For long distances, or cross country traveling, many young Americans simply stood on the side of the road with their thumbs out, waiting for a ride. This was particularly common for all those free-spirited hippies who were probably heading for California to live in peace.
Other young kids would also hitchhike to run away from their parents! Scary! Somehow, there wasn’t much fear for creeps and weirdos out there. We wonder what happened.
Going to a Friend's House Alone
Today, playdates are an endless burden in modern-day parenting. The scheduling and the planning involved in getting our kids socialized can be a little bit of a headache. But also those decades ago, a kid would just simply tell their mom that they're going to a friend. And that was that.
The kid would make their own way to the friend and likely stay there the whole day, sometimes even for dinner. No cellphones, no internet. Parents didn't always know where their kids were.
Not Letting Boys Cry
Little kids fall and get hurt. And sometimes they have to cry. Even little boys. Unfortunately, a few decades ago, little boys were always encouraged to be big strong men who never cry!
Thankfully that's changed and we now know little boys cry, and even big and strong men too.
Blood Brothers and Sisters
Before Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat, kids may have had fewer connections, but their bonds were definitely tighter. And in some cases... maybe a little too tight. Best friends wouldn't simply seal their friendships by exchanging cute bracelets or secret handshakes.
These kids would honor ancient oaths by becoming "blood brothers" or "blood sisters". Pretty gruesome, right?. Aside from the obvious 'ouch' factor, this was a great way to exchange endless bacteria and diseases.
Spinning Your Kids Really Fast On The Merry-Go-Round
Playgrounds, a child's paradise, yes, but it was also a place filled with screaming, bloodied knees and bumps on the head. And it wasn't always the kid's fault. Sometimes folks would encourage their children to play a little too hard.
Spinning their little ones super fast on the merry-go-round could sometimes be fun, but could also be harmful by making them terribly nauseous, or even worse, accidentally flinging them off.