30 Currently Non-Existent Things That Were Part Of Some People’s Childhoods, As Shared Online
One could think that there is “nothing new under the sun”, referring to some important things that stay the same or change very slowly, yet it would be a mistake to underestimate the effect various, even seemingly minor, alterations have in shaping the human world. These people have demonstrated that a single person lives long enough to witness some quite significant changes by answering one Redditor’s question: “What existed when you were a child that doesn’t exist now?”
Do you remember something from your childhood years that no longer exists or is now rare? Please, share your thoughts in the comments!
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Freedom.
Starting around age 10 to around age 14, when I got back from school, nobody knew where I was until dinner, and nobody cared. The only rule was be home before dinner which was about 7:00 PM.
I would just hit my bike, join up with the knot hole gang in the neighborhood, and we would just ride all over the place and go where we wanted and do what we wanted.
Basically, we were the kids from Stranger Things, albeit with a lot less paranormal activity.
No cell phones, not even any pagers.
I'm 46 so this was some 35 years ago.
Seems like it could be 350 years ago now.
Now you almost never see a kid riding anywhere on his bike, and nobody knows their neighbors.
When I was a kid in the 60's we went into the woods to play, tied a Tarzan rope over the creek. Rode our bikes everywhere, sometimes miles from home, and parents had no idea where we were. All the neighbors knew all the kids and their parents and would rat you out if you were doing something wrong. We played outside every chance we could. In the summertime we had pick up baseball games, football in the fall. All without a phone! They were truly good times!
What boggles my mind is that there is much information regarding childhood obesity (USA), yet kids more often than not are now riding Ebikes, which only lends to the problem. When I was a kid, we'd ride all day in the summer, and have to be home when the street lights came on. We were a rugged, athletic bunch.
I see kids playing around and riding bikes in my neighborhood all the time. Also, I don't need to know every detail about my neighbor's lives tbh. We have fond memories of our childhood because of how we enjoyed it. Sure things have changed, there is a lot more technology and all that but kids today will also remember their childhoods fondly.
Yes!!! They still sell gobs of bikes at Christmas, so where are they? Sitting in a garage somewhere no doubt...
I think it depends on where you live. I still see a large number of preteens/teens riding in my neighborhood (US-NE) -- not like it was a few decades ago, to be sure...
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I was a 70s kid in the UK and our days were like that. Trouble was that in the 80s and 90s, it turned out that a lot of organisations, clubs, etc. for children had issues with being either being run by paedophiles for there needs or infiltrated by paedophiles due to lack of safeguarding. Similarly, a lot of celebrities from the tv, radio, etc from my childhood were exposed as using there position and fame to abuse children. As a knock on as we became parents, we were more aware or even paranoid to some extent to what our children did in their time.
What was it like to be a latchkey kid in the 1970s? In my household, it was total freedom. Do you want to go somewhere at 10 years old? That’s great. Here’s a bike, a map, and 10 cents to call in case you get into trouble. You can figure it out. Just don’t bother us. Do you want to stay overnight at a friend’s house at 13? That’s cool. Just leave a note and don’t bother us. Do you want to get into all kinds of unsupervised mayhem of your own choosing? Go for it! We don’t want to know. Please don’t get arrested because that would bother us. We all had our own lives and that was OK. Our adventures ranged from the mundane to the literally insane and unbelievable. What did I learn? Independence, and with that came the confidence to try new things. If you failed or got hurt, no one was the wiser. I am happy for the experience and lucky to have survived it all.
Same as you buddy and yes they were...back in the days when I was young I'm not a kid anymore but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again 🎶
Now people call CPS on people who let their kids play outside by themselves
69 year old male here. I am thankful to have survived all the stupid things we did as kids. The ones who survived went on to become very responsible knowledgeable adults.
Different times back then. Wish the children nowadays could experience and enjoy the freedoms we had then. As a kid, I knew probably 65% if not of more of my neighbors. Not just on my street, but the streets before and after mine. I'm sure my parents knew more.
I see posts like this all the time, but apart from having phones (and thus no terrified/furious "what time do you call this?" scenes) my kids and their mates still grew up like this. Not much biking, tbh, bcs we're on a big hill with cobbled roads, but out in the streets & woods till all hours etc. When my son was around 12 they found an old bunker in the woods and made it their base, had fires there and so on. Sure they were all Fortnite and all that as well, but given the freedom, they had just as much of the old-school fun.
So sad, but true. No one would have scars to show how awesome their life was :-(
Nowadays, if you were out on your bike... some a-hole would call the cops on you and CYS on your parents! Oh, and the cops would probably shoot you!
The Local Gangs of today are more likley to mug you, break and enter or some other crime. My sons friend was shot in the thigh several years ago while walking home. Local Gang of 8 to 16 year olds.
Using the summer, gone from abut 9:00 am til dark, wit only the sketchiest information. “Where are you going?” “Dunno, maybe Phil’s to see if he wants to go to the park” Ok, be be home for supper”
I grew up without video games, satellite TV, and cell phones. Those things simply didn't exist.
I grew up right against the San Gabriel mountains. In my early teens, I would climb a mountain behind our house, hike down to the next valley, and up another mountain and nobody had any idea where I went. Nobody even asked, "Where have you been?" And I grew up in a loving home.
I’ve said the same thing. My childhood was stranger things without the upside down and the Russians.
Going down to the pool , or the local cafe for fish and chips or hanging out at the mall. Good times.
Honestly this speaks more about parents today than it does kids. Around here, I still see all of this, do know my neighbors. About the only thing that's really changed is that kids and adults are more easily reached if necessary. A huge part of this is because parents, the adults around here as well, ENCOURAGE it. A big group of kids riding their bikes around, going to the beach, playgrounds, parks, whatever, is a normal thing to see around here. Kids all over neighborhoods playing all day, rain, snow, sun, going in when the street lights come in...totally normal. Adults are the ones that changed all of this, and continue to do so.
Everyone saying the 80s.... No I think this was growing up in the 00s/early 10s as well. At least for me. I climbed trees, drew with chalk, scootered, skated, biked, etc and am covered with scars to prove it. I feel this was life before the younger generations who grew up with phones from day one. Now nine year olds want wrinkle cream and Lululemon. But I'm not even blaming the kids because they're, well, kids. It's the parents' fault for letting their kids grow up like that.
It was the same for me and my friends..we also played in the street a lot. Now when I visit my childhood home there are parked cars everywhere. It used to be so quiet
YEP. Latch key. Walk home 3 miles from the bus stop, make a hot dog or some other quick to eat, go play. And we had a huge woods behind our housing tract so sometimes it was that instead of the bikes. I did usually swing by the house at some point after my mom got home from work to let her know I was alive.
Yep. Check in with mom at work as soon as I got home from school, then back out into the world for 3-4 hours.
The fun days of being out with friends, having the time of our lives. When it's a fullmoon and it's on a non-school night, we would be out there playing hide-and-seek. Fun times.
Going with the bike to eat some fruit from the tree.......I m also 47
When my brother-in-law was a kid, his mom asked what he did that day. He replied "Oh, we just rode our bikes over to the Reddy Theater and watched a movie." The Reddy Theater was in a different city. And in a different state.
I can most definitely relate to this & sadly, my kids have no idea what I'm talking about when i tell them of the good old days
This was obviously written by someone who grew up in a city. Trying growing up on a farm. Work before going to school. Work after school. Work on weekends. Work on holidays.
My ex SIL's family had a farm, but they didn't use her son as a free worker all the time. So maybe have a word with your parents, instead of being angry at OP.
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I grew up in a village in Kent in the 60's and in the summer this was exactly my life after school. (In winter it was dark at 4pm and bloody cold)
I'm laughing at age 10. That was age 6 for me. And I'm younger than this poster.
Well, yeah. If you were 6 when OP was 10, then obviously you'd be younger.
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I don't want to know my neighbors but ño bikes is part worrying, part devices, part why ride a bike when mom or dad can drive you where you want faster.
The freedom to be a kid without being influenced by the internet and having your worst moments immortalised on it.
Having your worst moments immortalized on the Internet is horrible for kids. Worse yet is having an influencer for a parent.
A paper TV Guide that you used to find out when TV shows were going to be aired. Usually it came in the Sunday newspaper. Also newspapers.
And if you missed a show then you had to wait for the summer reruns.
Taking pictures with film cameras and waiting for them to get developed until you could see how bad you looked lol
Cost to develop 5 rolls of film left rolling around in the junk drawer since 1982: Priceless.
9 planets
The solar system used to have 9 planets, but now only has 8. <...> Pluto was just reclassified as a dwarf planet, and we always had dozens of dwarf planets like Ceres and Make-Make.
Iampepeu said:
I know it's silly, but we all sort of collectively love and care for Pluto.
Phone books. Every once in a while one would just show up at our front door.
Affordable housing
Thank you airb&b. The people who buy. Houses for side hustle. Displacèin
Playing outdoors without supervision and just returning home once the sun sets
An expectation of being unreachable sometimes. I went to school, and my mom couldn't reach me all the time. She lived. I didn't feel like picking up the phone, no one cared.
No 'Read' messages unanswered causing drama.
Being able to be 'Unplugged' and not getting s**t for it.
Being able to read a physical map and navigate that way.
I used to run deliveries around Northern CA. Had a large canvas shoulder bag with 70 AAA maps and 3 or 4 Thomas Bros Road Atlases(remember those?). Had to plot the whole route and deal with construction, road changes, closures, etc. Now I have Wayz.
A sense of optimism for the future.
A phone number you could call that just told you the time and weather.
Phone booths
I think in the interest of someone stranded there should be a few.
Privacy. Back in the day, the only way someone could know what I was up to was if they physically followed me. Now, my smartphone does that for them
George Orwell predicted Big Brother would surveille citizens 24/7. As it turns out, citizens surveille themselves 24/7.
Getting off the phone so someone can use the internet. Haha
Yugoslavia
Rhodesia. I am wondering if they now call those dogs Zimbabwean Ridgebacks
Typewriters
And White-Out ( which was invented by Monkee Michael Nesmith's Mom).
Blockbuster
The high beam switch in your car was on the floor by your left foot.
Kmart Blue light specials. JC Pennies was upscale for us, and don't even talk about Macy's where the 1%ers shop.
For you youngin's, a blue light special was they'd roll a cart with a blue police light on a pole, then announce some that an item was on sale over the speakers. It was like a IRL pop up ad.
Those are some fond memories. And also all the racist joke books they'd happily sell an 8 year old. I was an adult before I realized the horrible stuff I read.
Omg, the racist jokes everywhere, and sexist ones too. I remember MAD magazine publishing an article titled "American jokes they tell in Poland". Pinup calendars in every repair garage.
McDonald’s ashtrays
So gross. People used to smoke in restaurants. Some restaurants had smoking and non smoking sections. If you went to a buffet then the smoking section was closest to the food. 🤢 There were no good old days.
Woolworths
Note: I'm referring to the business in the UK that dissolved in 2008.
TVs with a fine tuning dial and were part of a huge wooden console.
And a wire hanger antenna, and remote control via youngest sibling.
Cameras that had rolled up film which needed to be developed.
I liked the negatives but I didn't like not knowing if the picture was a good one.
Restaurant smoking sections
Airplane smoking section. You're out of luck if you were one row behind it and you didn't smoke. '
# Dialup Connection Screeching Intensifies
I miss the sound, the anticipation and the satisfaction when it went silent on connection...
Cigarette machines.
Another name for this 'Cigerette Acquisition Appliance for Underage Reform School Applicants'.
Note: this post originally had 42 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Routine, socially accepted sexual assault - just to balance out the nostalgia. My older sister and I were talking about automatic massage chairs, and she said she hates them because their invasive prodding and grabbing is what it felt like being a young woman on the bus in the 1970s.
This is why I will always try to remanifest things in the present, but NEVER GO BACK
Load More Replies... Hand-drawn animated movies showing in mainstream cinemas! With the advent of CGI, this has gotten rarer and rarer outside of Japan (and even in Japan the hand-drawn stuff gets supplemented quite a bit with CGI). Used to be that every summer or fall a new Disney animated movie would hit the screens, all done in glorious pre-CGI animation.
The whole movie experience. It was a whole day's outing, going to the movie theater. I've said this before, for 35¢ we got a cartoon and 1-2 movies (depended on the movie) and a box of popcorn. It was quite a bike ride to get there, but it was a great time.
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Only 4 tv stations. And gathering on sunday night around the TV for the weekly movie.
I miss the excitement I felt everytime I stepped into the toystore as a kid, usually it was to just look around, but it was like a themepark
A childhood park near me I spent a lot of time at recently got destroyed in favor of an apartment complex.
Plenty of playgrounds still around. But wooden and steel ones have mostly vanished.
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People having good mental health. I read somewhere (idk if it's actually true) that a scientific study on the average stress levels of a teenager today are higher than those shown in a study on the stress levels of 1978 mental asylum patients
Pretty sure the mental health of young men took a dive in 1914-18 and 1939-45.
Load More Replies... This is a great post. It's nostalgic and brings out the kid in a lot of us, reminiscing.
Routine, socially accepted sexual assault - just to balance out the nostalgia. My older sister and I were talking about automatic massage chairs, and she said she hates them because their invasive prodding and grabbing is what it felt like being a young woman on the bus in the 1970s.
This is why I will always try to remanifest things in the present, but NEVER GO BACK
Load More Replies... Hand-drawn animated movies showing in mainstream cinemas! With the advent of CGI, this has gotten rarer and rarer outside of Japan (and even in Japan the hand-drawn stuff gets supplemented quite a bit with CGI). Used to be that every summer or fall a new Disney animated movie would hit the screens, all done in glorious pre-CGI animation.
The whole movie experience. It was a whole day's outing, going to the movie theater. I've said this before, for 35¢ we got a cartoon and 1-2 movies (depended on the movie) and a box of popcorn. It was quite a bike ride to get there, but it was a great time.
Load More Replies... Only 4 tv stations. And gathering on sunday night around the TV for the weekly movie.
I miss the excitement I felt everytime I stepped into the toystore as a kid, usually it was to just look around, but it was like a themepark
A childhood park near me I spent a lot of time at recently got destroyed in favor of an apartment complex.
Plenty of playgrounds still around. But wooden and steel ones have mostly vanished.
Load More Replies... People having good mental health. I read somewhere (idk if it's actually true) that a scientific study on the average stress levels of a teenager today are higher than those shown in a study on the stress levels of 1978 mental asylum patients
Pretty sure the mental health of young men took a dive in 1914-18 and 1939-45.
Load More Replies... This is a great post. It's nostalgic and brings out the kid in a lot of us, reminiscing.
