This thread is bringing back so many memories - all good.
I was the very definition of a latchkey kid. Alone and getting myself to the bus stop every day from about the age of 7 and home alone for a couple hours every afternoon.
I rode my bike ALL over town including across very busy streets from about 8 yo. If I didn't get myself to softball, soccer, etc - I didn't get to play. I was all over town and had pretty free reign other than check-in calls to the secretary in my mom's department at work.
No helmets or carseats. Sleeping in the car.
The best were racing cousins to get the privilege of sitting on the center seat in the front of the car (pre-bucket seats).
With the exception of the carseat and helmet - my kids are living as close to my childhood experiences as safely possible.
I learned to be independent, responsible and self-sufficient.
I'm "glad" someone else had to buy their Mother's cigarettes!
We played Red Rover but also Asses Up and Johnny on the Pony. My brother and I used to also walk home from grammar school for lunch every day. We hated the lunch room. We also sometimes went out for pizza with friends. If you weren't signed up to eat in the lunch room you could just leave. That was great.
There was always a store that would sell beer to kids and the liquor store by my house would usually sell liquor. Also - adults would buy liquor for teenagers. I cannot fathom why anyone would ever do this. I remember wanting champagne for my boyfriend's 16th birthday and the lady who bought it for me just made sure I wasn't going to be driving. LOL
Dodgeball is still a thing here in school and camps. I'm stunned because it's a bully's dream game but kids still love it. I HATED that game as a kid.
In 7th grade, our science teacher would ask us girls to sit on his lap while he explained something to us. This went on for months until one girl finally complained. We were all so relieved that they made him stop, but then he was promoted and I had him again in high school for AP Physics. No lap requests, though.
Ah, I just remembered another. In high school, we had a young priest (he was either 24 or 28) who taught science. He was wildly inappropriate most of the time and joked around a lot with us. Mind you, this was an all-girls school.
Someone had the fantastic idea to have a Santa luncheon where all the girls got to sit on Santa's lap and have their picture taken. Guess who dressed up as Santa?
OMG. This and the "me too" campaign have brought up all these memories of boys trying to chase us, or pin us down and kiss us, or lift up our skirts during recess. Adults just let this happen. There was a boy who teased me like this all the way along my walk to piano lessons. When I complained to my mom, she - even as a card-carrying NOW member and feminist - just told me that meant he liked me and to try to humor him. No wonder we all minimized it when boys later did worse things.
Man, and kids used to pick on each other in really public and cruel ways. Especially the ones that were different in any way. That would NEVER fly in my daughters' school. I really loved growing up in the 70s and 80s for the freedom it gave me. I was so in charge of my life. But sometimes when we really needed them, adults were kind of checked out back then.
Ah, I just remembered another. In high school, we had a young priest (he was either 24 or 28) who taught science. He was wildly inappropriate most of the time and joked around a lot with us. Mind you, this was an all-girls school.
Someone had the fantastic idea to have a Santa luncheon where all the girls got to sit on Santa's lap and have their picture taken. Guess who dressed up as Santa?
OMG. This and the "me too" campaign have brought up all these memories of boys trying to chase us, or pin us down and kiss us, or lift up our skirts during recess. Adults just let this happen. There was a boy who teased me like this all the way along my walk to piano lessons. When I complained to my mom, she - even as a card-carrying NOW member and feminist - just told me that meant he liked me and to try to humor him. No wonder we all minimized it when boys later did worse things.
Man, and kids used to pick on each other in really public and cruel ways. Especially the ones that were different in any way. That would NEVER fly in my daughters' school. I really loved growing up in the 70s and 80s for the freedom it gave me. I was so in charge of my life. But sometimes when we really needed them, adults were kind of checked out back then.
Yep. I had blocked a lot of things out until people starting telling these kind of stories. Then I remembered things that happened that were wildly inappropriate but seemed normal then.
Post by georgeglass on Oct 19, 2017 11:21:16 GMT -5
I think I have shared this on CEP, but my high school used to have field trips to the cigarette factory (if you were over 18, you got a free carton when you left) and to Death Row. At the Death Row one, they would tell girls to ignore what prisoners would yell and then they'd give you the option to sit in the electric chair. My sister went on both of those field trips.
They stopped doing this around 1990, because it didn't happen when I was a senior.
On the last day of school when I was in elementary, the bus driver had us close up all the windows, and we had a giant paper fight with our old notebooks, etc, as she drove us home.
I do think back fondly of that though.
We did this pretty much the entire last week of school, it ended when a dumb ass kid opened a window and threw a bottle. The car started following us, and we ended up calling the cops because it made the bus driver nervous (we didn't know about the bottle until the driver talked to the cop and the cop told the bus driver)
Ah, I just remembered another. In high school, we had a young priest (he was either 24 or 28) who taught science. He was wildly inappropriate most of the time and joked around a lot with us. Mind you, this was an all-girls school.
Someone had the fantastic idea to have a Santa luncheon where all the girls got to sit on Santa's lap and have their picture taken. Guess who dressed up as Santa?
OMG. This and the "me too" campaign have brought up all these memories of boys trying to chase us, or pin us down and kiss us, or lift up our skirts during recess. Adults just let this happen. There was a boy who teased me like this all the way along my walk to piano lessons. When I complained to my mom, she - even as a card-carrying NOW member and feminist - just told me that meant he liked me and to try to humor him. No wonder we all minimized it when boys later did worse things.
Man, and kids used to pick on each other in really public and cruel ways. Especially the ones that were different in any way. That would NEVER fly in my daughters' school. I really loved growing up in the 70s and 80s for the freedom it gave me. I was so in charge of my life. But sometimes when we really needed them, adults were kind of checked out back then.
I agree with all of this, but especially the bolded. I loved so much about it but I get annoyed sometimes when people are all misty eyed over these good ole days that were full of straight up neglect.
My Auntie would give me money ($2, I think) to walk to the local convenience store and buy her a pack of cigarettes. I was allowed to keep the change to buy candy for myself. I was probably 7 or 8 when I started. I can still remember what she smoked (Viceroy Longs).
An 11 yo being left home w 3 younger siblings (9, 8, and 5) at night for a few hours.
I think I started babysitting when I was a young 12 - an 8, 4 and 6 month old. That was normal back then, right?
I was 10 watching a 2 yo and her 6 month old brother at my house w my mom supervising .. by the time I was 13 I was babysitting the 2 + one more solo at their house ... h/w surgeons too .. no one batted an eye
Not really safety related, but in middle school, we had fast food every day of the week for 'hot lunch.' Like Tuesday lunch was always a Taco Bell chili cheese burrito. I can't remember them all, but it was definitely Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, Pizza Hut.
And then in 9th grade our school hot lunch cafeteria was a McDonald's. Limited menu, but had most of the basic burgers, fries, nuggets, etc. Staff wore McDonald's uniforms. Full-on, literal McDonald's inside the school cafeteria space. It was that or vending machines if you didn't bring your lunch from home.
Post by snipsnsnails on Oct 19, 2017 11:36:02 GMT -5
Ha, another kid that had to run down to the Checker Station (corner gas station) and get 1 carton of Salem Lights and 2 cartons of Pall Malls, r"ed pack unfiltered, please," for my mom and dad. No note needed. Ha!
These bring back some memories! I have basically been driving since I was 10. Grandma and grandpa used to have all the grand kids come to their farm to help with "the harvest" each year. I was the youngest counsin at that time so I got to drive the truck while the older kids hopped in and out of the back getting the corn, etc.. My grandpa tied bricks to the gas and brake and I just drove where he told me too.
I also remember my mom dropping me at the mall with my friends with $10 when I was around 12/13. We knew we would walk around a few hours, get an orange julius and a pretzel and then take the bus home. We would arrive home hours later, no cell phones, no pagers and my mom wouldn't even be home. She would leave $20 on a table and we would order a pizza. No one was checking on us or tracking our locations. We knew to stay away from "weirdo's" and since we were in a group they probably thought it was safe.
When I was 14 (since I could drive) I used to go pick my brother up from soccer practice. My mom had me drive myself and her to get my permit at 15 and the guy at the DMV was all " she doesn't have a permit, she can't be driving until we issue her this piece of paper today". My mom was all "she's been driving for years, she's fine" and the guy ws like "ok" and let me drive out of there.
I think the best was when my mom decided when I was 16 to go back to school one summer and finish her masters. She moved about two hours away (to a dorm) to go to school and came home one time. I had a job and basically took care of myself that entire summer. That was a great summer.
My friend's mom used to send her and I to the convenience store down the street with money and a note that read, "Please allow [my daughter] to buy cigarettes for me." And they totally would!
My mom did this. I can't believe they let us do it.
Post by redshoejune on Oct 19, 2017 12:02:50 GMT -5
When I was in kindergarten every kid got to have a one on one sleepover at the teachers house. I remember sitting in the front seat of her car at McDonald's while she bought me a shamrock shake.
I also remember in 5th grade the student of the week got to go out to lunch one on one with the DARE officer riding in the front seat of his police car.
Post by snipsnsnails on Oct 19, 2017 12:03:46 GMT -5
Oh, also, remember the Book It program? You read so many books and you got a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza? My dad would drop me off at the local Pizza Hut with my brothers for dinner and we'd eat, then he'd swing back by to pick us up. This was when I was in Kindergarten, so my brothers were in 3rd grade and 5th grade.
He also dropped me off at our local theater one Friday night to see a re-release of ET when I was 7. I think my oldest brother might have come to, but he ditched me for friends right away.
We'd ride a laundry basket down the stairs like a sled while other kids would try to hit you with couch cushions on the way down.
That reminds me that my siblings and I used to put a sled on a skateboard and ride it down hills on our street. I grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, so these were not tiny hills.
Post by picksthemusic on Oct 19, 2017 12:17:59 GMT -5
I remember my dad letting me ride in the 'trunk' portion of his Stingray Corvette (so really under the little part behind the two seats where you could stash a briefcase) and he would take my brother and I on rides that way. He also let us ride in the back of his (uncovered) pickup truck and he would go on the freeway. I'm so lucky to be alive.
I also remember riding bikes to our neighborhood Home Video store (knock off Blockbuster) and renting R-rated movies. I remember the owner once called one of our moms to make sure it was ok, and from then on they didn't care and let us rent whatever we wanted.
We'd ride a laundry basket down the stairs like a sled while other kids would try to hit you with couch cushions on the way down.
That reminds me that my siblings and I used to put a sled on a skateboard and ride it down hills on our street. I grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, so these were not tiny hills.
This reminded me that my MIL still laments that she had to buy her kids 4 Big Wheels in one summer when they kept breaking...because the kids were building ramps at the end of their very steep driveway.
My friend's mom used to send her and I to the convenience store down the street with money and a note that read, "Please allow [my daughter] to buy cigarettes for me." And they totally would!
My mom did this. I can't believe they let us do it.
Shoot - I remember so many restaurants that sold them in vending machines. No ID needed! That went on in to the early 90's!
My dad used to sit me on his lap when we turned onto our road, and let me steer the rest of the way to our house.
Oh, we did this too! And the road to his house was super windy and impossible to see around curves. I have fond memories of that, but am pretty "hell no" at the idea of letting my kids do it.