What things have changed?

[JustForABitofFun]

AIBU to think that nowadays children's services would take us away from our parents?

When my eldest brother was a baby (in the late 1950s) my parents lived high up in a tower block in central London. So that my brother could get some fresh air, my mum would leave him in his pushchair on the pavement downstairs near the entrance to the flats. She would then go back up to her flat and just look over her balcony occasionally to check he was OK.

Can you imagine doing that now?

Has anyone got other examples?

I remember my brother used to ‘light my dad’s fags up’ for him when he was about 12!

The deathtrap playgrounds

Climbing frames, which were just high metal bars over a concrete floor, slides that were massive and could easily be fallen from. Roundabouts where if you were pushed too fast, you got sucked under and see saws where if your friend jumped off, you got winded as you just dropped heavily to the floor.

Two school related things always spring to mind for me on these threads -

Infant “monitors” in school - me and 4 other “sensible” P7’s were left in charge of the infant kids at playtime’s and lunchtime. The janitor would occasionally wander through the playground, but generally it was left to us. As the most sensible I was the one shown how to put on a glove and wipe scraped knees with Dettol on cotton wool and make cold packs out of wet paper towels. Also was the one that had to decide if a squabble in the playground meant a child/children should stay in for the rest of the break. We were also trusted to know when to pass on info to the adults and when to immediately go an get help.
On top of that we were sent done 5 mins before each break and got back 5 mins late from each one. We also went for lunch early so we were out in the playground when the little ones finished eating. In hindsight I think we lost at least 20/25 minutes time in our own class every day. No way would parents, either of the younger kids or the older ones, stand for that now.

I also remember three occasions when the school closed unexpectedly. Once for the heating breaking, one for a power cut and once for snow that was getting heavy. We were just sent home with notes and told to come back if no-one was home. I was P5 and P7. I assume the parents of the infants were phoned, but my grandparents certainly weren’t.

It was normal, baby’s in silver cross prams put out in the garden for fresh air to sleep will mum got on with housework.

I used to get my mum 2 cigarettes from the ice cream van

I remember babies being given a tot of rum or whisky in their bottles to help them sleep.

Travelling in the boot of the car with my brother or sitting on people's laps in the back seat if we gave anyone a lift.

Babies being wrapped up warm and left in their prams, largely unattended all day in the back garden

Sitting in the car outside the pub all day on Sundays and being thrown the odd Coke and bag of crisps. I don't remember it being awful or boring though.

If I didn't eat my dinner at night it was dished up for me for breakfast, if there wasn't time for me to sit there until I finished it.

Getting to sit in the boot if there weren’t enough seats in the car. It was always more fun in the boot.

my mum once left me and my siblings in a shop and drove all the way home before she noticed. We told the shop assistant that our mum had gone without us and she just told us to go and sit on the wall outside until she noticed and came back, We were aged about 4-9! She did eventually realise she had forgotten us an came back for us then told us off for not paying attention 🤣 Can’t imagine beyond being so relaxed about that happening now.

We used to travel back from my grandparents in the evening. Back seats down and 3 little kids in sleeping bags lying across the boot. Made me feel a bit squeamish remembering when I had my own and got the car seats!