Whether we like it or not, children of younger generations are growing up in a very different era from us. The foods people ate back in the day were different, the music wasn’t quite the same and the clothes were certainly … interesting.
Many argue the times were simpler, with a lot of people pointing the finger at parenting techniques of the younger generation. To say it’s evolved somewhat would be an understatement.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, kids were treated like kids and in most households, were living independently by 20. Getting to adulthood meant some different parenting styles – some that wouldn’t be deemed appropriate by today’s standards. Starts at 60 is looking back at some of the things parents did back in the day that wouldn’t sit well with the PC police of today.
In the days where kids would spend hours playing in the backyard with other kids in the neighbourhood, it wasn’t uncommon for parents to allow kids to drink water from the garden hose. The last thing your mum probably wanted was a bunch of kids pestering her every five minutes for a glass of water.
It’s unlikely a modern parent would allow this, what with all the chemicals leaching out of the hose plastic. But when we were growing up, there was nothing better than a refreshing sip out of the hose on a hot day when you’ve been out riding your bike or running wild.
Speaking of backyards, remember when your parents would literally lock the door and wouldn’t allow you to come home until dinnertime? If you got bored of your own backyard, there were plenty of other children in the neighbourhood to visit or adventures to be had. “Stranger Danger” wasn’t really a thing back then, so parents didn’t fear letting their kids run off for hours at a time.
Of course, video games and the internet weren’t even invented back then, so there wasn’t really anything all that interesting to do inside to begin with. Letting children play in the streets without parental supervision would probably be considered neglect by today’s standards, but it kept our own parents sane.
When family outings did happen, it was often an excuse for us to invite other friends and kids along for the adventure. This often meant sneaking people in the back of a car or wagon. It was fun at the time, but no one wore seatbelts. With road safety rules tighter than ever, it’s probably a good thing this isn’t encouraged these days.
While we hated our parents at the time for it, many Baby Boomers thank their parents for giving them a hiding if they misbehaved. They’re not the best memories and many modern parents refuse to smack their children, but it was the norm for over-60s.