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Original poster

Things you remember from your childhood that would not be ok today!

577 replies

Starlight1984 · 10/04/2025 14:18

Light-hearted and inspired by the comments on the baby in the pub thread (and TikTok!)😀

But what are things you remember from your childhood that people would be absolutely outraged at today?!

I remember being babysat by our neighbours child when I was 4/5 and she was about 12/13. God knows what she would have done if anything went wrong as there were no mobile phones to get hold of our parents?! 🤔

Also remember going to the pub in the summer but kids weren't allowed inside so we sat in the beer garden with a coca cola and bag of crisps whilst the adults were inside 😂

OP posts:
Purplecatshopaholic · 10/04/2025 14:21

My mums main car was a camper van. She drove us everywhere in it. We loved it - as we played in the back at the table etc, without a seatbelt or a care in the world, lol

toomuchfaff · 10/04/2025 14:21

too many to mention....

At 12 I was often babysitting a group of four (8,7,5 & 3), for a weekend, in a different town (3 buses away from my home). Not even my kin

Pricelessadvice · 10/04/2025 14:21

I was hit with a bamboo stick when I was naughty. It was kept on top of the cupboard so if I saw my father reaching up, I’d either run or beg for forgiveness!
Probably not allowed today 😅

THNG5 · 10/04/2025 14:23

Sitting in the boot of the car!

jellyfishperiwinkle · 10/04/2025 14:24

Setting off early on holiday, my mum settling me down lying across the back seat of the car with a cushion and a car blanket.

EscapeTheCastle · 10/04/2025 14:25

A teacher slapped me hard on the hands when I was in trouble for talking. This was 1979 or 1980.

ConnieHeart · 10/04/2025 14:25

My cousins & me kneeling up on the back seat of the car, looking out the back window so we could wave to the cars behind us

Original poster
Starlight1984 · 10/04/2025 14:26

THNG5 · 10/04/2025 14:23

Sitting in the boot of the car!

Oh yep I said this on another thread - my mum and her siblings used to travel in the boot of the car in the 70s as there wasn't enough seats for them all 😂

OP posts:
MagpiePi · 10/04/2025 14:27

Having as many kids as you could squashed into the car - on laps in the front and back, in the footwells and in the boot. My mum once got 10 of us in a mini.

When me and my brother were babies, he apparently also used to hoik us over from the moses basket resting on the back seat to breastfeed while my dad was still driving.

Being sent down to the newsagents with a note to buy fags for her.

Westfacing · 10/04/2025 14:27

Aged around 10 (1960s) my friend and I would knock on doors, or shout up the hall at an open door, and ask if we could take the baby for a walk.

And off we'd go around the streets pushing a big pram until the baby cried then we'd return to the mother, who we would probably hardly know!

Eggsboxedandmelting · 10/04/2025 14:28

Kept off school whenever dm cba to take me.

No checks made about my whereabouts.
Walked to local shop alone quite young. Had an accident and a man walked me back. With blood dripping down the inside of my legs...
Nobody stopped us..
Kept some random stray dog without really looking for it's owner... It was bloody awful and they had the right idea!!

ConnieHeart · 10/04/2025 14:28

Riding a rusty old bike on a main road, no helmet, sometimes would indicate if I was turning, sometimes not!

WoodyOwl · 10/04/2025 14:28

Adult to child ratios were completely different. 1 adult could take 6-10 children out in a car. No seatbelts, 5 kids squished in the back seat, 3 on their laps and another 2 in the boot. Oh, and the adult would smoke about 5 cigarettes on the journey with the windows rolled up.

WonderingWanda · 10/04/2025 14:30

No seat belts. Sleeping in the boot of an estate. Being left in the car outside the pub with a bottle of coke and crisps. School trips with kids sitting in the aisle of the coach. Getting drunk with my teachers as a 6th former.

StrongandNorthern · 10/04/2025 14:30

Being hit/caned by teachers - 60s.

wheretheheckissummer · 10/04/2025 14:30

sitting on the car roof through the sunroof driving through Blackpool Illuminations.

TheNightingalesStarling · 10/04/2025 14:30

School netball team travelling to away games in parents cars... as many as possible squished in.

Coach broke down on school trip so they just moved the children off one coach onto the others, three to a seat instead of two.

Pricelessadvice · 10/04/2025 14:31

Sitting in my friends living room under a cloud of smoke from her grandparents. And in the car.

Original poster
Starlight1984 · 10/04/2025 14:31

Westfacing · 10/04/2025 14:27

Aged around 10 (1960s) my friend and I would knock on doors, or shout up the hall at an open door, and ask if we could take the baby for a walk.

And off we'd go around the streets pushing a big pram until the baby cried then we'd return to the mother, who we would probably hardly know!

Oh my god this is brilliant 😂

OP posts:
tedcherries · 10/04/2025 14:32

My teacher used to pull out our teeth when they were wobbly!

Original poster
Starlight1984 · 10/04/2025 14:33

MagpiePi · 10/04/2025 14:27

Having as many kids as you could squashed into the car - on laps in the front and back, in the footwells and in the boot. My mum once got 10 of us in a mini.

When me and my brother were babies, he apparently also used to hoik us over from the moses basket resting on the back seat to breastfeed while my dad was still driving.

Being sent down to the newsagents with a note to buy fags for her.

Being sent down to the newsagents with a note to buy fags for her.

Oh I'd forgotten about this!!! Asking for 10 B&H silver for my mum 😂

OP posts:
tedcherries · 10/04/2025 14:33

THNG5 · 10/04/2025 14:23

Sitting in the boot of the car!

Ah yes and on laps!

lazycats · 10/04/2025 14:33

Being forced to finish (often disgusting) desserts at schools before being allowed to leave the canteen. Meals id understand, but fucking desserts?!

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 10/04/2025 14:34

Driving back from a camping holiday late at night. My parents folded the seats down, spread all the luggage out evenly, put an airbed on top of it all, and tucked my sister and I up in sleeping bags on top of it. I remember feeling very cosy. It must have been about 40 years ago now.

Dotjones · 10/04/2025 14:34

In third year at school so about 7/8 there was always a scramble to get the marker pens that smelled nicest whenever we did something arty. Those who got lucky would sit there merrily inhaling the solvents whilst the rest would get on with drawing whatever we were supposed to be drawing. It wasn't until many years later I realised that we'd basically been glue sniffing in class.