If you grew up in 70s/80s what things did you do which would be unimaginable these days.

[newlabelwriter]

Just thinking about this. When I was about 9 my friend and I used to go around knocking on our neighbours doors to see if we could pick dandelions (or something similar) for her pet rabbits. Seems such a random thing to do and obviously v v young to knocking on doors to go into their gardens!

Loads and loads of things.

Going to the off licence to get my dad's cigarettes.

Walking myself to school from the age of 5 (only one road crossing with a lollipop lady but still...)

Our primary school teacher in year 6 would invite groups of us - four at a time - to his home on Saturdays to take photographs and develop them in his home dark room!!! Nothing happened (to me or friends at least) and we had a fab time but noooo way that would happen now.

Hitch hiked alone all over the place when I was 17 or so. Got left in the car for ages while parents went shopping.

The whole netball team piling (7 of us) into a parents car to go and play against another school.

When I was a young DC (under 4) I'd stand by the gate and talk to anyone who was walking by on the path. I apparently knew everyone who regularly walked by our house and would tell my DM they were my friends. My DM apparently hadn't a clue who they were, so she obviously wasn't keeping an eye on me

Family of 6 - 3 adults, 3 children and a dog - routinely going on the motorway with at least 1 child in the boot of an estate car.

Walking to school on my own 1.5 miles each way from the age of 6.

Hitch hiked a lot, went to night clubs and pubs when I was about 15.

Sit in the boot of a hatchback car when there was a big group of kids being given a lift.

Not wearing a seatbelt in the front of the car let alone the back.
No car seats other than for small babies.

Playground equipment that would be (rightly) seen as death traps today. And roundabouts that routinely broke ankles.

Ah yes, walked to school alone when I was about 5 or 6.

Clubbing until 1am at 15. 16th birthday party held in a nightclub!! No one checking ID and an open bar.

Being allowed to lie across the back seat of the car with no seatbelt and have a nap when I was maybe 5 or 6 in the mid 80s.

A big open paddling pool in the park with no supervision (nobody ever drowned in it).

Walking to school without parents from a young age, prob about 7 or 8.

Played out all day and took selves off with adults to wherever we fancied age about 7 or 8.

More disturbingly, as teenagers, getting into cars with adult men (strangers) who stopped to 'chat' when we were walking about. Ok, I never did the last one, well just once when I was 17 and my bus never turned up, but friends at my school were getting into cars with strangers.

"If you are going out, take your sister!" Went out pushing my toddler sister in her buggy, while on roller skates, aged eight, to who knows where (my mum and dad certainly didn't know where). Mum says now it was fine as I was with my two-years-older friend. Going out alone in general from around the age of five/ six. I'm pretty happy that was the case mind you, I had a great childhood and never felt in danger.

Sticking head right out the window of the car, like a dog.

No seatbelts in back of car.

Being driven in back of van, sliding about all over the place, no access to front of van.

At secondary school, at Xmas, leaving booze/ fizzy drinks and food on the school bus with the permission of the lackadaisical driver, and on the hour long drive home festooning the double decker bus with tinsel and generally partying with food and drink (and I think music). What on earth was he thinking?

Big groups of kids crammed into the back seat and boot of big cars.

Adults would drink and drive with kids in the car.

Not quite the same thing, but the levels of sexism, racism, ablism and homophobia demonstrated by the teachers at my primary school would be utterly unacceptable these days. And at an institutional level, sexism was ingrained- boys did woodwork and girls did sewing, girls had to get a higher mark to pass the 11+etc.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

The whole netball team piling (7 of us) into a parents car to go and play against another school.

I remember this really clearly, including sitting in the boot of estate cars!

Sleeping on the back seat, or the boot of an estate car.
Buying cigarettes for my dad.
Drinking a bit of wine, shandy etc from around 10 - my kids (12&13) look at me aghast when I suggest they try a sip

@Dmsandfloatydress

Clubbing until 1am at 15. 16th birthday party held in a nightclub!! No one checking ID and an open bar.

Yes this! Out of the nightclub at 1am, into school a few hours later. 16th birthday always at a nightclub, they'd print you up the tickets for free. Totally normal.

Playing out unsupervised all day long in the holidays and after school, often in fairly remote places like disused railway lines, woods etc.

Sitting in the back of the car while both parents smoked like chimneys, not even opening windows.

Spending Saturday afternoons in a pub car park with a bottle of pop and a bag of crisps while parents drank with friends

Liberal use of talcum powder. My mum was surprised that I didn't use it on either of my children.

Going with parents to a really smoky working man’s club. Can’t imagine taking my kids somewhere like that but we had a great time

Being allowed to go home on my own from school early one afternoon due to snow. Our head teacher told us that if we knew that our mother's were home, we could leave.

I lied. My best friend and I left and played in the snow. Our parents found us when it was getting dark. We got in trouble but the head teacher wasn't criticised. We were 7 years old.

At our school anyone in the top set of French had to do Spanish. Everyone else had to do typing.

Going off for the whole day exploring with my friend Kirstin on our bikes with only a picnic lunch. Back by “ tea time” in the summer hols. We were about 8 or 9. No helmets or mobile phone, country lanes with cars. No money. Not even 10p for an emergency phone call at the telephone box as far as I remember.

My mum putting my baby sister into the hatch back boot of the car in her carry cot and driving around. Five kids squashed in the back seat or sitting on each other’s laps and no seatbelts.

Primary school being shut half way through the school day because of bad snow. We were simply told that the whole school was closing at 12 noon and we all had to leave and make our own way home - in a blizzard! We had to queue up at the call box and tell our mums to ring around the neighbours or knock on doors to pass on the news that we’d be heading home. No buses running, lots of kids living in scattered villages trying to walk home in skirts and blazers, parents with cars trying to get through the snow to pick up as many as possible.

Walking to school with only my brother when I was 4 and he was 5. It was very close, but did involve crossing two roads (London).

Walking about 1/2 mile through woodland as a short cut to get to and from my friends house - sometimes in the dark