A Fire Hydrant Cool-Off

There was a time when officials had hydrants for kids to cool off in the summer and they knew the hack to put down the water pressure or they can also put on a sprinkler feature.

But older kids those days used to open the fire hydrants with tremendous force. The gush of water was so powerful that it had the power to knock the children down, so it was not safe at all. Smaller children could get hurt as a result of the force of the water. So, chilling with the fire hydrants is no longer an option.

When Spanking Was a Thing

Parents in the 60s did not think twice before spanking the kids, whether it was a smart spank on their heads or just putting them on the knees to spank the protesting child. Sometimes either of the parents chased the kids around the house with a belt in their hands.

But kids nowadays are not disciplined in a similar way since beating them in any way acts as a form of abuse. It may impact the impressionable minds of kids so much that they may get scarred for life. Things have changed now and perhaps for the better. There are more constructive ways to discipline a child now.

Pregnant Women Vices

While mothers from ages have been trying their best to take care of their children everywhere, there have been strange incidents where mothers haven't given up their vices even when they were pregnant.

Smoking is one such vice that decreases oxygen levels and affects babies in the womb. While today mothers are careful to avoid smoking. You may have noticed when you were younger that by taking a swig with a friend while she was pregnant with your younger sister or brother. Of course, they may have not known better. But today mothers may have been horrified to know how the mothers of yore used to behave around their kids. 

No Car Safety Protocols

Little kids were known to be seated in the front seat without a seatbelt. The mom and dad used to make their arms work as a seatbelt. Infants even used to ride in unattached baby seats.

They even sat with Mom in the front seat or get a pride of place in someone's lap! Bigger babies or toddlers used to ride in shoddy car seats. It was only in the 70s and 89's that there were seat belts and good car seat regulations to protect the kids and the others riding in the car.

Smoking A Sign of Maturity

Cigarettes were a thing in the 60s and 70s and it was quite common to see a cigarette perched on the lips of most men and women whether it was around kids or not around them.

Being exposed to secondhand smoke was not considered such a big deal before and even cigarette ads had babies and parents together. Mom and dad even used to click cute photos with unlit cigarettes or pipes. Even teens used to smoke and it was even considered cool or a sign of maturity. Kids were also asked to fetch cigarettes from stores. Today, it would be considered unethical.

Unsafe Cribs

Another on the list of strange behavior in the '60s were pediatricians who encouraged mothers and babies to sleep on their stomachs which is not accepted at all. Cribs today had a lot more safety measures than you have today.

There were drop rails and kids could also risk getting stuck in the slats. There were other risks involved right from choking hazards and fingers getting caught in the crevices of cribs. Thankfully, things are a lot better now with better manufacturing interventions that incorporated more safety precautions for babies.

Trampolines Without Nets

While there cannot be anything more fun than jumping on the trampoline. Imagine a baby jumping on one without the safety of nets! It is pretty horrifying, right? The babies had every chance of falling on their heads and suffering from injuries such as sprains and even breaking a leg or two.

There were also instances of a kid jumping so hard that bounced off the trampoline. Unfortunately, in those times there was not much thought put into the whole scheme of affairs of how to take care of kids while they are jumping on a trampoline.

Magnified Choking Hazards

The concept of child-proofing has changed over the years. While earlier all Parents did was keep a child in his/her playpen and busied themselves with completing their chores. They were not worried that the child would crawl around and well do anything as their heart desires.

The mothers would even let the kids play with the pots and pans and not worried about the child coming in touch with the chemicals under the sink. Childproofing was not given much of a thought, whether it was childproof medicine or whether it was special latches for doors, cabinets, drawers, and more. Needless to say, there were other concerns such as choking hazards and scary incidents such as using a fork to stab electrical outlets.

Off To School Alone

Today children have it easy as all they have to do is jump into their waiting carpools right at the door and zoom off to school. However, in the 60s children as young as first-graders teamed up with their buddies to walk their way to their schools.

Yes, they were left to themselves and although it must be fun for them, the parents didn't bother to find out whether they were dawdling around or whether they went away with a suspicious stranger. Today, children cannot even think of loitering around without being admonished by their parents.

Going Unescorted to Friend's Houses

These days it is tough to find a child and let them go on a play date also parents do not let their kids go off to anyone's house without doing any thorough background check.

But in the '60s, you may just have to tell your mom you are going off somewhere and you were good to go, whether it was on a bike or just walking casually to their neighborly playdate. They did not have to see an appointment to meet up with them. It was easy to get to their friend's houses as they lived close by.  Friends stayed for a meetup and even stayed back for dinner.

Too Much Sugar

Sugary gums and candies were a big hit in the '60s childhood staple. And blowing bubbles with their candies is another thing that they used to enjoy and breaking the bubble over their nose.

Kids used to enjoy the bubble-blowing contests and as soon as the one used to break another would start on a new piece. Although students were not allowed to chew gum, they would have the same anyway and while you would be able to make friends you would also have cavities. Today, kids are not allowed to have so much sugary stuff, sugar high is real and they are not allowed to overdo the sugar bit at all.

Sugary Bowl For Breakfast

There was a time when people loved to have Cereals for breakfast. There were a lot of cereals made up of corn, wheat, or oats. However, some cereals were laden with sugar, such as Trix and Cap'n Crunch.

Of course, today there are a lot healthier options to snack on such as unsweetened corn flakes, that may need a tinge of sugar. The sugar bowl prettying up your dinner table or whetting your appetite but too much sugar in the form of sugary cereals is a sure recipe for a belly ache.

Strange Disciplinarian Actions

Discipline and more discipline were the mainstays of most Catholic schools, if you happened to be the naughty kid who broke rules then you were subjected to disciplinary actions.

Well, the disciplinary actions whether it was a ruler used to smack your knuckles or admonish you loudly with the top of the voice did make the children rather scared of the stern teachers. Another punishment that was rather rampant than we would like to believe was ear pulling and dragging the child out of the class. Such punishments are rather rare today, whether it is a blessing in disguise or otherwise is something that you should decide.

Sneak in Candies

In the 60s it was rather easy to buy sweets that were not easy to get at home, simply because your mom did not allow you to have sugary sweets or have too much of them. But children at candy stores had a great time using all their treasure trove of pennies to buy candies, not only candies you could also buy stuff such as ice cream soda, egg cream, or just plain soda with lots and lots of sugar.

Even adults loosened their purse strings and allow them to have a little extra sugar than normal as they sat in a corner drinking their way. Students were allowed to have a little extra sugar as long as they ate their lunch or dinner without making a fuss. Today's health-conscious adults will surely think twice before feeding their children more sugar.

Helmetless Bike Rides

Kids those days were a lot more resilient, they fell and stood up again never worried too much about their bruises and cuts. Whether it was falling from their bicycle while riding it for the first time as their father taught them. As they learned their way to go on the bumpy ride and become a pro at biking, scraped knees or bruised elbows notwithstanding. Parents were a lot chilled out about the whole process and let their kids bike around and find their adventures.

However, the scenario has changed, today children are asked to ride with a lot more caution and never forget to wear their helmets. Now it is a law and children and their parents must abide by it.

Hitchhiking Considered Normal

The '60s were all about hitchhiking their way to reach their destinations. So, what if you do not have transport to reach your destination, you can always hitchhike your way to your destination.

But as time went on hitchhiking was looked upon. Whether it was young adults, hippies, or transients they walked long distances. kids would use their thumbs too to get free rides. Kids used it when they were late for school, or to run away from their homes. Sometimes it was to go to a place where the parent did not take you along. Today, hitchhiking is completely gone out of vogue.

Playing Unchaperoned

In the 60s mothers preferred it when their kids would go out in the morning to play so that mothers could concentrate on finishing the chores and meet and greet their friends.

The mothers only called in the kids when it was dark and the street lights were switched on. As Jerry Seinfeld said that they were like wild dogs and would remain outside for long stretches and their parents had simply no clue as to what the kids were doing for so long. It would make for an interesting chronicle to note all the things that the kids indulged in those fun times.

No Parents At The Beach

The teens had a gala time in the '60s at the beach. Yes, those beach movies were right, kids would play endlessly on the beach with their pails and get all tanned in the process. The whole family joined them at the ocean.

Kids are usually water babies and as their parents rested below the beach umbrellas, enjoying a daytime snooze as the warm sun lulled them into a deep sleep, the kids would quietly slip away and play under the sun and in the sand, and the parents would only tell them to stay in sight. They knew that the lifeguards would take care of the kids. 

Suntanning Without Sun Protection

Those were the days in the '60s when the children were allowed to turn into brown acorns and not think of UV protection. The mothers may have thought of wearing some suntan lotion, but it was mainly to get a tan than protect the skin from the harmful UV rays.

Older kids would use the more ubiquitous baby oil with iodine as it would prevent burns and would use a reflector hack to allow the sun from baking them with their hot fingers of the sun, as we say those were the days when fear-mongering was certainly not a thing.

Playing Anywhere on The Streets

Big cities in the 60s were not beautified with parks and green spaces before, now they are dotted with pretty parks and verdant green spaces. So, while those expansive spaces were not there, kids made good use of whatever was available and by that, we mean the streets. Even, the high-trafficked streets in the 60s worked as a playground.

So, the manhole covers doubled as the place where kids use to throw their marbles and chalk on the asphalt and worked as hopscotch boards. The kids moved away when the big cars came zooming in. The kids came back as the cars drove away. Simple fun formed the crux of their lifestyle, but now fancy parks have made way for the asphalt streets.

Staying Hydrated Through Garden Hoses!

We don't think bottled waters were easily available in the '60s unless, of course, you went to a canteen. So, the hose, yours or a neighbor's, worked great as a replacement for bottled waters.

It was the simplest way to stay hydrated. Drinking from hoses was considered cool, nobody worried about great amounts of lead in the hose water. The brass nozzle was also dangerous. Drinking from public fountains was considered okay, however, things have changed dramatically as now drinking from water fountains is no longer considered safe.  You may never see kids drinking water from the fountains in parks.

Blood Sisters For Life

Kids loved the idea of brotherhood and loyalty and little to their knowledge used dangerous techniques to make small cuts on their fingers and mix the blood by pressing them together.

It was instead of the age-old practice of oaths (yes, bloody ones) and it solemnized their friendship forever. They did not understand it well and hence had no clue that they would be exchanging bacteria and infectious diseases. Kids today are a lot smarter and may find safer techniques to express friendship. Bloody friendships are something that belongs to the past. 

Back Window Journeys

Although, most parents may think that the lack of cell phones or devices may be a blessing in disguise so kids would find different ways to entertain kids while going on road trips. It may be boring for some kids especially if they didn't have kids of similar age.

But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention, so if you weren't a bookworm or didn't like to shout at the top of your voice they would sell in the back window of the car. Because there was a nook where they could stretch their lithe bodies in. They could also stare from their back windows and enjoy the whole ride.

Latchkey Kids

The '60s saw another interesting thing, they introduced the phenomenon of latchkey kids. It was a term used for kids whose mothers joined the workforce and they let themselves in using the key.

Kids, would just enter the house and have a meal by themselves. If the kids had older brothers and sisters, they would take care of them, so parents did not have to bother much about the kids being at home unchaperoned. Helicoptering parents were perhaps not a thing then, now you have devices to check on your kid's antics while you are far away working away on your laptop in your office.

The Stinging Antiseptic

There are various medicines resting on shelves such as dark pink, over-the-counter antiseptics that were rather scary as they stung, smelled, and even caused a stain.

It found its way into the medicine cabinet until of course it got a rap by the FDA who screened drugs such as these to find things that were full of mercury and could have caused too much harm, yes it could have affected the brain, kidneys and even unborn babies if the mothers were exposed to such stuff. Today, parents are a lot more careful and take a good look at the ingredient list before applying any medicine to their kid's bodies.

Dangerous Toys

Not all toys were harmful, such as Monopoly and Candy Land but there were many toys in the 60s that were considered right down dangerous.  One such toy was the Swing Wing, which had a hula hoop that was attached to the helmet that you needed to swing around and it included head movements like the whiplash.

And there were Jarts, which has a dart complete with a dangerous hook attached that would move around the air and land on the kids in a risky way. There were other toys such as BB guns and cap guns, these caps would make sudden strange noises.

Chasing Pesticide Spraying Trucks

Pesticide sprays were considered a big delight for kids who found it a whole lot of fun chasing the truck as it let out white smoke to kill mosquitoes or other insects. The smoke had a lot of chemicals that were harmful to kids.

The fog looked so enticing and sometimes it smelled good too. Kids loved the idea of chasing and it was fun on the back of moving cars and just running along with them would seem such a fun exercise for them. Nowadays, those trucks would come and go and kids won't peek out of their windows at all.