“Back in my day, we used to walk 5 miles to school in sub-zero temperatures without batting an eyelid. Not like you spoiled little brats these days!” We all have an older relative who says things like this about raising kids. They are despairing the coddled youth with their smartphones, crappy music, and parents that seemingly can’t say no to their every demand.
And you know what? They might actually have a point on the parenting styles of today. Although the world might seem like a more dangerous place now with higher safety standards required, kids of previous generations had to make their own entertainment. They had to learn to look after themselves from a younger age and take far more risks while doing so. Parents didn’t have things like Mumsnet to help them with parenting tips, alternatively, guilt and stress them out for letting kids go out of the safe environments and learn from their own mistakes.
To celebrate the eccentric approaches of old-school parenting and child safety, we here at Bored Panda have put together a list of parents and their kids doing things that would horrify the mommy and daddy bloggers and Instagrammers of today. What’s your opinion on the evolution of parenting over the years? Scroll down below to check out the vintage photos for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
#1 Me Back In 1991 Just Your Typical Aussie Kid Drinking Xxxxlight Beer(I Wasn’t Aloud Heavies Back Then) And Holding A Baby Crocodile
#2 My Mother And Grandmother Demonstrating Safety Standards In The 1960s
#3 If Your Mum Didn’t Lay On The Ground Making Herself Into A Ramp For Your New BMX, Did She Even Love You? 1980’s
#4 California Marijuana Initiative Rally 1972. That’s Me In The Box And My Parents In The Picture
#5 My Dad And His Veterinarian Mother, With Their Pet Lion Which They Raised For Two Years, 1959