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!

A bit earlier, the late 60s early 70s.
Dad was a plumber. We had few wooden molds for lead soldiers, my older brother and I used to melt scrap lead with a paraffin fuelled blowlamp, and pour the molten lead into the mold to make soldiers.

We used to play with a toy steam traction engine that used meths for fuel - fire, boiling water and steam, disappear to the park in the summer for hours. We were not from an unusual family, all the kids in the area were there. We used to go on expeditions along the railway cutting, by the river. We had railway sheds and one the the dares was to climb onto the footplate of the steam trains there. I didn't do this but my older brothers mates did. At 16, riding a motorbike without a helmet. None of it seemed reckless at the time, it is just what we did.

served alcohol at age 15, bought alcohol in pub at age 15 by my history teacher(!), went to a party with teachers age 16 all were getting stoned on weed, also used to buy art teachers whisky from local shop, he used to send me down to get it. So much alcohol!
I also remember lots of really quite serious physical abuse at primary and secondary school, in these era's, young boys being belted, smacked really hard whilst wearing no clothes ie in PE, also cane in secondary, although just the boys thankfully for me, or I definitely would have been one of them. Also a cricket bat, one teacher used to use it regularly, just awful abuse which would be totally not ok now

Early 80's and everyone in my friend group had a pair of roller boots. We used to skate to the top of a nearby housing estate that was built on a very steep hill with the main road cutting across the bottom of the street. We'd take it in turns to just take off at the top of the hill and go flying to the bottom at break neck speed. The only way we could stop was by flinging ourselves into the grass verge at the far side of the road. We took turns as the lookout in case any cars came but even if one did there's no way we'd be able to stop from halfway down as we'd pick up too much speed. I can't believe now that we were allowed to do this, no adult ever told us off for being stupid or dangerous. They must have seen us at it every time because we passed a whole summer doing this. I don't know how we didn't have some very serious injuries, the worst I can remember was scraped hands and knees. Good times! (But I'd never allow mine to do anything so reckless)

In my native South Yorkshire in the 70s kids could go anywhere on the bus fror 2p. So we did.
All over, miles from home. Up on the moors with mam's sandwiches or hanging round Sheffield city centre when your mam thought you were at ABC Minors.
Hitched to Italy when I was 17. Got lost in the northern suburbs of Paris at midnight.

@E17Stowmum

In my native South Yorkshire in the 70s kids could go anywhere on the bus fror 2p. So we did. All over, miles from home. Up on the moors with mam's sandwiches or hanging round Sheffield city centre when your mam thought you were at ABC Minors. Hitched to Italy when I was 17. Got lost in the northern suburbs of Paris at midnight.

Oh yes! Birmingham had that in the 80s, Under 16s anywhere for 2p IIRC. Spend the day on the bus.

Go off for hours down the river exploring (South Africa so not exactly the safest). Cycling without hands down a long stretch of main road. Babysat a 4 and 6 year old regularly when I was 13.

I was rich with my £1 pocket money

Bus to ice rink, 3 hrs skating , chips a drink and bus back home

Did anyone else sew their jeans badly with any random thread and needle
Skinnies eh lol

I have enjoyed reading all of these

Knocking on doors and asking to take baby's out in their prams, no Mum now would ever let their baby go off with 5 year old.

Used to go swimming club with youth club on a Wednesday, guy who took us had a pick up truck. About 8 of us would sit in the back asking him to go really quickly down the dip in the road so we would all virtually fly about 2 ft in the air whilst just hanging on to the side of the truck, happy days 😂

When I was seven (1986) my very best friend was the old man who lived up our street, I spent all my spare time with him, helping him in his workshop and picking raspberries in his garden. His wife was around some of the time but not all of it. It was all so very innocent and I loved him like a grandad, but I can imagine how people would talk if that were going on nowadays.

I also remember getting into clubs when I was 15/16, if the owners thought the police were going to raid it they gave us the heads up and told us to have our date of birth sorted then trying to sound sober when my dad or some of my friends dads picked us up to take us home again.

Our local club did under 18’s on a Monday, so used to go to that and then get dressed up to get into over 18’s on a Friday. One of the bouncers lived on my street and used to see me walking hone in my school uniform

Yes @Sparklingbrook! The clouds of smoke whenever the staff room door opened at seconday! You couldn't see inside the room the smoke was that thick. And all the kids smoking top deck of the bus.

Walking to school alone from 6yrs plus shopping alone at 6,with a list - buying coley from the fish mongers.Kids being paraded on stage during school assembly and caned ( '70's).Plus canings in the headmaster's office.Mid Primary age - Playing out all day in summer hols on waste land,blackberry picking in woods, cycling to the lido,going to the ABC cinema saturday morning picture show with friends - random lone men sat on one side of the cinema ,smoking .Late '70's at secondary,standing up in my friend's grandma's overcrowded 2cv ....all of us wanting to wave at people from the sunroof as she bombed us around . Only allowed to wear navy blue knickers and airtex shirts for cross country ( which took place in a public park at the top of town)We were allowed to wear PE skirts for this once a month during our periods only....so everyone knew ! Flashers were a fairly regular occurrence.
Also, travelling with a newborn in just a carrycot on the back seat - no seatbelts.

Spent school holidays down on the fields/canals with friends, my little brother and the dog.

Made pretend cigarettes out of paper and sticky tape. My nan would give me an empty B&H box and I'd pretend to smoke them.

Travelled in the boot of the car.

Rear seat belts were a novelty.

Smoked cigarettes around the back of the sports hall from about 3rd year of high school. (Tbf I'd been passive smoking for years from grandparents and other relatives).

Ran errands in town for a PE teacher when I broke my finger and wasn't allowed to do Trampolining.

I loved brownies but when I “upgraded” I remember being so shocked they smoked and swore, I never went there again x

I’m so glad this hasn’t happened in our 4 kids lives as my husband is Arkela for cubs. They have got so much out of it - 6-18 and so helped trekking abroad, DofEs later and so inclusive for my autistic son. He does it to give back from his childhood, and it took 6m of thorough assessment and training for him to be passed as “safe” to run it,

*I mean guides smoked, sorry!

Junior school birthday parties were so easy in the 70s/early 80s. Two mums would somehow get the entire class into the two cars (so about 12 kids a car, including at least two on the front passenger seat with no seatbelt) after school to take them to the birthday party house after school. Estate Volvos were the best - you could get way more kids in those than any other car!!

@Sparklingbrook

We had those metal bars in the playground and used to swing round and round/upside down on them above the concrete. People would say 'you'll crack your head open' but nobody at our school ever did.

Yes! Have been thinking of this whilst reading through the thread. I would have been horrified to think of my own DC doing this.

@orangetriangle

Another one in last year of primary school some of us would be sent to the staff room to do teachers washing up we would put sweeteners hidden in the sugar bowl or some of us would be sent to the local shops at lunchtime with a list and money to so the teachers shopping 10 years old!!

I worked out recently I lost over an hour schooling each day at middle school through making tea for staff at break time, washing up afterwards and popping out on errands for staff.

THIS IS LIST IS JUST BRILLIANT AND WARMING, thought provoking and also sad.

Well done for starting something clearly so valued for us all, and fun.

I was brought up in Singapore for three years as a baby, we never flew home once in that time, my parents at were in the RAF, after being brought up in council house/caravan, they married at 19 to “get away” and had two kids by 23.

Not anymore, but in the past I’ve been to Singapore for a 1day business meeting, and overall 24 times. Times change, as is climate change changing our behaviour now. It’s been such a small window for our gen to damage the planet!

Holidays for us in the 70s was always wet/hot UK camping, we only once went abroad to Yugoslavia when we saved up enough from my dad stopping smoking. He used to smoke 60 a day - starting with one in bed as he woke up (!). Of course it makes him very vulnerable for covid. Think how much we all breathed in at home.

Sobering thought to reflect that for the generation before us, many may have been born during/after the war, and even lost parents/relatives. “Going abroad” had a totally different meaning.

If you wonder for a moment why they gave us this freedom in our childhood, I think this says a lot.

And what for the next gen?

@Sparklingbrook

We had those metal bars in the playground and used to swing round and round/upside down on them above the concrete. People would say 'you'll crack your head open' but nobody at our school ever did.

I actually did crack my head quite spectacularly doing that

Didn’t seem to stop anyone else, though!

Oh no @BachAndByte Were you ok?

We had a bar that was low enough to put your leg on, so you would hook your leg onto it so the bar was under your knee, then just tip forward and keep spinning round and round. How we didn't fly off I'll never know.

I remember my teacher driving me home from some event, got me to hold the steering wheel so he could roll himself a cigarette while we were still moving.

Also pushing 'Record' on the video wasn't enough, you had to push Record and Play together. Rewinding video cassettes was so annoying as well.