmachines very young at very high speeds with my parents.

-My parents used to bring us to a bar every Friday night from like 7-11 and then they drove us home.

FWIW my Dad is an attorney, and my mom is an elementary teacher, but we grew up a town with <1000 people in rural VT and certain things were, well acceptable.

ETA: Oh and we would take family walks on the railroad tracks because it was the only place clear of snow for many months of the year.  I remember running into the woods when the trains would come through.

DevonPow

My dad drove a Porsche Turbo - car seats didn't work in it, so they put me in the back seat in a moses basket when they used that car. Only a few times, so he claims.

My dad would zip me into his back pack (head out, of course!) and ride his bike down the Pacific Coast Highway with me in the backpack (no helmets on anyone, naturally)

I definitely was able to wander the neighborhood at will from a young age - 5 maybe?  I was also dropped off at the country club by myself at 7 or 8 - I had to get to my tennis lessons on my own, then just hung out at the pool with my (also unsupervised) friends all day. There was a lifeguard, though!

DevonPow

Oh, and on long car trips they would fold the back seat down and my sister and I would lay in the back in sleeping bags.

I am sure there are many, many, many more.

AnnapolisLari

Geez. It was the 70s. Pick something.

Rode in the 'way back' of the station wagon or the back of dad's van with no seatbelts, let alone car seats.

Were out playing from dawn until dusk, and no one worried about being abducted.

We had a pool, and I don't remember any flotation devices other than the pool chaise and some inner tubey things.

I have to agree with Jodi that kids were more independent at a younger age than kids are now. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Temp108743750006959

A lot.

We used to play "Dolly" in the back seat. We'd kneel and make ourselves 'floppy' and wherever the car went, we went.

Tons and tons of second hand smoke.

Time alone in hot cars.

Buy cigs for mom.

Bike ride till dusk.

Lots of dad-driving-drunk.

Walked the railroad tracks at age 7.

 

Dimplz

Oh I forgot to add I used to sit in my dad's lap while he was driving and he'd let me steer. That was so much fun!

Marce921

At 1 1/2 yrs old, I would ride on the center console in my mom's corvette, standing mind you.

At 3, I would be in the neighbor's backyard (that butted up to our backyard) playing on the swingset or the sandbox while my mom was in the house doing other things.

wellfleet04

Mostly car related stuff--staying alone in it, not using car seats, sitting in the way back with the seats folded down playing cards with my brother while we drove, etc. We stopped having a babysitter on the *rare* nights that my parents went out when we were in 2nd and 3rd grade.  We were TERRIFIED to be alone but wanted to be big kids so we never told our parents that we would huddle together in front of the tv until we heard their car.

I don't think it was bad that my brother and I could ride our bikes (with helmets!) to the playground or around the neighborhood, and I plan to give my kids that type of freedom even though it doesn't seem to be the norm anymore.

My mom was ahead of her time with the healthy diet stuff.  We always had carob instead of chocolate (barf!), no candy, whole grain nasty bread, no Fluff, etc.  My brother and I went NUTS at college when we could finally eat junk.  

springfallwed

Was "put" outside in the Summer early morning and not allowed to come back in until dark; unless we had to use the bathroom. (Myself & 4 cousins). Lunch was served at whichever house (there were 3) and we ate it outside. Until I was 7, when we got dropped off at the town pool with, of course, no adult. 3 of us, 7, 9 and 10, dropped off at noon and picked up at 5:45 when it closed. The lifeguard would call me over during every hour to reapply my sunblock for me and my cousin's were responsible for making sure I got the shampoo out of my hair. Looking back, there were never any mom's there, except the ones with the babies or the ones trying to get a tan.

FWIW, I grew up in the country and the town pool was a real small town, the lifeguard was a distant cousin; but seriously, what a pain in the rear for him.

Chrisy-Wyobride

Keep us in the car while they went in the mall, grocery shopping, etc.  Put down the bed in the back of the van & let us sleep/play back there (obviously no seatbelts).  I babysat from the age of about 8.  I walked home from school, the park, everywhere alone by 7 or 8.  Played outside unsupervised from practically in diapers.  Played around water, w/ fishing stuff (hooks, lures), etc from the age of 6 w/out supervision.  Oh yeah & my Mom smoked all the time--in the house, car, etc.  She did that until I was 10.  And most of my summers were spent at the Country Club pool my years from 4-10yrs old--My Mom would just drop us off in the morning & pick us up several hours later.  We got to know the lifeguards very well--LOL!

Chrisy-Wyobride

KoriBrett:

I was about 7 ish and I'd ride my bike through UofMich campus alone to my friend's dad's barber shop.  We'd meet up there, sweep his floors & wash his windows for icecream money, and ride bikes all over campus.  As long as we didn't cross the diag we were good. 

Mom sent me to the corner store (sgt peppers for the A2 girls lol) for cigarettes a couple times.  I was, again, 7 or 8 pushing my baby sister in a stroller buying ciggies for mom.  She sent a note with me & they knew us.  But still.. heh.

LOL!  I lived on Packard & went to Sgt. Peppers a few times for smokes & condoms--ha ha 

hikerbeth

I was babysitting for my siblings when I was 9.