On hot summer nights, our parents sat on the porch and watched us.
It was simpler back then."
Here are some experiences that will either have you feeling completely nostalgic or genuinely perplexed:
1.
I had twins in the ’70s, and diaper service was fabulous.
Disposable diapers were just coming on the market and were pricey.
They should bring that back."
“I grew up in the ’50s and ’60s, and there was no plastic!
Storage containers were glass and lasted for many years.”
oldsundae21
3.
“In the early ’80s, boys were required to take riflery in high school.
We had an indoor range, and a bunch of us were in a room with loaded .22s.
Some of the kids were in gangs, too, and we all thought nothing of it.”
Anonymous
5.
“I recently went to the doctor and was trying to explain how my allergies get in the spring.
My doctor asked what that was.
I was confused and said, ‘Like black and white static.
She referred to the snow as ‘snowflakes’ the rest of the visit.”
“In the ’60s, we used to ring a cowbell to call my brothers in for dinner.
If you were too far to hear the cowbell, you’d get in trouble.”
quizzyporcupine81
7.
“The last term paper I turned in before graduating college was typed on a typewriter.
It took three times longer and used a lot of Wite-out.
(Do younger generations know what Wite-out is?)”
“I’m 55 and remember smoking on airplanes!
Smoking seats were in the back, and non-smoking seats were in the front.
But since the plane was a tube, it was smoky everywhere.
I’m so glad that changed.”
lizaboutthebhouse
9.
“I went to a rural school in the ’70s.
The school housed seventh through twelfth grades, as there was no such thing as middle school.
The closet was so small you couldn’t even sit on the floor.”
We had a choice between orange and yellow paint.
All of us kids would skateboard down the sidewalks all over town.
We thought it was so exciting to stay outside until dark and ride our homemade skateboards.
Now, skateboards are all fancy and big in size and have very precise wheels on them.
chillrocket41
11.
“I remember having bomb drills in grade school.
It was a wild but normal thing we had to do.”
We kids who sat in the back wouldn’t get wind in our faces AT ALL.
Also, the car had ashtrays in the armrests/handles with metal lids that got SUPER hot.
But the lids were fun to fidget with, snap open, and close.
We kept our gum wrappers in them."
etconner
13.
Part of our unit was pulmonary, where everyone used oxygen!
The doctors would smoke at the nurse’s station, where we had ashtrays on each desk.
The nurses and other workers were allowed to smoke at the front nurse’s desk after 10 p.m. Can you imagine that today?!"
“It was so much fun when the iceman came by.
The kids would run after him, and he would throw chunks of ice at us.
It was a huge treat.”
“School was so much different, and I’m not that old.
I’m 40, and I remember my elementary school still doing corporal punishment.
He’d literally use a wooden paddle and hit you numerous times.
When he was done, you had to sign the paddle.
Our homeroom teacher would also throw books at us when angered.
It was just ‘normal’ public school stuff at that time.”
vibrantorc46
17.
“My 70-year-old boss told me he used to swim naked at the Y when he was little.
He never thought twice about it until a few years ago.
When it became full of ash, a company would pick it up and give you a new barrel.
I’m 60 years old; imagine thousands of people doing that in the same city!”
nastyprincess875
19.
“Long before convenience stores were common, we had corner markets and mom-and-pop stores.
Gas stations were solely for buying fuel and oil or getting a repair.
Neighborhood paper and hobby shops were fairly common, too.
Also, neighborhood doctor and dentist offices were only a short walk from home.”
“I used to deliver the local newspaper in the afternoon after school.
No matter the weather, I’d ride my bike.
Sometimes, if it were raining hard enough, one of my parents would drive me around.
Those were the days.”
Kelly, 63, North Carolina
21.
The more kids you could pile in the back, the better and more fun it was.
On hot summer nights, our parents sat on the porch and watched us.
It was simpler back then."
