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Original poster

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

101 replies

Hildegard25 · 05/09/2026 14:48

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?.

OP posts:
Natsku · 07/09/2026 04:01

Solaire18381 · 06/09/2026 16:27

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!

The schoolyard is a favourite play place where I am, there's no walls or fences (except a fence at one end to stop footballs going into the staff car park) so the kids love to go play football and basketball, table tennis, climb on the play equipment etc. DS likes to go to school early in the mornings to play before school too.

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