this ...the coolest photo...
Posted on 04/18/2015 5:32:00 PM PDT by Daffynition
Mommyshorts.com asked their readers to submit childhood throwback pictures from the 70's and 80's. Judging by these pictures, it's a miracle the generation survived. Here are 20 things parents did back then that would be considered completely questionable today:
{snip pix at source]
(Excerpt) Read more at distractify.com ...
I remember most of those practices in the pics and somehow we and our kids survived.
Now so called “free range parents” are getting arrested or being hassled.
I HATE the term “free range parents!”
When I was some young age, probably about 10, I started riding the bus to downtown Houston to watch the street life.
I learned about the winos, the legless men on their push boards, (the precursor to the skateboard), I would watch as things started unfolding for me and the patterns developed of all the under life that lives in the downtown of a major city.
I knew where the whore houses were, behind the nondescript door of the cheap hotels and learned how the elevator operators worked as front men, I watched all the wheeling and dealing of taxi drivers and businessmen and street hustlers.
As you sit on a bench for hours, invisible to the grown ups and watching, you see all kinds of things and connections, and interactions, and people pretending spontaneous contact with a stranger passing through the zone, and the little scams and all kinds of things that are not obvious at first.
We got to go anywhere we wanted, the rule was that we weren’t allowed to go alone but there were 6 of us living next door to a family of 10 so being alone was actually a hard thing to do and of course, we had to have permission.
We went to the park, to the pool, the movies and downtown, to our friend’s houses.... When we were older we walked to school sporting events.
That needs to be done to Barak AND Michelle.
In 7th grade, my best friend’s parents let him buy a car with money that he saved up. A ‘64 Belvedere with a V8, purchased for $300. Ran great. He lived on a dead-end street, and we would drive it up and down the street after school. That was the most fun that I can recall from childhood.
lol. My aunt Millie beat her sons with a WOODEN SPOON when they were bad. I saw it. It was brutal. I didn’t get hit because i wasn’t her son :) One is CEO of a technology company, one is Partner in a Very prestigious law firm, one is the head of Audio Video technology at a prestigious Investment bank. Their salaries make me sick and I make a good salary. They treat their mother like GOLD. Go figure. She would have lost them to the state now and they would probably be criminals.
Everything turned out fine except that our favorite horse had a heart attack while my son was on his back, luckily he jumped off before the horse fell over dead. They were pretty traumatized about that and just took the saddles off all the horses and left them and walked off the mountain.
We used to go hiking in the mountains by ourselves.
‘Mom! I’m going on a 3-mile hike alone thru the woods, up a ravine, over a tall sheer-cliff waterfall, and back up a stream thru the neighbor’s back yard without their permission!”
“OK, have a good time.”
I was driving, by age 14. Dad would roll up his jacket to boost me *higher* on the seat so I could see over the dash.
Any farm kid drives much sooner.
When our oldest was 8 we bought an old Scout for $75 and they drove it around the farm.
Around here a lot of kids had cars because they lived several miles from the bus stop and they just drove there, parked the car , got on the bus and then drove it back home every afternoon.
It was pretty much the same with us except we lived in a rural area in the middle of nowhere.
My oldest Brother liked to “go exploring” which was nothing more or less than us going on hikes. We had a great old dog who would always lead and who would find any snakes before we got to them.
I did not like to go unarmed. I had a .22 rifle but for some reason did not carry it. Probably too heavy. I had watched “Robin Hood” and noticed some of his merry men carried staffs so I always had one with me. Actually I still always carry one when hiking.
It was great times. Mother would lean out the door and call when Dinner (lunch to many of you), or Supper was ready.
Mine was Knotts Berry Farm..about same age.
Ms Sydney Leathers of New York City is available for such ‘private consultations’. so long as you don’t mind the whole world finding out about it on her Twitter Page. She even brings her own ping pong paddles.
You had a TV? Geeee.
Our dad [an engineer] told the family that when TVs became readily available....he wasn’t *sure they would catch on*. Heh. Of course, dad was always rights. Only TV we ever saw, was at someone else’s house. I swear, we were the last people in our town to get one.
Heck, we didn’t spend anytime indoors sitting.....we were always out....and we stayed out! [’til dark]
Same. We were definitely “free range kids”. And yea, I hate that term. I had 3 brothers. Next door neighbors were 4 boys. Down the street were 2 brothers and next door to them were 3 brothers. So, we had some great ballgames! As I look back though, I kinda think my parents were a little too...lenient? Maybe Mom was just glad to have us out of the house? Whatever. I wouldn’t change it for the world. Had a fantastic time growing up. Making your own decisions, and mistakes, I think really helps you as you grow into your late teens and twenties and on up in life. If you have someone telling you what to do and when and how to do it all the time, then when you finally have to make your own decisions you don’t have enough experience to do it.
Know what I mean?
Nice whitetail!!!
When I was 14 my mom would drop me off down at the river at noon, with a bag of duck decoys and a 12 gage. She would pick me up at dark and take me home to clean ducks.
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