Posted on 03/15/2025 12:11:33 PM PDT by DallasBiff
Coming home to an empty house, managing homework without reminders, and making your own snacks wasn’t just part of the routine—it was the training ground for life. Boomer latchkey kids didn’t have helicopter parents hovering over every decision, which meant they developed character traits that today’s hyper-scheduled kids might never experience. Independence wasn’t a choice; it was the default setting.
While some might call it “neglect,” those solo afternoons shaped resilient, resourceful adults with a unique blend of grit, adaptability, and unshakable confidence.
(Excerpt) Read more at retirely.co ...
lol. Us kids loved it when we were alone. I loved being alone. All you hear today is the need for “me time”. What kind of kid pines for mommy or daddy when the are by themselves? The ones who are raised by helicopter over protective parents.
Of course it was a miracle any of my younger siblings survived this alone time.
Dirt clods and a drainage ditch, true gifts for boys, about as good a playground as boys can get.
I mostly learned about music. With unfettered access to my mom’s library I had a lot of fun. And I learned not to like people, people would interrupt the music.
Boomers didn’t have remotes.
Kids didn’t have convenience foods? What were the little kids cooking for themselves?
Boomers were outdoors anyway, TV was for evenings and Saturday morning.
“ Kids didn’t have convenience foods? What were the little kids cooking for themselves?”
No boomer was cooking for themselves in an empty house after school
There was not a lot of eating between meals. We were all skinny. Seriously.
Yes, because a lot of Boomers’ parents were divorced, like my brothers and I.
I was taught various ways (pre-microwave) to reheat left overs. In recent years I’ve rediscovered the pan fry reheat method, it’s actually really good and lets you basically reinvent the food, with various things to simmer in and spices it can actually be quite fun, and rescue the occasional bad meal.
“ There is some cross over of course but most people seem to think everyone born before 1990 was a Boomer.
They were not.”
Boomers are by definition the children of WWII fighters
The tail end is debatably 1959. Period.
Were some BOOMERS "latchkey kids"? Yes, but not many. It was a very different time and one that was very "child centered", as had been several previous generations.
Are you female? A lot of boomers wanted to eat between school lunch at 11:30 and mom getting home about 6:00 or 6:30.
Late boomer (early 60’s). Mom was stay at home until Iwas about 11-12 when she decided to do her own thing. It became my favorite tome of day, coming home to an empty house, having friends over, snacking, watching tv.
Mom and dad came home about 6. Loved that 3 hours of freedom.
That is a sad thing. Mine stayed married the whole time. After I graduated from high school my mother killed herself.
“””” so no,the vast majority of BOOMERS would NOT be using them as you claim.””””
LOL, I didn’t say that and read the thread about the microwave usage.
As far as “boomers”, I’m not even sure why the writer chose to use the word boomers.
We lived in shall-town America where my dad ran a small jewelry store while mom stayed home and raised five kids.
Our house wasn’t Ozzie Nelson or Ward Cleaver-level but it was nice enough, but there were three meals a day, and later in my childhood we were able to afford two cars and an occasional family vacation.
My point is that there was a time in America when one income could support a family quite nicely, while one parent (usually the mom) was able to provide a safe haven for the children and a set of rules and morals to live by.
It really wasn’t that long ago.
Too bad it’s only a memory.
Right.
A mustang was something like $2700 and the radarange was $400.
An internet calculator says thats about $4500 today.
Imagine someone trying to sell someone a machine to warm a cup of coffee for $4500 today.
You would really need to question that persons fiscal responsibility. Certainly not anything a blue collar had at home.
The boomer generation is that born from 1946 to 1964.
Yes. All those things. In retrospect it was a fun childhood. The only thing I regret is that I never took up karate or became a black belt. That would have helped out.
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