Did children in the 50s and 60s have more freedom?

[Hildegard25]

Hello everyone, this is my first post so I hope I've got things right.

I just wanted to compare my childhood to what you all might be experiencing today with your children, or indeed with your own childhood if you grew up in a different era to mine.

Or maybe your view of the 50's and 60's if you grew up then, concurs with mine, or not.

Us children in the 50's and '60s roamed freely — riding bikes across town, playing in parks, and staying out well past dark without parents tracking our every move.

There were no cell phones to check in with, and intense parenting had not been invented yet. We were expected to figure things out on our own.

That sense of community trust and outdoor freedom shaped our entire generation, or at least it did mine.

Many of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's describe those unstructured hours outside as the best part of our childhood.

Is that something today's kids rarely experience in quite the same way, or am I being nostalgic over my seemingly idyll childhood?.

I grew up in the 60s and no way did I have the freedoms of some of the people here. I was definitely not allowed out and about from the age of 7+. My mother had grown up in central London and she definitely was able, in the 1930s, to go out rollerskating on the pavements but that really shows how things have changed over the years. They didn’t have a garden and there were very few cars in the 30s, fewer cars and people in the 60s and it’s very much busier today. Just a traffic alone today is horrifically dangerous..

On the other hand, there was a hell of a lot less to do in the 60s. Shops were closed on Sundays and bank holidays. There was limited transport and they simply wasn’t the entertainment that there is now. If you look at the Tony Hancock sketch about Sundays that will give you some idea of the stultifying boredom that some of us had to endure. School friends were allowed considerably more freedom than I was, but even now I’m surprised when reading on some threads here about the freedom that some young children seem to have today to travel about.

I was a sixties and seventies kid and my childhood wasn't free roaming like that and I also don't think my mum's was in the forties and fifties either. Maybe it depends where you grew up as I wasn't near fields and woods.

Thank you for all your responses, which make quite interesting and diverse reading. I know there were downsides to my idyll childhood, but the good certainly outweighed the bad.
There was corporal punishment in schools in my day, although this seemed to be more directed at the boys, rather then the girls, although I did have the dreaded wooden blackboard rubber thrown at me several times. We became quite adept at putting up our desk lids and hiding behind it until we heard the crash of the wooden blackboard rubber hitting the desktop lid.
Teachers however were more inclined to physically assault boys with the cane or a belt strap across the hand. When I look back I now cringe.

It has been heart warming to read many different experiences, and it made me quite sad to read that some had less then good childhood experiences. So sorry.

A badge I think!

The golden rule in our house was, when the street lights come on you come home.

i dream of roller skating around streets of my childhood! My god! I was 3 or 4 years old in the 60’s and running free in streets without cars. Doing handstands showing knickers, cartwheels and running free. In a working class area of Newcastle. Incredible environment for a child.

Born late 50's. Chores after school then out to wander. Wash and dry dishes after dinner. In bed early and wouldn't dare to get up until morning. Babysitting for neighbours from early teens. Repetive basic food. Very few treats. One bath a week on Sunday night. Common to see kids with a broken arm or leg. Very few cars in the street. Many dogs wandering. Some aspects were good but I'm glad my kids and grandkids didn't have the same experience but also sad that they're somewhat curtailed as I think learning to risk access from a young age is beneficial and is a life skill.

I forgot about roller skating, where I lived practically every kid had one, and when I look back at the design of them, I wonder how so many of us became quite adept on them.

I have rollerskates in the 90s but was mostly just allowed to skate around the church next door and on our driveway, eventually I was allowed to skate with my brother to a nearby car park to play street hockey. Once I went off with a friend around the local area and got a bollocking from my mum when I got back!

Born mid 1960s and very similar childhood. I wandered far and wide and walked to school and back over 2 busy roads from the age of 6. Everyone I knew did the same.

.Oh, I do agree.
My parents had it rough. Dad went out to work, Mum was the home keeper, and looked after all the family and their needs, I know out of the two who was the hardest worker.

No double glazing.
No fridges for many households
Definitely no freezers
Coal fires which had to be cleaned out remade, and relit daily.
Ice on the inside of bedroom windows in winter
No Washing Machines
Terry towelling nappies washed and reused
Washing was done with a Dolly Tub and Posser, and Mangle.
Very few houses had TVs in the early 50s
And Phone calls were mainly made in red telephone kiosks at the bottom of the street..
I could go on.

What was amazing though is that we children could never envisage our Parent's hardships, and although we had chores and were taught to respect our elders, their hardship was never transferred to us, and we had all the freedom I described in my original post.
I will just add that these experiences were mine and the children I mixed with on our estate /community, and I do realise this will not be the case for some others.

I was born in 1949.
You are describing mine and my parents life exactly.

I was born in 1960.
Neither I nor others played in "the street". There were country lanes.
However, by about 8/9 I spent hours out with friends, on the beach, on bicycles, in the fields, etc. Under no circumstances would we have stayed out or been allowed out after teatime.
From the age of 7, I was dropped at the local station to catch the train to travel 4 stops (about 15 mins) to my school station, where about ten of us, who usually travelled together, meeting on the train, were picked up by the school bus.
At about 7/8 I was put on the train to sit in the restaurant car, mother tipped the steward, and I was collected at Victoria by my grandmother.
In my teens, I caught the bus home from Guides/Youth Club and, dare I say, the YC's.
I also spent a lot of time at Pony Club, and the sailing club.

No hanging about, no mindless wandering at night. By 14 I was more than capable of going to London alone and knew my way round the West End.

My DC mid/late 90s born London children, got the tube to school from 11, but did not play out and activities were far more structured. They did not hang about in parks/shops after school. However, they had far more structured activities: beavers/brownies, football/tennis/swimming/hockey, etc, music/drama/band/choir. At 12 dd was capable of getting the tube to the west end to look around the shops, usually off piccadilly.

Swings and roundabouts I think but the one common denominator is that we had to tell our mothers where we were going and with whom.

It is an absolutely genuine post.
From the number of posts on this subject, I personally think we did have more freedom, but as you ask then maybe I am seeing my childhood through rose tinted glasses, who knows?

I see today's children staring at their phones while out walking with mates, even while cycling. This I see as being imprisoned by t'internet'.
I see parents driving their children to school when they live less then a half mile away. I see parents walking 8, 9, and 10 year olds to the school gates many who live within two minutes walking distance. I'm not saying this is wrong, just that when we were 7, and 8 years old we walked around a mile to our school unsupervised by our parents, but with our friends. Never a thought of any possible danger.

I was in the Roam Free camp - disappearing off with friends during the day with parents having no idea where I was.

We had more freedom but not much of a voice - bullying/being bullied was part of growing up, mental ill-health was not a thing for children, teenagers got pregnant by other teenagers, by older boys and (mutterings overheard from parents) by older men including relatives. Child abuse (physical and sexual) was much more normal: in my school you could still be hit with a wooden spoon and at the boys school they got caned.

School refusal was just not a thing at all.

I do feel some people think peer bullying was invented with the internet - it absolutely was not; kids have always had ways of hurting each other emotionally and physically. Unfortunately back then we were just left to get on with it.

And I certainly remember being a bully as well as being bullied.

Thinking more deeply about the freedom issue, I think we had far more in the context of educational achievement. Schools were educating rather than operating as exam factories. There were also different types of schools: grammar, technical high, secondary modern and schools for children with SEN. Everyone now has to mind their backs in huge schools and try to fit in.

Child of the 70s & 80s (I’m doing that annoying thing of extending the question to include me!)

That is exactly why I posted this thread .
I want to read different opinions and experiences.
Thank you.

This reminds me how sick I am of cars all over parked up on pavements both sides you have to walk on the road. I think this is one of the biggest obstacles to children playing outdoors now. Not sure if there is an answer, just an observation.

Dad was born 44 - seems to have had a happy roaning chidlhood - street was full of family and both parents worked - though grandfather was around in school hoildays.

Mum was later in 50s early 60s - both parents worked and she had to look after younger sibling - lot of known to family people on the council estate. She seems to have been less happy with her freedom.

My parenst were both one of two kids - their own parents - my grandparents - had more siblings but them and MIL only had one FIL had three but there was a huge gap and he and his twin were very late in Mum life unexpected babies.

We lived in village late 70s and early 80s and had much less freedom than them - three of us - in fact I had very little as Mum though kids out on streets were trouble makers.

DH an only had load of freedom in 80s and teen 90s absoutley loads to point he and mates when they were parents though it a bad idea for their kids and were like wtf were our parents playing at.

My own DC had less freedom as kids- not always my chocie first school was odd about walking home alone and next school route was unsafe - but as teens they had more freedom - they were not as rually isolated as I was or DH in rural town was.

They got theseleves to secondary as I did and the griel were going into center as I was with mates at 11 (despite some other parents thinking it too young) - DS less so but that's been more self imposed than anything we've done. DD1 at uni been happy to get on planes and arrange her own trips to places of interest - DD2 been into major nearby city with mates - some were allowed or didn't want to go without parents at 16-17.

@Hildegard25

Ah, I see you are only a few years younger than my mother!

Early WW2 through to mid or even late 1950s were really tough times - for so many reasons

Born late 70's, as a child in the 80's going into the 90's we did play outside with friends, in gardens and in homes, in the road and on bikes.

Our parents used to say "make sure you're in before the street lights come on" and I remember them calling us as well, when dinner was ready as we were never that far away. Riding bikes, we were not allowed on main roads or in the woods. Weekends we often used to take balls to the school yard or tennis courts, which were locked but you could easily climb over and there was no security/cameras!

My DC, I just think mainly due to circumstances too, did play in our gardens and in the road with neighbours but now have no friends who live that nearby. Maybe have less "freedom" than me as children in the neighbourhood are more spread out, don't all go to the nearest schools and I guess just they trends have been to play more inside and less on bikes on roads.

They have never played in the school grounds/fields at weekends/holidays as no doubt there are security measures these days and don't live within walking distance in any case. Yes, they have the internet now but in my day we did have TV of course and a computer (and when very young I do remember one of those game consoles you plugged into the TV).

Other similarities between my childhood and DC's: I've never known life without central heating. As a child we had colour TVs, microwave, washing machine and fridge. I don't remember having a full freezer until later on and no dishwasher until the 90's. I do miss the pop man who used to come around every Thursday!

Well, I did. There was limited things to do, so we found our own stuff. I was fine, and glad I got that freedom. 👍

Loads of exercise, both from home and at school, making our own way, to and from school, and most of us kept our weight to normal.

I agree that part of the reason for chidlren having less freedom is the explosion in the number of cars on the road - and cars that can go at greater speeds.

When I was a child in the 50s cars were more of a luxury and only a few families had them. Letting us out to play did not carry the same risks. We lived on the edge of a small town and roaming the streets unsupervised was not really a rick at all.

I walked to school - at least a mile - as did all my friends - roads to cross but we were simply expected to deal with that. I do not remember any children getting run over.

The first school I went to at 5 involved me walking a fair way to the bus stop (and crossing roads) dealing with bus fare and late buses, then walking a further trek after I got off the bus and crossing a main road with a zebra crossing. No-one ever took me - I did it by myself.

I am guessing my parents would have thought twice if there had been more cars.

Ah, born 1969 and my 70s and 80s childhood was very very free…
Walked to school on our own (from 5) which included going over the rubble of knocked down houses, jumping a stream, and going through a bunch of freestanding garages.
We played out whenever we wanted, even went on buses into town when still primary age!
I lived on a council estate, decent houses with front and back gardens, with lots of green space, parks etc. it was very quiet and safe.

If I was off school ill (which was very frequent because we were given Lucozade when ill!) my mum would leave me home alone in bed while she went down the shops, usually bringing back a comic!