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OUR LIFE

HIPPIE STYLE

IN THE BEGINNING

It's pretty much a miracle that any of us survived childhood in the 1960s & 1970s

It seemed like mothers couldn't wait to kick their kids out of the house in the morning so they could get on with their "chores" or socialize with friends. They called you in when dinner was ready and let you back out, telling you to come inside when the street lights come on. Kids often wandered around in packs, to better fight off strangers.

Adults often had no idea of their kid's whereabouts for long stretches of time.

Back in the day, parents hit you because that's what parents did when you angered them. It may have been just a smack on the head, or literally being put over dad's knee for a spanking. Sometimes it was getting chased around the house and hit with a belt. Parents raised with that kind of discipline tended to continue the pattern. In many homes a common threat was: "Just wait until your father gets home." It took a while for people to recognize that physical punishment was abuse. It landed many traumatized kids in therapy, years later.

This means that corporal punishment of children was pretty typical.

Back then, children had fewer rights, had limited emotional support, were expected to act a certain way, and were rarely allowed to express themselves. A lot of children grew up fearing authority rather than understanding it.

If you went to school, you were generally exposed to several discipline techniques.

The classic was having a wooden paddle smacked against your rear-end if you spoke out loud, rough-housed, or did not have your homework. Another favorite was pulling you out of the room by your ear. These punishments today would likely result in an irate mother in the principal's office. But back then it was just business as usual.

There was no warning that pesticide sprays were coming, just the delight of kids who found it fun to run behind the truck that sprayed poisons to kill mosquitoes and other hazardous chemicals.

The fog it made was enticing and it smelled good too. Kids chased after those trucks for miles.

Not to mention that jumping on the back of moving cars and running along with them down the road was also very common and a sport in those days for kids.

10 life skills that did make them stronger
then kids today or before them.

So many kids from the 60's & 70s who learned life skills that modern parenting has pretty much wiped out in children today.
From engaging in unstructured play to learning to embrace discomfort. While kids today learn dependent behaviors and to prioritize convenience, parenting ideals and styles back then were wildly different.

1. They cared for themselves without supervision

Playing outside and filling their time alone was a life lesson in itself for kids from back then. They made friends, playing outdoors, and interacting with strangers in their neighborhoods for hours during the day, practicing the art of being alone.

Even running errands and babysitting their siblings were opportunities for them to practice caring for themselves without parental supervision.

2. They decided ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ for themselves

They decided what was right and what was wrong, practicing their integrity, self-reliance, and autonomy from a young age.

Even small choices allowed kids to practice integrity, like choosing what to watch on TV when their parents weren’t home. Without modern parental controls to alter their decision-making, they were forced to rely on the lessons their parents taught them and their own spectrums of right and wrong on their own.

3. They traveled on their own

Whether it was riding public transportation to run errands alone or walking to school without a parent, kids in the 1970s had to learn the life lesson of travel and transportation without much help. While a parenting report suggests that nearly 90% of parents today worry significantly about their kids' safety and well-being, making it harder to allow them the chance to cultivate independence, these old-school parents had hope that maturity came from alone time.

4. They entertained themselves without screens

Kids from those days were always expected to embrace their boredom and entertain themselves without technology, largely because they didn’t grow up with cellphones or computers that could follow them around. They had to play outside, run around the neighborhood, and leave the house to entertain themselves, and they’re better off for it.

5. They cooked for themselves

Kids often learn from doing, not watching, which is how kids in the 60s & 70s learned the life lesson of cooking for themselves.

Whether it was being expected to feed their siblings while babysitting at home or cooking meals for themselves after school while both their parents worked, these are the life skills that modern parents are slowly wiping out of their children today by being too overprotective and overbearing.

6. They regulated themselves

While gentle parenting styles today intend to make children’s emotions the “center” of interactions and conversations, kids from the 60's & 70s often had to manage and regulate their emotions on their own. Especially in the face of disciplinary styles at home and in schools that are shifting in the modern world, they didn’t have coddling parents to reassure and protect them from discomfort.

From playing outside and managing getting hurt to regulating their emotions in time out at home, they were expected to learn the life lesson of emotional regulation incredibly early in life, rather than relying on their parents for comfort.

7. They learned the value of strength

Of course, today we know that vulnerability and emotional openness are truly the foundation for building strength, but for Gen Xers, their strength came from managing discomfort and leading into adversity with resilience. Each of these life lessons has strengths, but modern parents should focus on balancing the best of “gentle” parenting with lessons that encourage their kids to embrace discomfort and hard work.

8. They talked to strangers

Talking to strangers was an inevitable part of life for children in those days!

While this reality is a horror for overprotective parents in our “stranger danger” world today, it’s a life lesson that offers them many benefits. Of course, they practiced overcoming the social anxiety that’s being amplified with technology and dependency for kids today. But they also benefited their mental health and connection from speaking with strangers in their daily lives.

9. They learned to assess risk

By playing outside alone and often navigating the world without a parent around to guide them, kids in the 60's &‘70s were required to practice assessing risk in real time. Whether it was a fear of discipline from parents and teachers or a safety risk in public, they didn’t have a parent with them at all times to remind them what was right and wrong.

10. They practiced the art of waiting

Without the pressures of instant gratification and immediate comfort that many kids experience and learn in our convenience society today, kids back then practiced the art of waiting out of necessity. Whether it was saving their money to buy something on their wish-list, sitting in a time-out and regulating emotions, or embracing boredom without a screen to entertain themselves, they learned to wait. Not only does this life lesson ensure kids practice emotional regulation skills from an early age, but it also teaches them resilience, strong character, and most importantly, patience.