Anyone else remember those toys that used to shoot toy missiles (I'd like to say it was a GI Joe toy but could be wrong). Apparently, those fuckers took out a couple of toddlers and they ended up gluing all the shootable missiles into place before resuming sales.
The late 70's and early 80's were a great time to be a kid.
I got my head caught in one of these turnsiles when I was five or six years old at a place called The Enchanted Forest, and the fire department had to get me out:
I got my head caught in one of these turnsiles when I was five or six years old at a place called The Enchanted Forest, and the fire department had to get me out:
Bahaha!
Up in Lake George? I think the diving horse is still there.
In the summer could be gone all day and only had to be home for dinner. In many ways it was a safer time back then even with all of those dangers. It is a much more dangerous world now IMO. Who would have thought of all of the shootings in schools back in that time.
I mean, we had a world that was all our own back then
We'd build forts back in the woods from scrap wood, back where no one else ever went and spent so much of our time there. We'd play in the creeks, climb trees, set off firecrackers. All of our parents would get arrested in today's world.
we used to have fireworks war. We used to shoot Roman candles at each other. We also used to get those yellow wiffle ball bats with the small hole up top and used them for shooting bottle rockets at each other because they allowed us to aim better.
The day after we moved into our new house, my dad pushed me out the door and told me "Get on your bike and go out and make some new friends", and that was it. I didn't come home for hours because I did meet some kids to play with. In 1984 there were always kids running around the neighborhood. Now? You never see kids younger than 12 or so roaming around without their parents.
Or is there so much media coverage and awareness of every damn bad thing that happens that we're more aware of it now?
There were child kidnappings back then too, I just don't think they got anywhere near as much attention (or when they did, maybe they didn't go much past the local region where the kidnapping occurred). If the metrics are to be believed, we're living in safer times (less crime, less violent crime).
RE: I mean, we had a world that was all our own back then
We'd build forts back in the woods from scrap wood, back where no one else ever went and spent so much of our time there. We'd play in the creeks, climb trees, set off firecrackers. All of our parents would get arrested in today's world.
Yeah we did the same building forts with whatever scrap building materials we could find. We used to dig these big wholes and tunnels put wood on top and cover them up with dirt on top.
It was great fun for playing war. I wouldn't trade my 70s child hood for any of today's technology driven youth
The day after we moved into our new house, my dad pushed me out the door and told me "Get on your bike and go out and make some new friends", and that was it. I didn't come home for hours because I did meet some kids to play with. In 1984 there were always kids running around the neighborhood. Now? You never see kids younger than 12 or so roaming around without their parents.
Exact same story, almost word for word. When we moved to a new house, same thing.
During the summer my parents would push me outside and tell I wasn't allowed to stay inside.
Steve, that's the misconception that has fueled the helicopter parent thing. If you grew up in the time from the mid-'60s through the end of the '80s, the world you lived in was much more dangerous with much higher crime rates. This is a much safer time than it was when I was a kid, but because of 24 hour media sensationalism, people perceive it as being more dangerous.
We'd build forts back in the woods from scrap wood, back where no one else ever went and spent so much of our time there. We'd play in the creeks, climb trees, set off firecrackers. All of our parents would get arrested in today's world.
Agreed. I am 49. I was 10 in 1975. Best summer of my life. We went out for the whole day in the neighborhood, coming back for lunch and the dinner. There was a park with a creek we used to go to. Or play ball. Build forts. Climb trees. Ride bikes. If it was raining, we'd play board games. And all without the Internet or video games.
1) Skitching
2) Snow Skitching (Ah, so fun)
3) Sledding Hills of the 70's and 80's were ummm, a tad more treacherous than the gently sloping roped off hills people go to now. Oh, and a wooden sled with metal blades to separate you from your digits.
4) Hitchhiking. My parents were divorced. My dad worked. How did I get to baseball practice in 4, 5 and 6 grade? Why I hitchhiked of course.
5) Remember the home chemistry sets? You know, the ones filled with all kinds of acids and Lye? Ka Blam!!
That's a great point. I've often argued that. My wife is especially protective and I point out variations of this argument. then again, a lot of my wife's philosophies are born out of her being a sexual abuse victim as a young child.
there are millions and millions of children in this country
How many get shot in school? An infintesmal number. You might as well obssess about avoiding lightning strikes. In any case, I'm not seeing the connection between helicopter parenting and school violence.
BTW, the deadliest incident of school violence in American history was the Bath School disaster in 1927.
I think they outlawed them because some would bust and blinded some kids. Never had one burst but hey certainly busted up your wrists and hands pretty good.
But it's pretty much indisputable that pre-internet/cell phone technology and post-internet/cell phone technology times are completely different animals.
Look, if you didn't live in it, you can't possibly understand, and that's not a slight against anybody that came after, it's just a truth.
helmets on bicycles, we routinely did stunts in the street. ALONE! With no parents! Or parents watching us have fun and enjoying it.
During the Evel Kneival era, we would make a ramp out of cinder blocks and a 2x4 and do jumps in the street. We'd get arrested for allowing our kids to do that today.
the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I dunno..I'm 31. I think my generation is the last one that got to play outside.
every day in the summer and every weekend until them I hear the sounds of the neighborhood kids (mine included) playing street hockey, football, baseball, basketball, skateboarding, fighting, whatever.
maybe it's neighborhood dependent. Where I live 90% of the houses are younger families all with kids within a few years of each other.
It's similar to when I was growing up in a lot of regards.
Of course we parent differently now though.
Now, my biggest fear is something happens to my kids. many parents feel similarly, but that doesn't mean your kids stay inside all day. Sure, we know where our kids are now and they wear bike helmets and seatbelts, but it's because of what we know now that we didn't then or didn't really understand the options then.
RE: from the clickbait on the same page, old adverts
helmets on bicycles, we routinely did stunts in the street. ALONE! With no parents! Or parents watching us have fun and enjoying it.
During the Evel Kneival era, we would make a ramp out of cinder blocks and a 2x4 and do jumps in the street. We'd get arrested for allowing our kids to do that today.
I mixed together a bunch of random stuff and it ended up exploding and turned part of our deck blue.
I went looking for a chemistry set for my son and I didn't realize how tame they had all become. My set from when I was a boy had all kinds of stuff with it that you could do about anything with. Likely dangerous sure, but it was a blast to experiment with!
Do you ever see children younger than 13 or so playing on the streets of your neighborhood without an adult in sight? Highly unlikely. It was ubiquitous prior to the early '90s. Or as the linked article mentions - how many of us were left alone in a vehicle while mom ran into the store for a few minutes? That will literally get you arrested now.
so I remember many of these things from the late 1970s. My sisters had an easy bake oven and I used to toss their dolls and crap in that thing and turn it on. I'm surprised we didn't burn the house down. Used to throw Shrinky dinks into it as well.
As for being safer, I agree that we are just more aware of things going on than we were in the 1970s. I remember the Adam Walsh story because he was roughly my age (I was a few months older), and the special they showed on TV scared the absolute shit out of me, particularly living so close to Paramus with all the malls that my parents would take us to.
I remember very clearly being taken to Sunrise Mall by my mother because they were doing a big event where you could have your kids fingerprinted for free.
sick if we weren't outside. Our end of the street was loaded with kids because we lived at the end of the block. Stickball all summer. Street hockey all winter, no helmets or mouth pieces. The colder the better.
Anyone else remember those toys that used to shoot toy missiles (I'd like to say it was a GI Joe toy but could be wrong). Apparently, those fuckers took out a couple of toddlers and they ended up gluing all the shootable missiles into place before resuming sales.
A very, very different time period. When we look back on Human History, there will be pre-internet, and post-internet.
Children of the 70's and 80's are the very last that will ever remember a world like that.
terrifying
And Jarts rule!
Bahaha!
Up in Lake George? I think the diving horse is still there.
Ahhh, five and dimes, drive inns, drugstores with soda counters...
All relics of a bygone age. Simpler times.
You knew there was going to be something about seatbelts.
They don't have dart guns and BB guns anymore? I find that hard to believe.
There were child kidnappings back then too, I just don't think they got anywhere near as much attention (or when they did, maybe they didn't go much past the local region where the kidnapping occurred). If the metrics are to be believed, we're living in safer times (less crime, less violent crime).
Yeah we did the same building forts with whatever scrap building materials we could find. We used to dig these big wholes and tunnels put wood on top and cover them up with dirt on top.
It was great fun for playing war. I wouldn't trade my 70s child hood for any of today's technology driven youth
Exact same story, almost word for word. When we moved to a new house, same thing.
During the summer my parents would push me outside and tell I wasn't allowed to stay inside.
Steve, that's the misconception that has fueled the helicopter parent thing. If you grew up in the time from the mid-'60s through the end of the '80s, the world you lived in was much more dangerous with much higher crime rates. This is a much safer time than it was when I was a kid, but because of 24 hour media sensationalism, people perceive it as being more dangerous.
I'm sure people got loaded on acid, freaked out, and clawed their own eyes out back in the 70s, but you never heard about it.
Now when some nut in Miami huffs bath salts and eats another man's face, the country is aware of it in moments.
We had food, tools(many dangerous)and weapons. We wouldn't see a single adult and yet we still managed not to hurt ourselves!
Agreed. I am 49. I was 10 in 1975. Best summer of my life. We went out for the whole day in the neighborhood, coming back for lunch and the dinner. There was a park with a creek we used to go to. Or play ball. Build forts. Climb trees. Ride bikes. If it was raining, we'd play board games. And all without the Internet or video games.
1) Skitching
2) Snow Skitching (Ah, so fun)
3) Sledding Hills of the 70's and 80's were ummm, a tad more treacherous than the gently sloping roped off hills people go to now. Oh, and a wooden sled with metal blades to separate you from your digits.
4) Hitchhiking. My parents were divorced. My dad worked. How did I get to baseball practice in 4, 5 and 6 grade? Why I hitchhiked of course.
5) Remember the home chemistry sets? You know, the ones filled with all kinds of acids and Lye? Ka Blam!!
BTW, the deadliest incident of school violence in American history was the Bath School disaster in 1927.
the more things change, the more they stay the same.
the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I dunno..I'm 31. I think my generation is the last one that got to play outside.
Look, if you didn't live in it, you can't possibly understand, and that's not a slight against anybody that came after, it's just a truth.
During the Evel Kneival era, we would make a ramp out of cinder blocks and a 2x4 and do jumps in the street. We'd get arrested for allowing our kids to do that today.
Quote:
probably has this exact same conversation.
the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I dunno..I'm 31. I think my generation is the last one that got to play outside.
every day in the summer and every weekend until them I hear the sounds of the neighborhood kids (mine included) playing street hockey, football, baseball, basketball, skateboarding, fighting, whatever.
maybe it's neighborhood dependent. Where I live 90% of the houses are younger families all with kids within a few years of each other.
It's similar to when I was growing up in a lot of regards.
Of course we parent differently now though.
Now, my biggest fear is something happens to my kids. many parents feel similarly, but that doesn't mean your kids stay inside all day. Sure, we know where our kids are now and they wear bike helmets and seatbelts, but it's because of what we know now that we didn't then or didn't really understand the options then.
terrifying
That kid looks like a zombie. Very appropriate.
During the Evel Kneival era, we would make a ramp out of cinder blocks and a 2x4 and do jumps in the street. We'd get arrested for allowing our kids to do that today.
me too!
I went looking for a chemistry set for my son and I didn't realize how tame they had all become. My set from when I was a boy had all kinds of stuff with it that you could do about anything with. Likely dangerous sure, but it was a blast to experiment with!
As for being safer, I agree that we are just more aware of things going on than we were in the 1970s. I remember the Adam Walsh story because he was roughly my age (I was a few months older), and the special they showed on TV scared the absolute shit out of me, particularly living so close to Paramus with all the malls that my parents would take us to.
Ahhh, five and dimes, drive inns, drugstores with soda counters...
All relics of a bygone age. Simpler times.
Now they arrest parents that allow their children to do that.
And of course no cell phones. Although my mom did always want me to have a dime on me for the pay phones!