Kid's in the 80s - stuff that would not fly now

[spindle92]

This slide show took me down elementary school memory lane.

thestir.cafemom.com/being_a_mom/185828/things_every_80s_kid_did?utm_medium=sem2&utm_source=taboola-pvs&utm_campaign=taboola_pvs&utm_content=startribune

[mortomo]

That made me kind of sad all of the things that are no longer allowed. Some of them I understand, but others are just ridiculous.

In 4th grade I remember having to stand facing the chalkboard with my gum on the tip of my nose and pressed against the chalkboard as punishment for chewing gum in class. That would never fly now. No one thought of it as cruel back then and just viewed as the consequences for disobeying the rules!

[mrsukyankee]

I remember playing kill the man and tackle football in middle school (I was a tomboy) during our lunch recess. I bet that wouldn't fly now. I also was allowed to run around the neighbourhood until dark, on my own, at the age of 8-9 with my little brother. And we walked home, across a major throughway, 1/2 mile, on our own, around ages 7 (bro) and 10 (me) w/o my parents or anyone else thinking it was weird.

[mags]

Walking to school at the age of 8 with some other kids, or alone, depending on the day. School was about 7 blocks away.

Taking the subway alone at age 12 to go to a concert in MSG.

Hell, traveling all over NYC at that age, no one gave it a 2nd thought.

[Skyesthelimit1212]

I loved dodge ball as a kid in gym class. I don't know if it's just a NE thing, but we used to play a game called Whip It, you'd take a tennis ball whip it as as you could against of the side of a building and see who could catch it before it bounced, lol. It hurt like hell when you caught the ball too.


unbored.net/wallball/

[karmasabiotch]

I babysat when I was 10 and my DS is almost 8 and I have a hard time letting him play more than 1 house away without me sitting outside to make sure he's safe. I can't believe I was responsible for others at 10. Times were sure different

[mortomo]

Apr 21, 2016 4:04:05 GMT -5 karmasabiotch said:

I babysat when I was 10 and my DS is almost 8 and I have a hard time letting him play more than 1 house away without me sitting outside to make sure he's safe. I can't believe I was responsible for others at 10. Times were sure different

I was 9 when my brother was born and my mom would leave me home with him while she ran to the store, etc (probably only an hour or less at a time).   I think it was usually while he was napping, but still!  I didn't let my DS stay home alone by himself until he was at least 10 or 11!

I can't believe my mom did that, honestly!  I also babysat three little girls across the street when I was 11 or 12. The youngest was 6 mos when I started babysitting them and the oldest was maybe 5?  My parents were across the street at least.  That's a lot of responsibility for someone that age.

[Deleted]

Okay some of this makes me sad but some def didn't apply to me. although I was more the 90s. BUT we had a CANDY store in my highschool. CANDY.

that wouldn't ever fly. And santa used to come to our elementary school.

LEGIT QUESTION: I didn't know ONE kid who had a food allergy. Why do so many kids have them now a days. (MINE INCLUDED)

[Deleted]

Apr 21, 2016 4:04:05 GMT -5 karmasabiotch said:

I babysat when I was 10 and my DS is almost 8 and I have a hard time letting him play more than 1 house away without me sitting outside to make sure he's safe. I can't believe I was responsible for others at 10. Times were sure different

I babysat an INFANT at 10.

I do think I am more lax than a lot of parents. I trust my kids, I give them freedom but more bc I don't want them to grow up into weenies

That being said my daughter is 9 and I can't imagine leaving her with an infant in a year

[dorothyinAus]

Apr 21, 2016 14:07:55 GMT -5 @sloanpeterson said:

Okay some of this makes me sad but some def didn't apply to me. although I was more the 90s. BUT we had a CANDY store in my highschool. CANDY.

that wouldn't ever fly. And santa used to come to our elementary school.

LEGIT QUESTION: I didn't know ONE kid who had a food allergy. Why do so many kids have them now a days. (MINE INCLUDED)

I did know a few kids with egg allergies, and my DH had an egg allergy (which is why he never got his vaccines).  And one friend was highly allergic to bed/wasps and had an epi-pen for that, but I didn't know anyone with peanut/tree nut allergies the way there are today.

[zitiqueen]

Deslidefied.

[CrazyLucky]

Most of these are pretty fitting for me. I'm surprised about the gender specific class. We ALL took both shop and home Ec. I know health class was divided, but nothing else was. Nor did we line up by gender. Maybe my tiny town in NJ was ahead of its time!

[marg]

Apr 21, 2016 11:19:10 GMT -5 mortomo said:

Apr 21, 2016 4:04:05 GMT -5 karmasabiotch said:

I babysat when I was 10 and my DS is almost 8 and I have a hard time letting him play more than 1 house away without me sitting outside to make sure he's safe. I can't believe I was responsible for others at 10. Times were sure different

I was 9 when my brother was born and my mom would leave me home with him while she ran to the store, etc (probably only an hour or less at a time).   I think it was usually while he was napping, but still!  I didn't let my DS stay home alone by himself until he was at least 10 or 11!

I can't believe my mom did that, honestly!  I also babysat three little girls across the street when I was 11 or 12. The youngest was 6 mos when I started babysitting them and the oldest was maybe 5?  My parents were across the street at least.  That's a lot of responsibility for someone that age.

Yes, times were different for sure.

I'm going back to the 70's, in sharing this one, but nonetheless, it's a great example of how much things have changed compared to back in the day.

At age 10, I had a babysitting job across the alleyway for a mom of 3, two babies and a toddler, and for the day and the times, that was the norm relying on such young sitters.

Can't tell you how many times I've reflected on my younger years, then reminisced of my own children at the same age, and there's just no way I would have ever hired a babysitter (age 10) to care for my little ones, and both my daughters took after me in the maturity department.