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Kids in the '70s and '80s had a different experience when growing up. No wonder your auntie Betsie never misses a chance to tell the same old story of her 10-year-old self walking 5 km to school in freezing winter. “These days kids, they don’t know!” she mumbles.

But she must be right. This illuminating thread shared by Dan Wuori, the senior director of early learning at The Hunt Institute, shed light on what kids in the past experienced in their daily lives and most of it is simply hard to imagine.

“My high school had a smoking area. For the kids,” Wuori tweeted before asking everyone to share “What’s something you experienced as a kid that would blow your children’s minds?” Below we selected some of the most interesting posts that reveal just how much times have changed.

Image credits: DanWuori

#2

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

CourtneyAnnePh Report

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Juan Ghote
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trawling through the library index first to find the right encyclopedia / reference publication then building your footnotes / bibliography to support your submission. Roughly 30 minutes for per reference...

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Childhood memories are something most of us cherish throughout our lives. Prof. Krystine Batcho, a scholar in science of nostalgia and licensed psychologist, has developed a tool to measure our emotions towards the past using the Nostalgia Inventory Test. The tool shows how strongly and how often people feel nostalgic.

In a previous in-depth interview with Prof. Batcho, Bored Panda asked the professor about the role our childhood memories play in our lives. According to the professor, childhood memories can influence our adult lives in a number of ways. “They can contribute to our overall sense of happiness in life.”

#6

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

MiraCeleste2 Report

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Robert T
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was "normal" in the UK in the 80s and 90s. Uniform was a skirt for the girls. In winter they simply wore woolly tights, which was also part of the uniform and had to be a certain colour. Boys wore trousers and it was only if it was really hot we could wear shorts and very occasionally it would be declared a "no tie" day.

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Moreover, Batcho argues that social experiences we had when little are crucial to our development and adult lives. “Positive childhood social events, such as family get-togethers during the holidays or parties to celebrate birthdays or achievements, help establish good self-esteem and healthy social skills in adulthood,” she told us.

Prof. Batcho’s life-long research suggested that “positive childhood memories are associated with more adaptive coping skills in adulthood.” For example, people with happier memories of childhood were less likely to turn to counterproductive ways of dealing with stressful situations, such as substance abuse or escapist behavior.

#7

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

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Robert T
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You think that's bad. When I was a university, I didn't have a phone and used the public call boxes at the end of the street. Doesn't sound too bad until I say that I lived in the red light district and got propositioned whilst on the phone to my mother! LOL

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#8

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

RealGravitas Report

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Holly Freeman
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The amount of times I would burn my hands on the monkey bars from the hot Aussie sun 😤 the blisters! But my god was it fun!!!

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That means that healthy coping is not something we’re born with, but rather “it is learned during childhood by role modeling trusted adults, and memories of how respected adults coped with adversity,” the professor explained.

If you deeply cherish your childhood memories and carry them throughout your life, you’re not the only one, Batcho argues. The professor explained that this phenomenon is called “rosy retrospection,” and it refers to a tendency to remember the past as better than it really was.

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#10

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

crunchyrugger Report

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Robert T
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha. There was one bus stop in the entire village. Apart from the one and only school bus, the remainder of the bus service flipped between one an hour to two busses a week! I walked to primary school, including on my own from about aged 7 or 8, and cycled to secondary school which was 3 miles away in the nearest town. This is probably why I have such little patience with the Chelsea tractors (SUVs) doing the "school run".

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“There might be an evolutionary reason for it, because a favorable focus on the past helps most people remain healthy and happy despite the practical and emotional challenges of adult life,” prof. Batcho explained. Having said that, it’s also important to note that memory retrieval and the way we feel about them is directly influenced by a person’s current mood and state of mind. It turns out that when we are sad or depressed, we are more likely to remember negative events in our past and remember past experiences less favorably.

#13

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

long17_de Report

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Grady'sRaider
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The one I remember was mostly a toy: molded plastic seat, one inch plastic strap with a buckle, and a plastic steering wheel with a squeeky horn button.

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#14

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

KevinGi62453362 Report

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Robert T
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was a student prank. Our chemistry teacher had some mercury in a beaker and we stuck our hands in it. Not sure that touching it is a big deal, but you don't want to ingest it.

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#17

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Ash
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

AND you could pick up the phone and listen in on their conversations!

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#18

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

MelissaV007 Report

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Katy McMouse
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Probably because they were hunting rifles, used for hunting and not assault rifles, used for God knows what.

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#23

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

DarciaAnne Report

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Nathaniel
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is one of these near my sisters, in a park, it is 3 feet wide. Spin on that fast and you will vomit and feel ill for the rest of the day.

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#24

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

HoldenCapt Report

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Pat Head
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fortunately, the jet injectors do no use a needle, but instead use a high pressure spray that penetrates the top layers of skin to deliver the vaccine. They used to be used for mass vaccinations, but now only a fraction of people in the States use it for insulin.

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#25

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

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Emerald Ocean
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well at least the nurse tried to calm her down, though a newborn should not be near smoking!

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#27

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

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Tony James
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And I'll bet not a single one of you has problems with mosquitos living in your lungs. I call that a result!

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Grady'sRaider
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We did too. Our town was on a hill at the edge of 20 sq. miles of marshland. The mosquitoes were terrible. Some called them the provincial air force.

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Zophra
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband said they would play in the chemical spray in their swimsuits. Ugh.

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TheDoryLama
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG! SC, I was JUST telling a similar story to my friend, Esha last night. I remember camping by the beach chasing the mosquito fogger truck. 60 yrs old and healthy as a Trojan horse made of the finest hardwood.

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Kar Red Roses
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jersey shore, 1940s-50s. All the women on my dad’s side of the family bathed in that ddt truck spray got cancer of the ovaries and breast in the 60s and 70s. But they were all also obese, and some of them smoked.

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Ganta S
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We used to chase neighbour's two-stroke car to inhale those fumes, it smelt so much better than more modern cars!

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Benita Valdez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mosquito trucks were still around in the 90's here but we never chased them

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Donna Rakowiecki
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah we were exposed to so much s**t so unbelievable was still alive

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Rosie Shores
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LMAO yes, we did! omg I drew the line and ruined only one bicycle riding after the hot tar truck. A worker had to save me as I was falling from my melting bike... whew.

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Stymied Egan
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never chased the truck but they went through our neighborhood. My mother told us to close the windows. We also had our area sprayed for gypsy moths by air, if she knew it was going to happen, mom had us close the windows again. She was a smart lady.

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MAKtheknife
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And they sprayed the drive-in movie theaters too. How did we survive?

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Leesa DeAndrea
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember the trucks driving through the neighborhood fogging the streets with mosquito spray too.

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elcee
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my mom always told me about that when she was a kid, in fla

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Robin Padon
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Dad did that in Alice Texas! Fond memories for him...he's 91 now!

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Granny
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mosquito spray plane flying over the neighborhood.could feel it on our skin..no problem

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Kathy Overton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We loved chasing the DDT truck on the Marine Corps base in Quantico, VA!

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Marlin Tatom
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because nothing is strong enough to kill you. You shouldn't have to be embalmed, which is nice.

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Rick Hoppenbrouwer
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Has to be in the States. Nothing like the taste of malathion before bed.

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oktopus
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the stories from the good old days along the lines "we used to play in piles of rusty metal and broken glass while juggling live shotguns and inhaling lead-infused exhaust fumesss and no-one wore seatbelts, never did us any harm, those who survived that is".

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HammerzToe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG! YES! We did that too! Almost 70 here, very healthy all my life, I can't believe we did that and are still around to talk about it!

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Sandra Keith
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We would ride our bikes behind that dust cloud. I can still smell it.

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Joanna Palmer
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandfather worked as a DDT sprayer and he, my grandmother, father and two uncles have all died from cancer. My father and uncles were all under 40.

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Debbie Pugsley
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How about "mosquito trucks" in general!!! When's the last time you saw one?

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Charles Whitaker
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandfather worked for the agency the ran the mosquito spray truck, and the driver would backup to their front door and fog their house.

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Mia C
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember that! DDT...highly toxic but we survived!

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#28

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

jan_ruscoe Report

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Karin Gibson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had Nitty Nora the head explorer. You were treated then and there. The shame of going back to class was dreadful.

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#29

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

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Marie
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm also from Raleigh. My second grade teacher's wooden paddle was made by her husband and he'd even done fancy burn in lettering to put her name on it. Good times

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#30

Mindblowing-Childhood-Experiences

m00n_child_227 Report

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Ed
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That would have been quite a trick in the 70s and 80s, since Netflix wasn't even founded until mid-1997.

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Note: this post originally had 41 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.