To wonder how our parents generation coped without childrens tv

[anicegreentea]

I know its not the ideal parenting strategy. But i have toddler and baby and often find myself wondering how my mum coped when baby is grizzling and toddler is bored!

Yes, we did have children's TV progs, but only 'Watch with Mother' at dinner time and then the afterschool until teatime programmes. I presume the OP means that you can find something aimed at children on TV throughout the day now (esp if you have cable/Sky / Freeview), and of course DVDs and the like as well.

We also had a storytime on the radio each day.
Of course, we played too!

They used to put the babies outside in their prams so they could get fresh air, and passing old ladies would chat to them .

When they were bigger, the kids were let loose on lovely playgrounds full of nonp-bouncy equipment like concrete tunnels and told not to come home til tea time

Apparently I could sing the Postman Pat theme tune by 18 months We definitely had kids TV, included animated stuff with grunting characters.

No day time TV when I was a small child. Just wierd girl test card so we played out.

First off in the street and later on chopper bikes going all over the place, school hols were fantastic, leave at 10am and back for tea at 5.

No mobiles, no computers just you, mates and a bike.

We were resourceful, mature, threw stones at flashers!! Independant and had fun.

Actually my older kids did this too and had great times, my teen girls now not so much freedom, very sad.

Don't remember any obese kids except the usual one per year group but strangely also don't remember any Aspergers or autistic kids either.. Seriously wonder why? We're they siphoned off to special schools?

Parents didn't helecopter or interfere and the worst adult of all was the 'parki' or park warden.

After school clubs were places you walked to and sorted yourself, health and safety just didn't exist and if a school coach driver touched your knickers and you told mom then she just laughed it off!! Happy happy 19705!!!! Good and bad.

schools TV - yes I used to love Watch! ahhh the memories

I have to say though if anyone touched my knickers my mum would have done something about it despite it being 1970!

YY to the test card girl - my mum admitted she used to plonk me in front of that in my high chair when all else failed .

As for autistic kids - you were a child so you probably didn't realise they had autism. My DS has Aspergers and although it's obvious to me and people who have experience, his classmates have never regarded him as "different".

Think her attitude was typical for 1970s though. Couldn't conceive of paedophiles being anything other than weirdos in macs.

Up thread someone mentioned blue Peter and aunty val, I much preferred magpie as it seemed far more decedent and cool.

Later Tucker Jenkins in grange hill...

I am 68 and remember watching Muffin the Mule and Meet the Groves :-)
Mind you I read a lot too and played out with friends. I enjoyed the radio and remember my delight when I got a little Ferguson trannie for my 13th birthday.

Yes suburban, that's makes sense.

Speak for yourself, I probably watched 6 hours of TV daily most of my childhood (1970s USA).
Almost never watch it now.

My mother loathed telly when it came to her area (1950), for taking her friends away.

Mom nearly "drowned" in the La Brea tarpits in about 1950. Oh, the joys of a Free Range childhood.

Woodentops and camberwick green? Trumpton and queen Victoria's statue?? Oh dear, all nostalgic now.

Lljkk, but it made her the woman she is today!! Ha ha!!

My mother used to spend time with other sahm's taking it in turns to sit in each others houses and letting the kids play, as kids we also had to get on and play ourselves as mum was busy also we helped out alot with washing/baking day etc I also remember being bored as a kid when there was nothing to do and then as soon as I was around 7 yrs old I was out on my bike round the local park/woods/other people gardens only going home at mealtimes.

Well I dunno about everyone else but there was CBBC at ten to four...
Otherwise as long as it wasn't raining I was chucked outside and left to get on with it...

im 55 and my childhood telly was pinky and perky, blue peter, etc and i dont remember being in the house much my mom said me and brother used the place like a hotel only ate and slept at home , used to be out with my mates up the local park most of the day, or out on my bike all over the place, my kids were 70s 80s kids and despite there being more kids telly they were mainly out playing or we took them to the park, the boys played football for kids teams, they did sea cadets, after schools clubs, Dd did ballet, gymnastics, rythmic gymnastics, karate, i as a child and they as kids didnt have time to be bored

Did nobody else watch such grown up delights as House Party (like Loose Women but with women called Marjory and more marmalade recipes) and Crown Court (a world of beige courtrooms and men with dodgy sideburns).

I didn't really play out as a child, but remember eating endless banana sandwiches in front of the TV.

nancy66 is right, I was off miles away pre secondary school. I was on the phone recently to my mum and i said god they are driving me etc etc and she said 'i don't know why you don't put their coats on, throw them outside and lock the door for a couple of hours, it's what i used to do'

my mum is 57 and she used to spend her pre-school days waiting for the postman to come and then she'd follow him on her round. she got in trouble with my nana one day because she took the family allowance book with her and posted the pages through all the neighbours' letter boxes. nana had to go round them all that evening gathering them all up.

Babies were strapped into a pram and put outside either to sit or go for a walk. Inside they were usually strapped in a high chair or in a playpen. My mother said they didn't have time to play with kids.
As kids we were turfed out into the garden or the street.
I'm 43 and if we were allowed to watch tv we watched the old B&W films that were on. They were far better than kids TV. I'm still partial to a bit of Stewart Granger.

My DDs are 21 and 18

When they were little we didn't have anything like CBBies. They had Playdays at 10.00 on BBC2 for half an hour, then at about 3.30 a couple of suitable programmes on BBC1 for little ones.

That was it.

My DDs loved Playdays but then the tele went off. They played with me and on their own and helped me cooking, washing up, baking etc.

The op has a baby and a toddler. They're hardly going to get packed off with an airy wave in the morning.

There's a lot of pedantry on this thread. When op said kids tv, I assumed she meant the wall to wall stuff we have now, plus sky plus, on demand etc, and dvds.

I had a 70s and 80s childhood. Sure, we had Grange Hill, Marmalade Atkins, cartoons at the weekend etc but I'm so grateful for the choice and flexibility we have now.