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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

A 1970s/80s AIBU?

448 replies

Scarletohello · 20/07/2014 21:33

Just been reading the brilliant and nostalgic threads about all the things parents did then that would be massively judged now so thought it would be fun to start a 70s/80s AIBU

Want to join me..?

Here goes,

AIBU to not want to have the whole of the street come and watch a football match on our new black and white TV?

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 00:29

In My Day, Barbie also had a wardrobe, without having to buy new dolls. And they had shoes too. Ridiculously high heeled, but nothing about Barbie was anything other than ridiculous Barbie had knees that bent, Sindy was just... straight.

I do recall being advised not to heat formula in microwaves, because there might be hot spots. Because you wouldn't, duh, shake the bottle and test the temperature (on the inside of your wrist) before feeding your baby?

Maryz · 21/07/2014 00:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 00:36

I didn't wean either Ds1 (1987) or Ds2 (1990) at 12 weeks. But I might have enlarged the hole in the teat and added baby rice to bottles... (I don't count that as weaning, it was supplementary feeding, honest!)

So I might have been the tiniest bit hypocritical to be horrified (and I was, proper MN horrified) when the mother of dgs2 did the same...

Carrie5608 · 21/07/2014 00:40

AIBU to be in love with Blane McDonough and think Pretty in Pink is the best movie ever!!

Downamongtherednecks · 21/07/2014 00:41

AIBU to give my 13 year old a fruit knife and a pepper pot in case she is attacked so she can walk home from theatre club at 10:30 pm through (admittedly, small market) town on a Friday night?

SlightlyNerdyPianist · 21/07/2014 00:48

W my mum BU to think that neat TCP was a valid liquid to soak open wounds in. I still remember the pain now. Owwwwwwwww. And the cotton wool. And that damn kidney dish. Where the bloody hell did she get a stainless steel kidney dish from?
Kids now, with their savlon and their nice ointments....

OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 00:50

Hah, around 1983 the novelty shop I worked in sold an "antirape" device (imported from the US) which consisted of a seriously evil smell and a perma-ink dye. It was ultimately viewed as a "firearm" and illegal. Within months, only the seriously evil smell spray was available, and sold as "fart spray". That was fine...

SlightlyNerdyPianist · 21/07/2014 00:55

old Lady in the late 80's (I must have been about 15) I bought myself a lovely set of black spiked knuckle dusters for walking home from the pub school with. I showed my Mum. "Oh, they look nasty" she said, but otherwise didn't bat an eyelid.
'twas a different time, 'tweren't it? Grin

OscarWinningActress · 21/07/2014 01:03

AIBU? Keith Chegwin. I soooooo would. Just me?

Also, AIBU to think that Jimmy Saville is super-dodgy? The kids love watching 'Jim'll-Fix-It' but I think he looks like a kiddy-fiddler Confused.

sillybillies · 21/07/2014 01:11

queueing at the cinema and being turned away as the cinema was full. A man used to come out and count the number of people in the queue and put a sign up saying full up at a certain point in the queue. We always seems to be the family who just missed out as my mum was always late. It happened 3 times when we tried to go and see bedknobs and broomsticks. I finally saw it a few years ago and sadly it didn't live up to my expectations.

OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 01:18

Ah, SlightlyNerdy, so you didn't do the "threading your housekeys through your knuckles" thing? Oscar, do you remember the naked Keith Chegwin show? Probably on C4, probably with a warning...deffo late at night.

SlightlyNerdyPianist · 21/07/2014 01:29

The keys were my emergency knuckle duster. ;-)

OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 01:47

I saw that same advice being given recently, not as much changes as we think. (Though my great-aunt's advice about hatpins is probably a bit outdated these days!)

SlightlyNerdyPianist · 21/07/2014 01:56

Hatpins? Christ, they could do some serious damage!

OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 02:03

Oh, yes, a 6 inch needle with a pearl stopper, and a totally valid thing for a young woman to have about her person; in my great-aunt's day. Would be difficult to argue the case these days...

kickassangel · 21/07/2014 02:05

AIBU to get my daughter's hair cut into a pudding bowl shape like The Beatles? It won't make her look like a boy, she'll be the spit of that Lady Di.

(I looked like a boy and cried)

OldLadyKnowsSomething · 21/07/2014 02:11

My mother used to cut our fringes the night before school photos were taken. Every time she cut them while wet, and -every time she stretched the hair, so our fringes ended up a good inch shorter than they were meant to be.

I still cringe at my childhood photos, and I'm in my 50's.

hoppingmad · 21/07/2014 02:12

Aibu to buy a Betamax video player because "VHS" will never take off and then only buy 2 videos to watch on it. My whole childhood - the love story or Kramer vs Kramer. Thanks dad Confused

gertiegusset · 21/07/2014 02:51

AIBU to think I did loads of the above stuff in the 90's when mine were small and GUESS what...

They are all still alive and thriving today.

I even left them in a pram in the garden screaming while I went to the lav and had a fag and cried .

MrsBoldon · 21/07/2014 06:58

AIBU to let my kids have fried chicken, chips and gravy, a can of coke AND a chocolate bar for a treat on Saturdays while they watch Golden Girls taped the night before. They look forward to it all week!.

Still such a fond memory. Of course now they'd be the worst parents ever...fried food? Sugar? That's more calories than they need for a day in ONE meal Food should NEVER be a treat, you're setting them up for a lifetime of eating disorders etc.

No eating disorders. ..also not an alcoholic after seeing most members of my family pissed at parties for all of my childhood!.

toomuchtooold · 21/07/2014 07:17

AIBU to let my kids, once they have reached a responsible age (5 or 6) go off and play at the park at the top of the street all day, only coming home for meals, in the full knowledge that as soon as they are out of my sight they and their wee pals will go off and play in the dump next to the canal like we did?

Marcipex · 21/07/2014 07:28

AIBU to bring a baby home from the hospital to look after at home. Also, when I am at work, my 14 year old can look after it, she might as well, she's looking after her sisters anyway, what difference does another baby make.

What fun!

Ohwhatfuckeryisthis · 21/07/2014 07:33

Aibu to buy my 8 yr old daughter the soundtrack to Hair? It ok as she won't know whatSodomy is. (Track 3, side 1)
But that Germaine Greer book is dangerous twaddle (few years later). The bonfire is the place for that!

fluffyraggies · 21/07/2014 07:33

AIBU to be enjoying getting into ''X'' rated films at the local flea pit cinema at 11 years old?

Me and my mate were let into a ''XX'' one last week (Evil Dead i think it was called) however we couldn't see the screen too clearly for all the cigarette smoke.

gordyslovesheep · 21/07/2014 07:36

My DD wants something called a 'mobile phone'??? AIBU to suggest that the emergency 2p is all she needs?

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