Things that happened 20/30 years ago that wouldn't today

[Putrid46]

As a child I recall aunties, uncles and grandparents smoking around me all the time with no ventilation. I'd stay at my grandparents for the weekend and go home with a cough, it was seen as normal.

Parents driving me to school hungover from the night before possibly still slightly drunk.

As an A level pupil in the early 2000s I recall staying until around 7pm one evening with 2 teachers to finish coursework due in the next day, the teachers practically did it for me and then one of them dropped me off home in her car, nobody batted an eyelid.

We had a French language assistant, who was actually French and she invited us to her home one Sunday to do coursework and eat croissants, again it was all above board, she was a lovely Mrs Doubtfire type lady and it was all fine but looking back, that'd never happen now!

Interested to hear from anyone else

I used to babysit a lot as a teen. Various families. I’d hop into bed with all the kids in the families, boys and girls alike, to read them stories and have chats.
Very innocent but in retrospect, so inappropriate.

I was on a plane to Madrid in 2002 and the back third of the plane was a smoking section.

Oh and one more, in the late 90s I took a, or rather several, greyhound buses across the US from New Jersey to Los Angeles via the deep south. Sat beside a few ex cons and had a nice chat with them. Wandered into Juarez in Mexico, one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico for a look around. All of this alone, no phone, aged 21 after my university graduation. How my parents didn’t have heart attacks is beyond me. I’m probably lucky to be alive.

I’ll be 30 this year and these are what I remember:

I distinctly remember my grandma smoking in the shopping centre, baffles me how it was allowed for so long.

I remember my parents having more kids than seats in the car at one point, I even remember being pulled over by the police for this reason but don’t recall anything coming from it.

Going to any corner shop and buying a pack of cigarettes ‘for my mum’ and they wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

Being allowed to drink on a school trip in y12, age 16/17.

We went on a school trip to the millennium dome in 2000 and were walking past Hyde Park. It happened to be the weekend of the festival Party in the park.
My teacher got chatting with security and they let us in for free into the last 30-45 minutes of the show, I’m talking about about 50 teenagers and a few teachers, not a ticket or mobile phone in site.
It was a beautiful day, it was magic. We all watched Lionel Ritchie 😊
Would never happen now, I’m glad I’m old.

Having an uncle or a friends uncle tbat you were told not to be alone with as they were a bit odd

taking a note to the sweet shop so you could buy cigarettes for your parents if you were under 10 over 10 note seemed to be needed

children pushing cars when they hate brown down while parent gave instructions

going out for hours from the age of 6 and your parents having no real idea where you were much of the time

so many children squashed into cars as not every household had a car

I think some people here don’t realise that 20-30 years ago was only 1996-2006 😬😄 my oldest was born in 96 so it’s my kids childhood not mine 🤔😳

Definitely the smoking. Although most places had no smoking areas, the smoke still travelled. And I always had to shower after getting home from a club just to get the stench from my hair - this would have been in the late 90s / early 2000s so within the 30 year timescale.

I also remember temping in a British Telecom local office in about 2001 where everyone else smoked, despite the obvious “no smoking” signs everywhere.

My granddaughter did exactly that only last year when she was 14, the whole class went and the German class came to the UK and stayed with a family whose child was away. They had the most marvellous time, it was for a month too!

We certainly did that in the 90s, the fax machine was a real boon too, we would send our food orders during the morning break and it would be waiting for us when we got there.

The smoking ban , which seems donkeys years ago now, came in in 2007 which was the year after I graduated.
Strange to think during all my college and uni nights out you were allowed to smoke in clubs and bars, and so many of us did.

Absolutely this still happens. My daughter’s friends who were doing German have all done exactly this in year 9 just last school year.

25 years ago - shared an office with a chain smoker who smoked all day.
30 years ago - babysitting as a clueless 12 year old. Now 12 year old are barely left to mind themselves.

I remember a smoking room as recent as 2005 at one of my old jobs.
Me and my mate worked Sundays and she had a key to open it, we used to go in there and have one when no-one else was around.
It did stink 🤣

Yes! Really wonder what safeguarding was done before we all went off to random German family's homes! And such pot luck if you got a nice family or loons!

Smoking section of the plane seems mad now. And who'd have wanted to sit just in front of it?

Going interrailing and my parents not expecting anything more than a call from a youth hostel phone every 5 days and the odd postcard. And not seeing my photos til I got back and plugged in my digital camera! More photos exist of my cat last week than the whole 3 week trip! These days I'd have been tracked round Europe and sending daily photos.

Getting home from your school trip, taking camera film to Boots and waiting 3-5 days to see if any of your your 24 or 36 photos had actually come out.

Getting home from your school trip, taking camera film to Boots and waiting 3-5 days to see if any of your your 24 or 36 photos had actually come out.

And the “helpful” sticky notes on the photos if they didn’t quite come out as intended

I was using a twin tub in 1996, and got it brand new in 1990. I loved my twin tubs (that was my second one) and would happily use one now if they were still around.

Talking of the smoking ban, I remember visiting my grandparents in Ireland around the time it came out. As a kid it was very inconvenient as it meant the guards would come into the pubs to check noone was smoking and if it happened at night id have to hide from them.

Wow! I had no idea this still goes on. I'm glad in a way, as I had a brilliant time and learnt so much more than if I'd just gone there as a tourist. We went to school there and everything.

I must admit I was surprised these exchange programmes still exist today but they really do, and it’s just the same set up as it used to be! Staying with a random family and hoping for the best!

1990, just finished my GCSEs. A small group of us girls were invited to our head of year’s home for lunch. She was also our French teacher. I had the most amazing, grown up lunch with a small glass of red wine.

For a girl who grew up on a council estate in a very working class family, I felt I was in a different world. And I loved it.

In 2003 going to the Houses of Parliament for an A Level politics trip and visit and tour with our MP

The MP buying us each a glass of wine in the House of Lords bar, some of us were still under 18.

That was a fun memory, but you could imagine if this was done now?

Boss in first job giving me Christmas kiss on cheek and saying he always got a Christmas kiss from all the trainees!! To be fair, not a perve but a very nice middle aged man who clearly liked women but …..

Love thia thread, will read through all comments later but here's mine, I was born early 80s.
My high school was also open door. We could all go out at dinner, either home or the shops/chippy.
Smoking everywhere. We had a van with 2 seats. I sat in the back with the fog, no seat or seat belt. I was brought home from hospital in a carry cot in the back of the van.
My dad went to the pub Friday , sat , sun. My mum left me at home asleep in bed to go and pick him up late at night. I didn't know this til recently.this was from toddler age onwards. I was out clubbing from 15 onwards, could buy my own alcohol and cigarettes in any shop, never asked my age.

Little Britain aired between 2003 and 2006. A LOT of that content would definitely not make it to screen now (not really sure how it did then!).