The ‘60s were a time when kids roamed the neighborhoods till the streetlights came on simply because they could. It was when adventures were around every corner, and safety rules were just a gentle suggestion. But now? Not so much. Today, we’re looking at 18 ways that our childhood in this decade was a lot more liberating and, let’s be honest, dangerous.
Fewer Supervised Activities
Playdates and organized sports were pretty rare because most kids were left to their own devices. They came up with their own games to explore every nook and cranny of their houses. This gave us a sense of creativity and adventure, although it meant taking some risks without any adults hovering around.
Handling Fireworks
Fourth of July was a time for kids to light up sparklers and fireworks with hardly any adults in sight. It was all fun and games until someone got burnt, but that was just part of the excitement. There weren’t many rules about who could light them or where, so the night sky was often filled with kids setting off rockets and spinners.
Construction Sites as Playgrounds
Without fences and warning signs, empty construction sites became our adventure park. They had plenty of space for us to explore and play hide-and-seek among the half-built structures. If that wasn’t your thing, you could always try a game of tag and run through the exposed nails and loose planks.
Drinking Water From Hoses
Back then, drinking water straight from the garden hose was just part of being a kid and playing outside. We didn’t worry about BPA or lead because we just cared about quenching our thirst quickly and easily. That rubbery taste didn’t stop us, especially in the summer heat, when any water was good water.
Food Safety Standards
Refrigerators weren’t as reliable in the past, and the idea of “expiration dates” was pretty loose. If you left a carton of milk out a bit longer than it should have, nobody blinked an eye. It was a simpler time in the kitchen, but not necessarily the safest, because we’d grab a glass without a second thought.
Wild Animals as Pets
Forget having dogs or cats because finding a turtle or frog and making it your pet was pretty normal. And sometimes, we’d even bring home raccoons or snakes to really spice things up. This was a way for us to explore nature up close and personal, although we probably should’ve done some more research about these wild animals first.
Less Rigid Diets
Similarly, nobody was counting carbs or worrying about gluten back then, so kids would eat whatever was on the dinner table. Usually, that meant lots of meat and potatoes, along with bread slathered with butter, and for dessert? A big slice of homemade pie. We never felt guilty about eating so heartily as we just weren’t as health-conscious.
Freedom With Tools and Machinery
It wasn’t unusual for kids to help out in the workshop or with farm equipment from a young age. Parents would hand over the reins by teaching kids through doing rather than a safety manual. While we liked this kind of hands-on learning back then, all that power in young hands seems a little dangerous now.
DIY Toy Repairs
When your toys broke, they didn’t get thrown away because we fixed them up ourselves. It didn’t matter if you were gluing a busted action figure or taping up a torn board game box because making repairs was just part of the fun. Although our fixes weren’t professional, they did teach us about being resourceful.
Free Range Parenting
Before it had a name, free-range parenting was just normal parenting. Kids had the freedom to make their own decisions and solve their own problems, just as long as they came home by dinner. This gave us a sense of independence and taught us how to handle life’s challenges without a safety net.
Open Access
Of course, the internet wasn’t around in the 1960s, but we had something similar with unrestricted access to all sorts of books and magazines. Kids could read practically anything they could get their hands on without filters or parental controls. We might have enjoyed the thrill of the unknown, but perhaps there were some things we didn’t need to know.
Schoolyard Games
Games like Red Rover and Dodgeball weren’t for the faint of heart. These wild games ruled the schoolyard, so you either had to dodge the ball or take it like a champ because you had no other choices. You never worried about getting a little roughed up because it was just part of the game.
Walking to School
Rain or shine, most kids walked to school, and nobody thought twice about it. It was a time for you to hang out with your friends or drag your feet by picking up cool rocks or leaves along the way. Looking back, perhaps we should’ve been a little more careful about things like stranger danger.
Long Journeys Alone
Similarly, it wasn’t out of the norm for kids as young as ten to take bike rides or even travel on buses alone if they wanted to visit friends. Sometimes, we’d do it just to explore new places. These solo adventures gave us some freedom and a chance to grow personally, although there was also the risk of getting lost, among other things.
No Allergy Awareness
Food allergies? Most of us had never even heard of them. You’d find peanut butter sandwiches in almost every lunchbox, and we’d share our snacks with our friends without even thinking about it. While this could be dangerous, it also meant that our food was simpler, and we cared a lot less about it.
Playground Equipment
Those huge jungle gyms and giant metal swings at public parks were definitely not designed with safety in mind. They were a lot taller and made of much harder materials than the things you’ll find in a park today. We all challenged each other to reach the top, but falling was normal and usually pretty hard.
Fire Fun
In the ‘60s, it wasn’t unusual for us to play with matches and build bonfires, often with very little supervision. Sometimes, we’d roast marshmallows, and other times, we’d just watch the flames dance because it was just so interesting. It did teach us about fire management from a young age, though perhaps we could’ve done without all those burns.
Experimenting With Household Chemicals
The garage or under the sink was like a science lab for any curious kid. We’d mix household chemicals together just to see what would happen because safety labels weren’t really a thing. As you might expect, the potential for some dangerous reactions was pretty high, even though it was pretty exciting, too.
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