My mums reaction to Chernobyl (lighthearted)

[Okeycokey1]

Named changed on the very slim chance that dm is a mumsnetter

On the phone to my mother having a typical catch up about what films, radio shows, tv we are watching etc and mentioned am I watching Chernobyl..

Mum says “oh I remember it at the time - I switched to buying bottled water, and also you’d only drink certain things (I was around 4 then) and I wasn’t keen on giving you your normal squash or milk. As cows may have been infected

You’d always liked coke and lilt so gave you that instead”

aibu to think this is quite sweet, and would love to hear your versions of 1980s parenting

In reaction to me grumbling about a shrieking toddler on plane, "oh we used to give you a bit of calpol so you'd fall asleep"

That made me chuckle.

I am an early 1980s kid, my mum, Gran and Dad all used to chain smoke - in the house, next to me etc- and once they brought me an ashtray as a present and some fake little candy cigarettes so I wouldn’t feel left out... I even had my own little wine glass where I’d have a very, very watered down wine if there was ever a special occasion!

@fairylee I loved those candy cigarettes

I remember being about 8, and my dad was working a lot, and my mum was always busy with my younger sibling who was a toddler, so my dad took me out for a on a dad/daughter date to make me feel special.

He took me on a ghost walk of the city centre. I remember he was particularly concerned that I didn't understand what the tour guide meant by "committing suicide" and made sure to explain it to me in great detail.

In reaction to me grumbling about a shrieking toddler on plane, "oh we used to give you a bit of calpol so you'd fall asleep"

Mine went one better, the GP would prescribe "travel sickness medicine" (we were not sufferers of travel sickness) so that we would sleep for the entire journey. When we did an eight hour drive to go on holiday together a few years ago, DM was a bit baffled about why the GP didn't prescribe some for the DC. Maybe because drugging your kids is frowned upon nowadays...?

I remember driving the car around our street, I'd sit on dad's knee and he'd do the pedals and gears while I steered. We were only going around 4mph but it was so much fun. If he had the works van for the weekend, big Luton van, he'd take us for a drive in it and we'd sit in the back on top of the metal toolbox. Also remember umpteen cousins piled in an estate car, including in the boot, and all thinking it was great. Totally unacceptable now and dangerous even then but everyone did it.

Being sent to the corner shop whenever an adult needed something from it. My auntie giving me a some money and sending me to the corner shop to buy her a pack of cigarettes, the shopkeeper sold me them even though I was only 7yo because she gave me a permission note to show him that explained they were for her. DM made me promise not to tell dad because he wouldn't approve. Grandma sent us one evening when she was babysitting us, me and DB aged 8yo and 6yo, with a note saying we needed a bottle of Gordon's gin. Shopkeeper gave us it, no questions asked.

We used to play in the coal bunker that was in the back garden and climb all over the ash pile that was at the side of the house. Once a week the coal man would spoil our fun by tipping two sacks of coal into the bunker so it was too full to play in and would take away the ash pile so we had nothing to climb on.

Oh I also remember that we had a car - do for a special treat - my dad would take me on the bus to the town centre and back

Mum asking me to light her cigarette from the gas job

Hob ffs

My parents never smoked but remember being sent around the shop for cigarettes by friends mums

Medicine dummy with a dram in!!

I used to have small glass of watered down wine or babysham with Sunday lunch!

Also remember being left in the car whilst they went on walks if I was moaning that I didn't want to come / wear a coat etc...

My sister and I were bored one afternoon, so my mum put on a video for us to watch....It was Pretty Woman . Sister was 6. I was 11

God knows what she was thinking!?

My parents taking my sisters and I to Madam Tussauds around 1984. Walking down The Chamber of Horrors and seeing the Mason Killers, Crippen and electrocutions in the electric chairs. We often remind my mum: what was she thinking!! 🤣

On a Saturday we’d go shopping to town and stop off for lunch at McDonalds.

We always used to sit in the smoking area though so I could have a happy meal and she could have a coffee and a fag.

I used to be sent to the corner shop for matches, at about age 7 or 8!

Both my brother and I were given gripe water by the gallon, I think it had some sort of alcohol in it then as whatever they sell now really didn't make any difference to DD.

I mentioned Chernobyl to my mum a few days ago too, and she said she was so worried about the 'toxic air' that she didn't take me out for a week- I was 5 months old. Bless.

I remember driving the car around our street, I'd sit on dad's knee and he'd do the pedals and gears while I steered

Ha ! I remember doing that with my dad round a supermarket car park on a Sunday morning, I must have been about 8. We used to holiday in France so I had watered down wine from the age of 10 or 11, the water to wine ratio altering the older you got ! I actually don't think that's a bad thing, better introduced slowly and sensibly with parents than a bottle of White Lightning in a field IMO

my dad would put me on the roof of the car and drive around clearings in the woods... completely mad, but I loved it!! we had those sidebar things which I could hold on to.

We used to get left in the car (prob aged 6 and 8 ish) when my did went round and did his pools/milk money collecting (he had three jobs, we were still skint!).

We were also proper latch key kids, it was ok unless my brother was in utter prick mode...I did have to call my mum once to come home as he'd decided to punch me in the tit

I also used to help my dad out on the milkround at weekends/school holidays, but as was underage (did it from about 10, think they changed it to 16 for some health and safety reason) used to have to wait around the corner in the car until he'd loaded the van, and then when he unloaded.

Sunday nights I used to sleep on my grandparents sofa (usually the golf was on, so no trouble sleeping!!) whilst they and my parents played cards and chain smoked until the early hours, then I'd get carried to the car home to my bed....no wonder I could never get up for school

Caveat: I love my mum and dad a lot!!

I had my first baby sitting job aged 9 and it wasn't even a sibling . I was delighted that I could have the telly to myself and I watched the first episode of dynasty and I got paid to do it .

My 9 year old DN has never even played out by herself .
Inconceivable.

I am a 90s baby ,sorry to hijack and have been smoked around since I was quite tiny (DF used to light up outside when was a baby), allowed sips of wine since I was about 4 (got my own half glass at 11, full glass at about 14) and my parents once attempted to tranq me for a flight. Unfortunately they used phenergan elixir as recommended by my auntie- her twins slept all the way to Canada on it- and didn't know that it could occasionally have the opposite effect. Instead of napping, I was wired . They never did it again!

They did a lot of stuff right, too, but there are some parts of their parenting I won't be copying. I won't be smacking any future dc either, esp not with a flat backed hair brush, which was DMs favourite weapon!

We used to have a proper milk man who can round on a float 25 odd years ago. My parents used to send us out to get in the milk float with him and ride around the block. Random bloke - go get in his vehicle kids. I mean, it was a milk float - they could have run it down if he tried to make of with us, but still!

Ah the days when you could buy a 10 pack of smokes with change as long as it wasn't a local shop with the phrase 'yeah they're for me Mam' and not an eye was batted...

We had pet rabbits that had a hutch and a massive run in the garden. The neighbours came round with their huge Dalmatians one day and one got in the run and killed one of the rabbits. My dad then dissected the dead rabbit to show us how it worked, I think I was around 5 years old and found it fascinating, I can’t imagine anyone doing that now!

I used to have to stand outside the betting shop with my sister while our dad put his bets on!