# Things our parents did to us...



## Belia (Dec 22, 2007)

I was cleaning out an old box and found my mom's calendar from 1973, the year I was born.

She started me on solids (rice cereal) when I was EIGHT DAYS OLD!










I think fruit at 4 weeks, and vegetables at 8 weeks. My how times have changed!


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## alaskanmomma (May 25, 2011)

I was in a lap belt(not a booster.. just in the regular car seat) by the time I was 1 o.o My 4 year old is still RFing haha


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

We didn't even know where the seat belts were in the back seat!

I was born very anemic, and iron supplementing didn't help, so my mother was told to cook liver, grind it small (or maybe grind, then cook), and put it in my bottle! I'm not sure how old I was. Is it any wonder I have food allergies/intolerances?

She 'knew' co-sleeping was bad, so she fell asleep in the rocking chair while holding me. (Which is statistically counted as co-sleeping, if there is a death.)

When riding in a car with a baby, the baby was simply held in her arms.

Times have *certainly* changed!


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## mamarhu (Sep 12, 2004)

In the 50's (yes, I am really old), it was considered very cute and precoscious that my Dad taught me to make a martini for him and Mom. I was maybe 3. And to fill his pipe.

We didn't even have seat belts; on long car trips, my brother and I brought sleeping bags, and slept in the back of the station wagon.


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## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

I walked a mile to the store alone by the age of three. I remember doing it, but I google earthed the address and the store, and mapped it out. It was just over a mile, and I had to cross a major street.

I remember going there a few times a week to buy Sour apple bubble gum. Who gives a three year old money?

Looking back, my mom was obviously depressed, because I remember her ALWAYS being in bed. She'd give me money from bed, and let me go. (this was in the mid 60s...and we lived outside of Chicago).


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## Cyllya (Jun 10, 2009)

My mom says my dad once left me in the house by myself when I was a baby.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nextcommercial*
> 
> I walked a mile to the store alone by the age of three.


I hear people used to be able to send their three-year-olds on errands.


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## VocalMinority (Apr 8, 2009)

I remember my Mom telling me my little brother had to ride in the back seat because he was a toddler (which would make me 5-ish), but that I was big enough to stay in my seat (in the front) and not let myself flop forward into the dashboard or windshield, if we had a car accident.

From approximately ages 2-6, my Dad drove an orange VW camper-van ("The Great Pumpkin"). My place, which he called the "(VocalMinority)-seat", was a tall, 3-leg, round-seat *stool* placed slightly behind the two front seats - and between them, of course, so I could see! Nothing between me and the windshield! And the stool wasn't attached to the floor or anything. (Wouldn't that be inconvenient, when you wanted to camp and move seats around?)

We spent summers at my grandmother's 3rd-floor condo at the beach. It was a late-60's/early-70's design, with a random super-narrow, floor-to-ceiling recessed window in the master bedroom. Predictably, that was every little kid's favorite place to hide, in hide-and-seek. Only a little kid could wedge themselves in there, behind the shade. When I was 3, I was very verbal and my poor mother thought it would be safe to open that window for some fresh air, leaving just the screen down, and *reason* with me that it wasn't safe to play there. Later, she went looking for me and found me lying in the parking lot, below the window, with a fractured skull! Thankfully - for all involved - I came out of it just fine.


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## Cyllya (Jun 10, 2009)

One year when we were financially troubled at Christmas time, my step-dad told my little sister that Santa might not come this year because he forgot to renew the license plate on his sleigh and had gotten arrested.  (Both my younger siblings were adopted by my mom after they were removed from their bioparents who were unfit and criminals.)


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## Belia (Dec 22, 2007)

OMG... these are priceless! I remember rolling around in the "way back" of our 1978 Chevy station wagon on long car trips. Seat belts?!?!? Ha! And I remember fighting with my sister over who would sit in the front seat from when we were very young.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Ah, sitting on Mom's lap in the VW bus. A very happy memory.

I can't imagine letting a 3 y.o. walk that far away. But you survived just fine, obviously. Actually, I think I did something like that when I was 4. I walked to the corner quickie mart. My parents were pretty angry when they found out where I'd gone. I don't think it was the destination, it was that I didn't tell anyone. Well, if I'd asked they might have said No!


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## Laurel (Jan 30, 2002)

When I was about seven, my parents bought a little Datsun pickup truck and put a camper shell on it. Because there were no seats, and four of us kids at the time, my dad built a little wooden bench that we sat on in the back of the truck. One night when we were driving through town, my 3-year-old brother got up from the bench and got too close to the back door of the camper. He accidentally pushed open the door and fell out onto the street. I remember us all screaming to tell my parents that Wade had fallen out of the back of the truck. Luckily, they were stopped at a stop light, which had just turned green, so they weren't going very fast when he fell out. And amazingly, the people in the car behind us saw him fall and didn't start driving.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

There are pics of me at 2 years old with two black eyes from slamming into the back of the seat during a sudden stop.
My dad had a topper camper and let me and my friend ride in it.
My grandma had me making and serving coffee at age 5. I remember having to climb to reach.
Same grandma told me a big dog lived under the basement steps to keep me from going there.


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## MrsGregory (Dec 21, 2011)

Quote:


> My grandma had me making and serving coffee at age 5. I remember having to climb to reach.


I was about 5 when I was given coffee to drink for the first time. A lifetime love affair was born that day. I can still remember that first bitter sip. It was black coffee.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

My big sister says her babysitter, an elderly German woman, gave her this coffee soup for breakfast. Coffee, warm milk and cubes of toasted white bread. She was 4 at the time.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Wow. Some of these I'm glad we've lost, like early solids and toddlers lose in a car, but I'm sad that we've lost the freedom for kids to go to stores by themselves.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

I'm younger, but I remember being loose in the "Way Back" of our SUV as a kid (in the 90s). We did have car seats for the first few years, but we never rearfaced. Now my 2 year old is still rearfacing.


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## greenemami (Nov 1, 2007)

Oh gosh, when we were kids on long car rides, we would take the middle seat totally out of the van-so that we would have room to lay blankets and a cooler on the floor for sleeping and playing while driving of course! Probably made the car rides easier on my poor parents, but I have to shudder when I think of this now 

My mother also reports that she gave us skim milk after she stopped nursing when we were around 6 months old, because that was apparently the thing to do then. Yikes! Really though, even nursing that long during that time/area was pretty unusual, so she was trying.

Oh yeah, and we were also allowed to ride in the back of the open pickup truck on occasion, just for short drives  Though I imagine this still happens out in the boonies.

Car seats were pretty unheard of-my parents say that they had us in infant seats, and maybe boosters after that when we were 1-2ish, but nothing after that. And my parents were/are great, loving, caring parents-crazy how much changes.


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## mumkimum (Nov 14, 2006)

Oh wow. Entertaining stories here, all!

I remember riding in the front seat of our cargo van in my carseat (that I could get in and out of completely by myself (my mom really enjoyed us being able to do that ourselves). And later, when my younger sister was born, my folks put a bean bag seat on the floor in the back (they did add a belt buckle, so there was that).

There was also the time in first grade that my dad needed help getting the car to the repair shop, so I got to steer while he pushed it through the streets (until a cop stopped him and helped instead of me - but it was great fun, though, and terribly thrilling before that.)


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

No car seats. No seat belts. There were many, many times in my daughters' lives that I have longed for the freedom of the far back of a station wagon. Naps, card games, looking out windows in all directions....

My mom let drop that she gave my older sister skim milk as an infant because of digestive troubles. I also found a recipe written by the doctor for my oldest sister, then a newborn: powdered milk, water and Karo syrup.

That's all the regular, "responsible" 60's-70's parent stuff. Then there was my father. Divorced when I was about 6 months. We'd go visit, and he'd let my sister (11yo, and smoking a cigarette) drive miles to the store. He'd let us drink beer. I once rode from grandpa's cabin to dad's house in the back window because we had him and 5 girls in his VW Rabbit (of course I had to be the littlest). He gave me the rudder of the boat going, oh, 100,000 knots or something and I remember vividly trying to turn as we got close to shore and the hundreds of old stumps just underwater (the lake is a reservoir). I will say that man had nerves of steel.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

I also remember riding lose in the back of a pick up trick (With a cap on) with my cousin and a HUGE dog. The dog was probably more dangerous than the car ride that dog had some issues.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Quote:


> powdered milk, water and Karo syrup.


Yup, that's what my mom fed us.


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## kblackstone444 (Jun 17, 2007)

We used to travel about an hour and a half to visit my Great Grabdparents. My Grampa would drive, my Mom would sit in the passenger seat and my Gramma would sit on the little bump between the two seats. Us kids, had to be 2, 4 and 6 and my Mother was very insistant that we use seat belts, but there were only two seat belts in the back, so my brother, being the baby, sat in the middle and my Mother somehow crisscrossed the seat belts so that my brother was being "protected" partly by my seat beld and partly by my sister's seat belt. I also remember making that same trip once and there must've been extra people in the car, 'cause my sister and I had to sit on the floor in the back. I remember around town trips in my very early childhood sitting on my Mother's lap in the front seat and once acr ride, standing between the two front seats... and hitting my head on the dashboard when my Gramma slammed on the breaks.


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## Adaline'sMama (Apr 16, 2010)

My mom gave me a bottle of apple juice at 6 weeks old. Undiluted, 8 oz bottle.


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## VocalMinority (Apr 8, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SweetSilver*
> 
> I also found a recipe written by the doctor for my oldest sister, then a newborn: powdered milk, water and Karo syrup.


LOL! When I was breastfeeding our now-4-year-old, I can't remember what happened. He got a cold? He was on the small side of the growth charts (which was to be expected, with DH and me as parents)? Anyway, my mother-in-law insisted the problem was easily solved, if we just supplemented breast milk with watered-down corn syrup...which everyone knows is essential for babies, anyway. I thought she had lost her mind. But maybe that was conventional "wisdom", when she was raising kids?

A long time ago, I heard an interview with Rachael Ray. Evidently, she was a pretty hyperactive little kid and never slept well. Her parents addressed it by giving her wine in a baby bottle, at night. Wow. Isn't it a bit too bad, that we know too much to do that, now? I bet that would, indeed solve a lot of colic and sleep issues.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Weren't some of those old colic solutions you could buy little more than watered down rum? Like, a hundred years ago.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

I vaguely remember rum being discussed as what to rub on a teething baby's gums, when I was a child.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

I fondly remember riding in the back of pickup trucks as a kid. Through town to the store, around the camp ground, or even on the highway. I also remember riding around in the back of our friend's station wagon, playing barbie on a long road trip. DH's parents used to take the back seat out of their van and lay down a queen size mattress for him and his brothers to play/nap/wrestle on when they went on road trips. While I'm glad that we are more safety conscious, I sometimes think how much easier road trips would be if kids didn't have to be strapped into their car seats!

DH's brother told a story about driving a truck for the first time when he was 7. He and his cousin (same age) went fishing with their grampa. He was too drunk to drive home so he had my BIL drive home from the lake!

My mom also used to feed me juice in a bottle. Apple juice. She can't understand why we don't give DS (28 mos) juice, except for an occassional "treat" and even then we still water it down. She keeps buying juice for him and saying "but it's organic". Yes, because organic sugar won't rot his teeth!

There's a picture of my dad and I from when I am two, where I am riding on the crossbar of his bicyle. I remember my dad would put a tea towel on the bar so it was more comfy for me to sit on (side saddle), and then I would hold onto the handle bars while he peddled. No helmet, obviously! I am definitely under 3 in the photo, because it is in the city we moved from just after I turned 3.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pek64*
> 
> I vaguely remember rum being discussed as what to rub on a teething baby's gums, when I was a child.


Well, yeah, plus a big slug of it for poor mom.


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## MrsGregory (Dec 21, 2011)

So wait, let me be sure I have this, we're not giving the babies liquor in their bottle of apple juice?


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Oh, I've thought about it, in my desperate moments when I've considered crossing over to the Dark Side.







I mean, generations of British kids were put to bed with warm, watered down gin, all when they were the greatest nation on earth. Can't be all that bad.


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## MrsGregory (Dec 21, 2011)

I've actually been advised that Benadryl helps kids sleep. As in I personally know a parent that gives her kids Benadryl just to make them sleep.
Between the two, if it comes to that, Little Miss is getting the thimble of whiskey. At least that's called "water of life", and doesn't come with three pages of possible side effects and interactions.

I've been told I mutter "Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up." in the middle of the night while I'm sticking a boob in her mouth. Does that count as the Dark Side? Will that be considered bad parenting?









Editing to add/ Just to be very, very clear, I'm not giving her Bendaryl or whiskey.


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

OMG! This thread has me totally cracking up.

Just two weeks ago, I ran into some childhood friends that I haven't seen in 25+ years. We grew up in a very rural ag area where kids worked on the farms, cared for multiple younger relatives, etc. We all have kids of our own now and we all agreed we were lucky to survive our childhoods. What was really interesting is that we are living very different lives and we still share of the "no freaking way I would let DC do........"

My mom burst into tears when I read to her the entry in my baby book (she had given it to me when I was pregnant) where she started me on rice cereal at 17 days old.

My Nana said whiskey on the gums was completely acceptable for teething babies and she did it for all of us (me and my cousins).

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *greenemami*
> 
> Oh yeah, and we were also allowed to ride in the back of the open pickup truck on occasion, just for short drives  *Though I imagine this still happens out in the boonies. *


Oh yes it does. It is common to see furniture in the beds during the warm spring afternoon drives, mostly lawn chairs but occasionally a recliner or loveseat.

You should have seen the eye-rolling when I wouldn't let my then 3.5yo go on a 2 mile open truck bed ride with a couple of 5yos to supervise him.


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## VocalMinority (Apr 8, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MrsGregory*
> 
> I've actually been advised that Benadryl helps kids sleep. As in I personally know a parent that gives her kids Benadryl just to make them sleep.
> Between the two, if it comes to that, Little Miss is getting the thimble of whiskey. At least that's called "water of life", and doesn't come with three pages of possible side effects and interactions.
> I've been told I mutter "Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up." in the middle of the night while I'm sticking a boob in her mouth. Does that count as the Dark Side? Will that be considered bad parenting?


Cracking up!!

I forgot about Benadryl! My grandmother (an RN and hospital administrator) always carried a jumbo-sized bottle in her purse and dispensed it liberally to kids who were "acting up". My mother (also a nurse) always took it on long car trips, in case one of my little sibs needed to chill out. I can remember, on a 1,000-mile drive, begging my mother to give my little brother a dose, because he was driving everyone crazy!

Since I've been a parent, of course, I've been horrified by the idea that we were drugged, as kids (much less that I pushed my parents to do it to the littler ones!!!!). I always plan long car trips with lots and lots of stops at playgrounds and parks and I carry a backpack with kites, Frisbees and bubbles. Go figure: I enjoy long car trips with kids a lot more than my parents ever did!

Ultimately, the Benadryl trick is usually on the parents, though. Kids often hit an age/size when Benadryl actually makes them hyper. Last time I saw a bottle, it warned of the potential of either drowsiness OR hyperactivity. Boy, is that wake-up call, when your parents try to drug your little brother and it makes him worse!


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

My mom put Pepsi in my bottle when I was a week old. When you put it into context that she did speed through the first trimester and pot/alcohol/cigarettes throughout her entire pregnancy with me it's a wonder I'm functional at all.

Ha.


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## LLQ1011 (Mar 28, 2012)

LOL My mom nursed us while driving because she was afraid if she stopped on the side of the road someone else would stop and kill us.

We never wore seat belts because she was afraid if we crashed into a river we wouldn't be able to get out. We had saftey seats until about 2.

She let us make "Tea" from plants we found in the garden and outside inside of an old coffee can and water that dripped from the roof gutter. We would add honey. It was delicious.

She let us play outside in the desert for 12 + hours without shoes. The only rule is we weren't allowed to go into the wash. Too bad it was our favorite place to play and she never checked.


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## Cyllya (Jun 10, 2009)

When I was an older kid (somewhere between 10 and 14 I guess), my step-dad gave me Jack Daniels mixed with pepsi to help me sleep. Didn't work at all (made it worse?) and tasted nasty.

I bought some antihistamines a few weeks ago, saw "Do not use to make a child sleepy" on the package, and wondered "WTF who the hell would do that??"...


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## amberskyfire (Sep 15, 2007)

When I was a kid, my mom had a car with one of those pull-down arm rests between the back seats. There was also a seatbelt there. My brother and I would always fight over who got to sit on "the hump" in the middle seat while wearing the seatbelt.

My parents would also send me all alone on a plane across the country to visit my grandparents during the summer starting when I was about 7. The airlines still let you do this, but not with kids that young anymore. I had to wear a huge plastic tag around my neck saying I was alone so that the flight attendants could keep an eye on me.

When I was staying at my grandparents' house during the summers, I ran completely free. Those are the most amazing and wonderful memories for me now, but I would TOTALLY never let my kids do it! My grandparents' house was backed up to acres upon acres of forest and I would just stay there all day every day and I only came back to the house for meals.

My grandmother also worked the art show at the county fair during summers and she would take me along with her every day. I had free run of the grounds. Me. A Seven year-old child all alone at a county freaking fair! Unbelievable! Still, I loved those days. I would spend hours walking around looking for tokens and tickets people had dropped and then use them to ride the rides and play the games. *sigh* Those were happy days.


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyllya*
> 
> I bought some antihistamines a few weeks ago, saw "Do not use to make a child sleepy" on the package, and wondered "WTF who the hell would do that??"...


Someone who was desperate and sleep deprived. Drugging children is a fine old tradition.


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyllya*
> 
> When I was an older kid (somewhere between 10 and 14 I guess), my step-dad gave me Jack Daniels mixed with pepsi to help me sleep. Didn't work at all (made it worse?) and tasted nasty.
> 
> I bought some antihistamines a few weeks ago, saw "Do not use to make a child sleepy" on the package, and wondered "WTF who the hell would do that??"...


My dad considered a shot of schnapps to be perfectly acceptable bedtime medicine when I had a cough/cold. And not the sissy American 40 proof stuff, real German apple, cherry or pear stuff that compares to Everclear. It was so hard to choke down!

Concerning antistamines - I remember the infant room caregivers at my son's daycare telling me that so many parents were asking them to give the babies Benadryl prior to scheduled pick up that they had to put a policy in place that they would only do it with a doctor's note and this was YEARS before all the CYA measures became common.

I have a friend would is a physicans assistant. He said he sees a horrifying number of babies with soda in their bottles......babies, not toddlers.


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## mrmike (Nov 28, 2012)

Starting at about the age of 8 or 9 and continuing for several years my parents put me on a plane from NY to San Francisco. This was no so crazy as my mother was an airline employee and i was treated with "kids" gloves by the flight staff and was already a seasoned air traveler at age 8. I would spend the night with a family friend and then the following morning, here's where it gets strange, thinking back on it now, I was put on a Greyhound bus and, alone, sent on a six hour bus ride north to my grandparents farm in Oregon. This was the early 1970's and bus travel was a lo-budget endeavor, at best. The bus would stop in Red Bluff, California for 45 minutes and i would wonder around the terminal to grab a sandwich, a word search magazine and stretch my legs. And all this without a cell phone. Somehow none of this seemed off to my parents. About 36 hours after leaving NY my solo journey across America would end with my lovely grandparents, standing next to their pick-up truck, waiting to greet me.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amberskyfire*
> 
> My parents would also send me all alone on a plane across the country to visit my grandparents during the summer starting when I was about 7. The airlines still let you do this, but not with kids that young anymore. I had to wear a huge plastic tag around my neck saying I was alone so that the flight attendants could keep an eye on me.
> 
> ...


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amberskyfire*
> 
> When I was staying at my grandparents' house during the summers, I ran completely free. Those are the most amazing and wonderful memories for me now, but I would TOTALLY never let my kids do it! My grandparents' house was backed up to acres upon acres of forest and I would just stay there all day every day and I only came back to the house for meals.
> 
> My grandmother also worked the art show at the county fair during summers and she would take me along with her every day. I had free run of the grounds. Me. A Seven year-old child all alone at a county freaking fair! Unbelievable! Still, I loved those days. I would spend hours walking around looking for tokens and tickets people had dropped and then use them to ride the rides and play the games. *sigh* Those were happy days.


I hope I can find a place where my son can do that! I don't think that is really that crazy.

www.freerangekids.com


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## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

Man, I have a million of these. My parents just had no concept of consequences for actions at all.

My mom tells how it was against hospital policy to allow new mothers any contact with their babies for 48 hours after birth when my sister was born (15yrs older than me), but it was down to 24 hours by the time I was born. New moms were just too fragile, and needed to recover from the "trials" of childbirth.

Of course, breastfeeding was crass and only low income, uneducated moms (um...even more than mine, I guess?) would be stupid or desperate enough to do something as gross and shameful as that. Oddly, my SIL had the same attitude. *shudder* Science had created more advanced foods (aka formula), and that's what "good" parents fed their babies.

They put "just a little" whiskey in my bottle at night "to encourage a healthy sleep schedule" on my doctor's recommendation.

As soon as I could hold a cup, I was drinking coffee after dinner with the family. It was mostly milk and sugar at first, but got darker as I developed a taste for the stuff.

For some unknown reason, I had trouble getting to sleep through my whole childhood. So, my mom would often give me a glass of wine before bed to "help me relax". By the time I was 12, I had a small bar in my own room, and would mix my own nightcaps. (OMG what was she thinking???) By the time I was 21, I couldn't stand alcohol, though. lol So, I guess it all worked out alright. 

My doctor told my parents that a little second hand smoke was good for me, and would toughen up my lungs. They both chain smoked in the house so much that we only have a couple pictures of the inside of the house...because it was so smokey you could rarely tell what the pictures were of. (This one didn't turn out so well. I am severely asthmatic and have chronic bronchitis.)

Of course, my parents thought that smoking would cure my asthma. So, when I became curious about smoking at age 11, my mom started buying me a pack every time she bought one for herself. That was every 1-2 days! Can I just tell you how popular I was with the wrong crowd in Jr High and High School? lol

I flew cross country alone starting at age 5. I don't think that was a big deal, and fly my own kids cross country alone as young as the airlines will let us. I don't send them to spend entire summers with strangers, though! My mom would send me to spend months at a time with her old friends from high school that I'd never even heard of. Apparently, it was a "thing" in her social circle for young couples to borrow someone else's kid for a while if they were pregnant or thinking of having kids.

On that note, my older brother (10yrs older) used to rent me out to kids at school that didn't have a little sister and wished they did. We would have to start a whole new thread to discuss all the things my older siblings did to me, though! =D

Oh...how about the wooden spoons! My mom had big wooden spoons on the wall with each of our names on them. Before you think that's cute...it was to remind us that she would beat us with them if we did something she didn't like. When I was 3, I snatched mine out of her hand and bit the spoon part in half. She superglued it back together and the next time she tried to use it, I broke the handle. She superglued it again, but it would just break at the same point when she hit me after that. She switched to her hand, but by age 7 I flat out refused to be spanked. I would fight tooth and nail. We'd end up wrestling around on the floor until I pinned her. Boy was *I* a difficult child! This was about when she started teaching me to mix my own drinks. She's nothing if not adaptable.


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## eepeepee (Aug 24, 2012)

This certainly doesn't count as dangerous or crazy, but my parents didn't name me for four weeks - and my sister for six weeks. They just couldn't decide for that long! So I was "Punkinhead" for the first month of my my life.


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## honeybees (Nov 25, 2008)

I know my old German grandmother, or Oma, gave us alcohol and herbs for our colic and sleep issues as babies and children.

I have a picture of my Mom feeding me green veggie puree at a very newborn looking age! I was told you only need to nurse 2-3 weeks to give baby the benefit of breast milk.









My Mom was a surgery RN and when she was pregnant with me she drank raw egg, liver, and other ingredient shakes every morning! Probably was good for her since she got the eggs and liver from neighboring farmers, but a bit scary with the info we're given nowadays.

We got champagne mixed with 7UP as a treat at every holiday gathering at a very young ages. We loved it! We drank them in these cool, pearly glass barrel cups.

We never wore seat belts in the back of the van on vacation road trips.

My Uncle and Grandfather smoked like freight trains around us kids our entire childhoods. My cousins all ended up with asthma though.

I'd wait alone in the car while my Mom ran errands all the time when I was 3 years and up. I knew better than to let a stranger in the car or unlock it. I loved watching people and not having to go into all the stores with her!

Good memories though!!


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## Nightwish (Sep 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sk8boarder15*
> 
> I hope I can find a place where my son can do that! I don't think that is really that crazy.
> 
> www.freerangekids.com












I love that site too.


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## WildDoula (Nov 3, 2010)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *Belia* 

I was cleaning out an old box and found my mom's calendar from 1973, the year I was born.

She started me on solids (rice cereal) when I was EIGHT DAYS OLD!










Quote:
Originally Posted by *journeymom* 


> Coffee, warm milk and cubes of toasted white bread.


Yep, I got cereal starting at 2 weeks old, because I "wouldn't sleep at night."

I also had coffee and toast for breakfast starting at around 8 months. Good old grandma, right? 

I was born in the 90s.


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## Cyllya (Jun 10, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rightkindofme*
> 
> Drugging children is a fine old tradition.


Yeah, it's not really the drugging that surprises me. It's that they used antihistamines. "Hmm, my child has trouble sleeping, which drug should I use for this problem... I know! One that treats allergies!"

You'd think people would try melatonin or something instead. Granted, I wouldn't be surprised if the antihistamines are actually safer than the melatonin, but melatonin seems to have a safer reputation than water and at least it's actually meant for sleep trouble.

Booze is probably as safe as you can get without a prescription?


----------



## LitMom (Mar 6, 2012)

You can still have an 8 year old fly as unaccompanied minor for extra fees and supervision by flight attendants. I know people who have done that to send kids to grandparents.

My grandmother and aunt used to put clothespins on our tongues for saying bad words. Although, they were well used clothes pins and I don't recall it being particularly painful. Mostly it was I guess supposed to be humiliating that you had to walk around with a clothespin on your tongue and talked funny for a few minutes? Eh, my cousins and siblings thought it was hysterical and we probably made more effort to receive clothespins than to not.


----------



## Erin77 (Aug 4, 2010)

Love it! I grew up in rural Alaska, and I remember being allowed to bring your rifle to school up through jr high, as long as you told the principal you had it. Also, I rode around zipped into my dad's jacket on the 3-wheeler for at least 5 years- no helmet, no safety ANYTHING. And of course, bouncing around in the back of pickups was an everyday activity. We used to get giardia regularly too, we called it "beaver fever," from untreated stream water.


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## waikukumama (Nov 5, 2006)

These are amazing!

Interesting how many of these are vehicular memories ... I have one too ... I can remember me and my 2 big brothers LOVED when my folks would go out (to concerts, to parties) because they'd fold down the seats in the back of the station wagon and we'd make a wee bed in there and sleep to the sounds of revelry. When the Police came (the band, with Sting ... not the Feds!) in 1980, I kipped in the back of the car.

MAN ... you could NEVER do that now!

Here in New Zealand there is a whole subculture of people my age who hung out in the car while their parents socialised: google "Two Cars One Night" for an Oscar winning short film about this very thing! Kids outside the pub.

We'd get lemonade and potato chips, so we were stoked.

I would NEVER!

ALSO:

my hubby grew up in rural Tennessee, he's had coffee for as long as he can remember. I watched my inlaws feed it to my (then infant) nephew, about 15 years ago.

AND:

unaccompanied minors fly here from age 5 I think! There are flight attendants specially assigned to them. I was always a bit jealous of them when I was little. What's that about?

Love you Mothering.com mothers. Super cool gals.

xx


----------



## bmcneal (Nov 12, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amberskyfire*
> 
> When I was a kid, my mom had a car with one of those pull-down arm rests between the back seats. There was also a seatbelt there. My brother and I would always fight over who got to sit on "the hump" in the middle seat while wearing the seatbelt.
> 
> ...


I loved doing that when I was a kid. And even though we don't have acres and acres of forest nearby, I don't have any qualms about my kids playing outside/having run of the town, so to speak. Our town is *very* small, and everyone knows everyone, so if something did happen, I would know. I wish there was forest nearby. I would just send them with a walkie-talkie, if I was worried. 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *eepeepee*
> 
> This certainly doesn't count as dangerous or crazy, but my parents didn't name me for four weeks - and my sister for six weeks. They just couldn't decide for that long! So I was "Punkinhead" for the first month of my my life.


Even though I had a name when I was born, my mom still called me punkinhead.


----------



## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyllya*
> 
> I bought some antihistamines a few weeks ago, saw "Do not use to make a child sleepy" on the package, and wondered "WTF who the hell would do that??"...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Cyllya*
> 
> Yeah, it's not really the drugging that surprises me. It's that they used antihistamines. "Hmm, my child has trouble sleeping, which drug should I use for this problem... I know! One that treats allergies!"
> 
> ...


Oh, I'm one of those parents. I don't think I ever gave my kids Benadryl simply to get them to sleep, but I was mighty relieved when my child's symptoms met the criteria for needing it. And I played fast and loose with the symptoms... I was far from the only mom in my circle who did this. I probably did this once or twice with the younger one. By that time I was better at getting baby to sleep and I was just more tolerant.

I was miserable with allergies and upper respiratory issues throughout my childhood, and Children's Benadryl did not exist back then. I was SO happy I could provide my own child with relief, considering how unhappy and helpless I'd felt when I was little.

Melatonin? I'd never heard of it. My dd, the oldest, is 17 years old. Frankly I would have been suspicious of melatonin anyway.







And I would not have given my little one alcohol.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *honeybees*
> 
> I'd wait alone in the car while my Mom ran errands all the time when I was 3 years and up. I knew better than to let a stranger in the car or unlock it. I loved watching people and not having to go into all the stores with her!


Yeah, I remember doing that, too. Though I was probably more like 4 y.o. Always preferable to sitting bored in the fabric shop.


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## 95191 (Nov 8, 2007)

I see Melatonin as the new Benadryl- IRL see it as rampant.

I can think of several things currently the next generation will look back on like this thread and be in shock over.


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

I gave my kids Benadryl when they had to be on 10+ hour plane flights under two years of age. I think it is just plain mean to make a baby sit through that. They slept and had a much easier time adjusting to the time difference than I did because they got enough sleep.


----------



## choli (Jun 20, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rightkindofme*
> 
> I gave my kids Benadryl when they had to be on 10+ hour plane flights under two years of age. I think it is just plain mean to make a baby sit through that. They slept and had a much easier time adjusting to the time difference than I did because they got enough sleep.


I totally agree. There is no benefit to a young child sitting awake through a very long flight. I know for my two, it was agony.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Actually, diphenhydramine/Benadryl was first developed as a sleep aid, not an antihistamine.

I'm still thinking about melatonin. In other countries it's available by prescription only, or isn't permitted at all. My understanding is that the manufacturers recommend against giving it to children, though I know IRL it's considered mostly harmless. It's a 'neurohormone' and being a new mom I would not have given my little one some hormone. Better to give my kid something manufactured and dosed specifically for children.


----------



## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *journeymom*
> 
> Actually, diphenhydramine/Benadryl was first developed as a sleep aid, not an antihistamine.
> 
> I'm still thinking about melatonin. In other countries it's available by prescription only, or isn't permitted at all. My understanding is that the manufacturers recommend against giving it to children, though I know IRL it's considered mostly harmless. It's a 'neurohormone' and being a new mom I would not have given my little one some hormone. Better to give my kid something manufactured and dosed specifically for children.


Hmmm. Melatonin is at least something produced by the body naturally. I wouldn't give something to my DS just to make him sleep (which is what melatonin is for) anyway. Well, I might be tempted on a long car trip. He won't sleep in the car and just ends up crying if we have a late night drive to make. Although now we just try to leave during the day but it isn't always possible.

I am in Canada and you can buy melatonin at the groceery store in the natural foods secton (or at natural foods/health stores). My midwife actually recommends a low does of melatonin for sleep issues, so given that information and given that at least it is something produced by the body I feel like it's relatively safe. And Canada usually is more stringent on drugs/products than the US so I would be surprised that it isn't considered safe elsewhere.


----------



## amberskyfire (Sep 15, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sk8boarder15*
> 
> I hope I can find a place where my son can do that! I don't think that is really that crazy.
> 
> www.freerangekids.com


I love the idea, but I was almost kidnapped by two men once when I was that age. They had me at the car and my mother, bless her soul! - had a "funny feeling" and just happened to come to the front of the house to look out the window at that exact moment. I will never forget the horrifying sight that was my mother flying out of the house, screaming and attacking those men. They tore off in their car and never came back and thank goodness I'm here today to tell it!

We also lost my stepdaughter once when she was about 5 or 6. It was the most terrifying day of my life. I will never, never, never live that moment again. She was really, totally lost, not like kids get lost in a grocery store or something.

Free range is great for others' kids, but I just can never get over the horrors that I experienced.


----------



## amberskyfire (Sep 15, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *incorrigible*
> 
> Oh...how about the wooden spoons! My mom had big wooden spoons on the wall with each of our names on them. Before you think that's cute...it was to remind us that she would beat us with them if we did something she didn't like. When I was 3, I snatched mine out of her hand and bit the spoon part in half. She superglued it back together and the next time she tried to use it, I broke the handle. She superglued it again, but it would just break at the same point when she hit me after that. She switched to her hand, but by age 7 I flat out refused to be spanked. I would fight tooth and nail. We'd end up wrestling around on the floor until I pinned her. Boy was *I* a difficult child! This was about when she started teaching me to mix my own drinks. She's nothing if not adaptable.


My mom had a wooden paddle that was called "The Severe Action." She had its name painted on it in pretty letters and everything. I hated The Severe Action. 

I also just remembered a science experiment I did in school that my mother encouraged me to do. We built a fake lung using a jar, a turkey baster, cotton balls and a cigarette holder. I had to use the lung to "smoke" a pack of cigarettes to show how it stained the cotton balls dark brown. There I was, sitting out on the patio smoking pack after pack of cigarettes with this thing at about 6 years old. My teachers must have had a shock when I turned in that science fair experiment!


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## strawberryprincess (Apr 30, 2005)

When I was little, my parents took one of the bench seats out of the van and put up the wooden playpen for the us to sit in. At least we were contained and not roaming around the car! I clearly remember when the seat belt law in Michigan was enacted. I was so bummed that we had to ride in the backseat and be belted! So unfair!

I also remember riding in the back of a pick-up truck with a bunch of my cousins...once, a tree branch got one of the kids and she had a bloody nose.

I also remember walking or riding bikes about 2 miles to the nearest convenience store for candy at a very young age.

My mom also used rum as a teething remedy. It really does seem to have been a pretty common treatment.

There are so many more!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Its hard to get over things you have experienced yourself. But for me those are 1 in a million scenarios. I personally was in a hostage situation as a young kid (6 years old I believe). It was TERRIFYING. But it was the estranged father of the family I was staying with, that's something that will probably never happen again to me or my son. And we were part of an attempted car jacking when I was older, but I don't remember that too well.

The statics tics say that getting in your car is thousands of times more likely to harm your child than a stranger. Most kids who are abducted are taken by estranged family members. Stranger danger just ins't a real danger. If it is, then there are a lot more worse dangers out there like eating, sleeping, swimming, and driving....


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *journeymom*
> 
> Actually, diphenhydramine/Benadryl was first developed as a sleep aid, not an antihistamine.
> 
> I'm still thinking about melatonin. In other countries it's available by prescription only, or isn't permitted at all. My understanding is that the manufacturers recommend against giving it to children, though I know IRL it's considered mostly harmless. It's a 'neurohormone' and being a new mom I would not have given my little one some hormone. Better to give my kid something manufactured and dosed specifically for children.


Our chiropractor recommends it for children's sleep issues but I never felt quite right about giving it to our son, 7yo. I have taken it on occasion but when it wears off in the middle of the night, I regret taking it.

I feel,like dangers follow me and it has very much influenced how little I let our DS run free range. Little kids lighting themselves on fire?: Check! I know two families that had kids with extremely burns from bizarre accidents. Kids hit by cars crossing the street? Check. Death by a collapsed hole dug in the sand? Yes. Death via gunshot? Sadly yes. Child died in a car accident due to not being properly restrained in a carseat? yes. These weren't all close friends or family members but in a small town, it seems like every "oh, don't worry, it is a one in a million chance scenario" has happened here.

I used to think bike helmets for casual riding were bullsh_t until I watched a women fall off her bike in front of my country road house. That sound will never leave me. She sustained a horrible brain injury that will stay with her for the rest of her life. All it took was a pebble to de-rail her life. I don't mean to be alarmist but I am tired of seeing the worst come true.

I wish I could be more la-de-da about perceived dangers but I can't,

Coming back to add, on a somewhat lighter note - did anyone else live in an era where lice, worms, fleas, fungus, etc. was no big deal? My mom was nutty about infestation but I knew many a family that didn't think lice was worth the couple of bucks to cure and pin worms were just a part of life, no need to go to the doctor. I remember classmates with chronic sores on their faces and lice. My grandmother worked the lunch room and she used to talk about kids she wouldn't get near because the kids in "those families" always had lice.


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## Jackieg414 (Nov 30, 2012)

I use to ride on the back of my dads moped as an infant he had a milk crate he strapped to it and put a pillow in there for me to lay on. I rode with him on that moped till I was at last 12 ..... and my dad is legal considered blind is why he drove the moped instead of a car or truck. I Grew up on a farm in a town whose current population is 140 according to wikiapida. I ran around and spent most of my time out side playing in the dirt. I guess I was a free range kid lol. When we lived back east in a small town my kids spent a fair amount of time running around out side but now that I live in a big city I don't let them as much and think they miss it.

My sister who 15 years older than me use to go buy my mom and dad smokes and beer at as young as 7 but due to laws changing they couldn't do that with me lol.

I got coffee in my bottle as a baby because i was premuture and had an issue staying awake and alert for feedings.

A lot of the things i got by living in a small rural town I wish my kids could get LOL I had chores like hauling fire wood and picking veggies from the garden I would walk to my aunts house when ever I wanted since it was just down the dirt road (wasn't allowed on the big road) I would climb trees and play in the creek even.


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Caneel*
> 
> Our chiropractor recommends it for children's sleep issues but I never felt quite right about giving it to our son, 7yo. I have taken it on occasion but when it wears off in the middle of the night, I regret taking it.
> 
> ...


I grew up poor white trash. I had head lice every few months. I was excessively prone to pink eye and ringworm.

My father and both brothers were hit by cars while riding bicycles. I was raped over and over for more than twenty years. I have been beaten up by more people than I can count. I have had police officers tell people I am just crazy and to ignore me when I have tried to prosecute in defense of myself. The youngest of my brothers was hit by a car while riding his bike across a major highway in southern California. I spent years living in the lobbies of long-term care hospitals. I was friends with a little girl who had polio- one of the last cases in our country.

The brother with the most severe brain injury? He died by burning himself alive behind the local grocery store. My father, by comparison, looked like a real chicken shit for sitting in the garage with the motor running.

I have had a life full of the worst things that can happen to a person. My life story really borders on impossible. But it happened. I am extremely Free Range with my kids. My paranoia will make it harder for them to learn actual survival skills. If I teach my kids to be helpless and dependent I don't see how I will be doing them any favors. If I had been less competent I would have died. My response is to want very competent children, I can't protect them from life. I can teach them skills consciously as early as possible.


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## Cherry_Blossom (Nov 7, 2009)

Potty chairs used to have SEAT BELTS! I remember my younger siblings seat belted onto the potty chairs, wailing, and my mom yelling at them trying to make them 'go potty'. She probably did the same to me, but I don't remember.


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## Cherry_Blossom (Nov 7, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rightkindofme*
> 
> I have had a life full of the worst things that can happen to a person. My life story really borders on impossible. But it happened.










Hugs for (((rightkindofme))). I believe you, I have the same kind of perspective on my life. If I hadn't lived it myself, I might not believe my own stories.


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## IsaFrench (Mar 22, 2008)

just remembered something that i find SO silly now but that really really really upset me at the time

my mom had died and my dad had a girlfriend living with us (he eventually married her shortly before i turned 18 and kept living with her ... more years than he lived with my mom in fact, he pre-decesed her & she took care of him & we, sisters, didn't have anything to do, caring for him in his old age & sick years .... not that we could have because that person was stiring troubles most times ....)

my eldest sisters had NOT learned english as a first foreign language at school but still got to go on holidays in the UK when teenagers

i had choosen english as a first foreign language at at school so didn't think twice before mentionning during a meal that i too would like to follow suit

=> didn't expect it AT ALL , the massive amount of aggravation that simple utterance created on that day

basically, i didn't get to go ...;apparently a third world war was going to erupt (that was during the late seventies ....) and they wouldn't be able to rapatriate me

=> in the end, i did go, but the following holiday & my father came to see me discretly/in hiding of her, asked me to arrange everything and tell him the cost & he would give me a check for it, i was barely 16 but walked to the tourism office in my town, got some addresses, wrote for some brochures, choose a location and when it was all paid for and arranged, only then did "she" got to hear about it ...

which reminds me now, .... "she" had a massive fit when i announced in 7th grade that i wanted to take up ancient greek at school ...

luckily i was at boarding school in the next town, so "she" couldn't have a say in this decision ...


----------



## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarthRootsStarSoul*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*hugs* if you want them.

The best part of growing up is you get to change how your story goes. I like being an adult a lot.


----------



## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sk8boarder15*
> 
> Its hard to get over things you have experienced yourself. But for me those are 1 in a million scenarios. I personally was in a hostage situation as a young kid (6 years old I believe). It was TERRIFYING. But it was the estranged father of the family I was staying with, that's something that will probably never happen again to me or my son. And we were part of an attempted car jacking when I was older, but I don't remember that too well.
> 
> The statics tics say that getting in your car is thousands of times more likely to harm your child than a stranger. Most kids who are abducted are taken by estranged family members. Stranger danger just ins't a real danger. If it is, then there are a lot more worse dangers out there like eating, sleeping, swimming, and driving....


Russian roulette has more empty chambers than full, but the consequence is bad enough that I wouldn't want to take it. Some folks are more cautious, and take fewer risks. Stranger danger may not be common, but it is real!! Saying otherwise belittles those who worry about it, and detracts from the original purpose of this thread.

Let's get back to the game.


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## IsaFrench (Mar 22, 2008)

Rightkindofme ...." the best part of growing up is you get to change how your story goes "

you sum it up so well !!!!


----------



## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IsaFrench*
> 
> Rightkindofme ...." the best part of growing up is you get to change how your story goes "
> 
> you sum it up so well !!!!


I don't have it in front of me but I once wrote a poem that likened the family tradition thing as an old quilt. We save the good pieces , pick out the bad and replace it with something better or at least neutral.


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## DanielleNZ (Dec 24, 2008)

I remember going away to the family farm for a holiday, mum borrowing poppa's car which had no seatbelts in the back, piling us in using a rope to tie me in.... just to be safe i guess







and she tied my baby brother is using a large mans hanky! and off we drove for 4.5hours.....


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## Katica (Jan 13, 2008)

I grew up in Eastern Europe. Mom didn`t have any milk so she gave me cows milk mixed with russian tea (black tea) until someone told her to stop and give me formula. Remarkably I have no allergies and am as strong as it gets.

My aging, alcoholic Grandpa used to babysit me when I was about 2 years old while Mom worked. Mom would sometimes find me with suspiciously red cheeks. Yes, he`d been giving me wine.








I do believe I turned out OK though


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## luckymolly (Nov 3, 2012)

When I was 8, my dad once gave me orange juice mixed with vodka since I had a cold. From I was about 11-12 my parents would give us red wine mixed with Coca Cola on special occasions. My sister were then 8 and 9 years old.

Our car didn't have seat belts, of course, and my dad said seat belts were dangerous if the car landed under water.

I was sent to the shop on my own (along a major trafficed road, but not crossing it) from I was 5 years old.

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *amberskyfire*
> 
> My parents would also send me all alone on a plane across the country to visit my grandparents during the summer starting when I was about 7. The airlines still let you do this, but not with kids that young anymore. I had to wear a huge plastic tag around my neck saying I was alone so that the flight attendants could keep an eye on me.


They still do this where I live (Europe), the minimum age is five.


----------



## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *amberskyfire*
> 
> My mom had a wooden paddle that was called "The Severe Action." She had its name painted on it in pretty letters and everything. I hated The Severe Action.


I just had a vision of what Pinterest would have looked like a generation ago. "How to paint a cute moniker on your corporal punishment weapon "

Let's see, I totally remember riding in the front seat of the car with no seatbelt at age ... must have been 4. My dad stopped abruptly and I flew into the windshield, making the coolest-looking spiderweb crack pattern. It didn't hurt a bit, somehow.

My dad also taught me how to roll joints at age 7. At first I was just in charge of licking and sealing the Zig Zags, but after a while I could roll too. Great for fine-motor practice!


----------



## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LuckyMolly*
> 
> They still do this where I live (Europe), the minimum age is five.


They still do in the US, too. My kids fly all over the country by themselves to visit relatives every year. I did too, starting at age 5. Kids can fly with staff monitoring them, for an extra fee, starting at age 5. They can fly completely alone, for no extra charge, at age 12. At 12, some airlines just ticket them like adults and they can be the adult caring for younger children, too. This is how my children fly when they visit family. Ds has been the adult responsible for dd since he turned 12. Their half brother just turned 5 and being able to fly alone has allowed him to spend a TON more time with family. My kids have had mostly had direct flights. They just had their first layovers this summer (ages 13 and 11). I've told family members it's ok to make them change planes now, but only in a city where we have close friends or family that rescue them if something goes wrong. lol They're really excited about being able to change planes and hoping that will happen soon. They can be aghast at the things I let them do when they have kids of their own, if they want. =D


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## cattymomma (Dec 1, 2012)

Your story is cute, but im thinking if your dad let you drink beer, and drive a boat with low water with trees all around, that maybe he was drunk, or at least a buzz on when he let you do some of that stuff!!  Not good, not bad, just a thought about how things used to be! Remember, back when, parents prollly drove around more under the influence than they do now!


----------



## green betty (Jun 13, 2004)

My mom also fed us formula (scientific = good, right?) and put rice cereal in my bottle at 4-6 weeks. She thought it was great because I'd sleep right through the night. And I remember lying down to sleep in the "way back" of the station wagon going 70 on the highway while my dad with poor night vision drove.

When I think about what my parents did that I really can't believe, though, it's mostly about sexism. Even though my mom was all into having me listen to Free to Be You and Me she was really conflicted about feminism. When I was a teenager in the late 80's I was forbidden to call a boy or ask a boy on a date. My mother had some bizarre theory that a boy might not feel comfortable saying no and go out with me AGAINST HIS WILL. Funny, I don't recall her ever being concerned about whether *I* felt comfortable saying no.

I wasn't allowed to get a paper route like my brothers, even though I wanted one badly. I was encouraged to babysit instead, despite the fact that I had no experience with or particular interest in children. Here's a shocker: I earned way less than my brothers!

This crap has persisted into adulthood. When I was 25 I got accepted to graduate school and bought a house with my (then) husband the same week. When I called my parents to tell them all the news, my dad said, "that's great about the house, I don't know so much about the other." When my older brother went to graduate school, of course, they were ecstatic.

I could go on for pages--those are just some of the first examples to come to mind.


----------



## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cattymomma*
> 
> Your story is cute, but im thinking if your dad let you drink beer, and drive a boat with low water with trees all around, that maybe he was drunk, or at least a buzz on when he let you do some of that stuff!!  Not good, not bad, just a thought about how things used to be! Remember, back when, parents prollly drove around more under the influence than they do now!


No, he was just not All There. He was an alcoholic, but he didn't really drink when we came to visit. He went through some psychotic episodes earlier in the decade, struggled with drugs and alcohol. Bipolar. But when we visited, things were pretty straightforward. No, I am afraid he pulled those stunts while (momentarily) sober. Soooo glad I wasn't raised by him!

But you are right, driving drunk (or practically) used to be much more common when we were kids. I can remember at least once when my stepdad shouldn't have been driving.


----------



## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

Green Betty, your story made me think of a song my dad taught my little sister and I when we were really small...

"We must, we must, improve our bust. The bigger the better, the tighter the sweater we must improve our bust". One sang the song while thrusting your elbows forward and back behind your back.


----------



## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nstewart*
> 
> Green Betty, your story made me think of a song my dad taught my little sister and I when we were really small...
> 
> "We must, we must, improve our bust. The bigger the better, the tighter the sweater we must improve our bust". One sang the song while thrusting your elbows forward and back behind your back.


"....the men will be rooting for us!"

Groan!


----------



## bmcneal (Nov 12, 2006)

I remember something that my foster mom and one of her friends did. Her and her friend came home from the bar, and they were drunk. It had been snowing, and the roads were slippery, so they came and got us, and they drove to an empty parking lot where they started doing doughnuts, and tipping the van. They thought it was hysterically funny. Me, not so much. (I was 15 or 16, and had I had any idea what they were planning/where they were going to take us, I would have tried to get them to let us stay home.)


----------



## Dakotacakes (Jun 28, 2012)

There were so so many from my childhood. The scary thing is the things that everyone around me seems to think I should repeat with my child


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

This wasn't from my childhood, but my Grandma once bragged that *she* never picked up and cuddled my mother when she was a baby. She would never spoil her in such a way.

And I think to myself, No wonder my mom was so screwed up. I think I had it bad with my mother, but she had a lot of Undoing to do. I've ended up being thankful it was as good as it was.

Of course, I've mentioned in another thread before that when I got my period (or when she discovered I had my period) she walked into my room and threw a box of tampons and pads at me and stormed off. I swear, she would have exploded before talking with me about this kind of stuff!


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## sweetpetunia (Jun 7, 2006)

Well, I think the reason why so many medications warn parents not to give to children to make them sleepy is because doctors used to tell parents to do just that. My oldest two daughters' pediatrician was a really nice guy. He started off in our town with a small practice and would take the time to talk to me and my husband and even once gave us his background story on why he became a doctor. I loved him. We were young and poor and he knew I couldn't afford some of the medications he'd prescribe so he'd give me samples instead. I know, they were meds but still, he was going out of his way to help out a poor teenage mom and I think that counts for something.

Anyway, when my oldest was little he told me the exact amount of extra cough syrup to give her so she'd "sleep better" at night. And when my second child was born, he'd prescribe the jumbo bottle of cough syrup so I had extra to give them both at night. Back then I did what the doctor told me to do simply because he told me to do it. So my babies got that larger dose at night.









I now spend a lot of time apologizing to my oldest especially for the stupid advice I used to follow when she was a baby.


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## sweetpetunia (Jun 7, 2006)

Oh, and there are lots of things I remember my parents doing when I was a kid. One thing was we used to babysit my baby cousin a lot (this was in the late 80s early 90s) and I remember at least a couple of times where she got injured in the back of our car because she fell over while my mom was driving. Usually it was a bump on the head.

When I was a kid my grandpa always used to send me into the house to get him a beer. He and my uncles must've given me some before this particular memory because one time he sent me in for a beer and I told him I'd get it only if he agreed to let me have some. He did. I lived at his house until I was about 5 so I couldn't have been any older than that when it happened. My sister and I used to run wild all day on my grandpa's property unsupervised. I loved it. He had several acres with sheds, a chicken coop, tractors, old vehicles, trees, cactus, mean dogs, chickens and even a donkey for some years on his property and no one kept a close eye on us. My mom was single and worked lots of rotating shifts. I think she would've been really upset had she known how much time we spent unsupervised. I still don't think she realizes how much all that time we spent outside was really good for us.

Once she got remarried and we moved out of my grandpa's house she used to make us sit still and quiet and not go outside. Of course, my step-dad was even worse than my relatives at my grandpa's. We lived in apartments and he'd send us out to play until 10pm. He had no idea where we were or what we were doing. I'm really surprised nothing happened to us. I remember our neighbors back then were social and would invite kids into their apartments and stuff. One mom used to leave her little girl with me and my sister alone at the pool with not a single adult in sight and that little girl nearly drowned us several times a day because she couldn't swim. I could barely swim. The little girl was about 5 and I think I was 7 or 8 so my sister would've been 9 or 10. I guess her mom figured since she had arm floaties she'd be just fine.

My step-dad also used to leave us alone at night when my mom was working nights. He'd frequently come back a few minutes later to try to surprise us in case we'd gotten out of bed after he left. He'd get mad at my sister because she'd lock the door behind him and he'd have to find his key to get back in. One night, though, that locked door paid off. Some guy that was on something came pounding on the door, yelling and trying the door handle and then he tried to get in the window. My sister called our aunt and my aunt called the police but the guy left before anyone got there.


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## sweetpetunia (Jun 7, 2006)

Oh this reminds me of my MIL. I don't know why I ever listened to her but she'd tell me not to pick up my oldest because it'd spoil her. So I didn't and I really think it contributed to our lack of bonding when she was a baby. I was also to always have some background noise like the TV or radio on. She says she started doing that the day she brought her oldest home from the hospital and therefore her kids would sleep through anything. She goes on about vacuuming in my DH's room when he was a baby and he'd sleep right through it. Funny thing is every time we go to her house she complains about her oldest son waking up at the sound of her fork touching her plate and that she never ate a hot meal for.... who knows how long after he was born. Um... why didn't she just turn on the TV?lol.

What's super annoying about MIL is that she repeats these same stories every time we go to her house and she's been doing it since my oldest was born... 19 years ago. I understand that I was very young when DD was born but since then I've given birth to twice the number of babies MIL has so I guess you could say I actually outrank her with baby experience.


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## Lidamama84 (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SweetSilver*
> 
> This wasn't from my childhood, but my Grandma once bragged that *she* never picked up and cuddled my mother when she was a baby. She would never spoil her in such a way.
> 
> ...


My grandma said the same thing about my mom and my reaction was the same as yours, lol! But what I don't get is my grandma was a full time SAHM and my mom was her first (and only) baby. What else did she have to do except hold her baby???


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lidamama84*
> 
> My grandma said the same thing about my mom and my reaction was the same as yours, lol! But what I don't get is my grandma was a full time SAHM and my mom was her first (and only) baby. What else did she have to do except hold her baby???


Ok, I held my baby a lot so my defensiveness isn't warranted but there were a couple of times when I sat the baby on a blanket in the middle of the floor and hid in the closet and cried because I couldn't handle the noise.

So maybe she was hiding in the closet. Who knows.


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## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

We grew up with a station wagon and laid in the "back back" everywhere we went. It was fun.

We also roamed free in the nieghbourhood. I grew up in a large city.

I was almost kidnapped at age 6. But I was pretty street smart and instead of getting in the guys car I ran to a friends house and her older brother walked me home where my parent called the cops and I was able to give a description.

When we went for drives in the country my Dad would speed up and down the hills to give us a thrill. We loved how it felt when gravity hit after going 100 over a large hill.

We never wore seatbelts. Even when the cars had them. My parents still do not wear seatbelts.

When I was 1 yr old we got into a very bad car accident. It is a miracle that anyone survived. We got into a head on accident with a tractor trailer and were crushed in our car for hours while the fire department tried to free us. My mother was very badly injured, with a broken pelvis, broken hips, broken arms etc. She spent months in the hospital, over a year in a wheel chair and many more months learning to walk again. Us three kids were in the back seat. My parent put luggage on the floor with a blanket over it for a bed for us kids. My Dad says that I was actually asleep in the back window during the accident. Us three kids ended up being crushed between the back seat and the front seats and got out of the accident without a scratch or bruise.

Even after this accident, my parents still drove us all over the place without seatbelts.

We also drove in the backs of pick-up trucks.

My father liked to hunt, and I was shooting a 22 at beer can targets since about age 5 or 6. I was shooting a shot gun by age 10.

I retrieved beers for my Dad and company from an age too early to remember.

I went to the store for smokes for my parents from about age 5.

Since age 6, 8 and 9...us three kids were alone from 2 hours before waking until 3 hours after getting home from school.

We would make our own breakfast, get off to school, come home and make a snack and go out playing around the neighbourhood until supper time.

We rode public transit around the city alone from about age 8.

We drank milky tea from about age 1. My gran or Mum would just mix 3/4 milk and 1/4 tea in the baby bottle for us to drink.

And a common treatment for a cold and sore throat was black coffee with a half shot of rum in it.


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## Mama505 (Jan 7, 2012)

I have been laughing aloud as I read some of these! Too funny.

I remember my brother and I riding in the back of a pick-up from southern Alabama to St Louis, MO one summer. I remember thinking it would be a great adventure. It was so loud we couldn't talk, it was too windy to play cards, and I got a wicked sunburn (no sunscreen of course).

I remember driving my dad home from the bar (I was 'nearly driving anyway' he said. I think I was 13yo.)

I remember taking apart old lawnmowers and bicycles and such and building go-carts. Building ramps and jumps in the Alabama red clay. No helmets.

Later when my parents divorced and mama and I moved into an apartment complex (around 7-8 yo) I used to pull my wagon around and wash peoples cars or sell lemonade or rake leaves. I would go into each apt building and knock on random peoples' doors and ask them if they could use my services (ie. whatever I was selling at the time).

I also ran pretty free as a kid. I hope that my DS is able to experience a similar freedom. Although I can't imagine allowing kids do some of the stuff I recall doing. But maybe it was more that I was "getting away with something" rather than "being allowed" in the first place!


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lidamama84*
> 
> My grandma said the same thing about my mom and my reaction was the same as yours, lol! But what I don't get is my grandma was a full time SAHM and my mom was her first (and only) baby. What else did she have to do except hold her baby???


It was the advice of the moment. The point was not to spoil your baby by cuddling or holding them too much. I think the Dr. Spock phenomenon was in direct response to the advice given to my grandmother's generation.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rightkindofme*
> 
> Ok, I held my baby a lot so my defensiveness isn't warranted but there were a couple of times when I sat the baby on a blanket in the middle of the floor and hid in the closet and cried because I couldn't handle the noise.
> 
> So maybe she was hiding in the closet. Who knows.


I wouldn't be surprised if most if not all of us had a moment or several like this. And I'm sure my grandmother had her moments in that closet as well. But no, you weren't supposed to cuddle with your children. This advice did not stop at simply not picking them up when they were crying. No. Cuddling. Ever. (Well, according to my grandmother--"ever".)


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *colsxjack*
> 
> I retrieved beers for my Dad and company from an age too early to remember.
> 
> I went to the store for smokes for my parents from about age 5.


Ha! Who didn't?

My BFF uncle had a beer tap system in the basement. His house was always full of people, drinking beer and playing cards. He had a set of beer mugs with bicycle bells on the handle and when anyone needed a beer, they would ring the bell and the kids (always a lot of kids there) would race to fill the empty mug. Our "pay" was to be able to drink a couple of sips of beer.

I have no idea why they didn't have pitchers for the beer. And more importantly, why they thought it was perfectly fine for 9-12 yo to drink rather large amounts of beer over the course of a typical Saturday night.

I had my first mixed drink at that house when I was 15yo. It was vodka and oj. I felt terribly grown up.


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *colsxjack*
> 
> I went to the store for smokes for my parents from about age 5.


This was very common when I was a child (70s). I can remember my uncle sending us (the cousins) several blocks away and across a major road. We were 5-7yo at the time.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mama505*
> 
> I remember driving my dad home from the bar (I was 'nearly driving anyway' he said. I think I was 13yo.)


Well, at least he wasn't driving drunk I guess!

The first time my sister drove it was on the highway (just a 2 lane highway mind you) a distance of about 50km. My dad was her "teacher". He fell asleep half way through the drive! lol. Not that he was drinking or anything (my dad doesn't drink) but what kind of supervision is that?? I guess my sister seemed like a capable driver or he wouldn't have relaxed enough to fall asleep!


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Caneel*
> 
> I have no idea why they didn't have pitchers for the beer. And more importantly, why they thought it was perfectly fine for 9-12 yo to drink rather large amounts of beer over the course of a typical Saturday night.


Try 18 months old. I remember my cousin, with his toddler son on his lap, letting him have sips of beer from the can during lunch. And then the toddler slumped on dad's shoulder, fast asleep, and everyone laughed and thought it was so cute. Mind you, I was maybe 5 years old and my perception is probably flawed. Toddler likely had a full stomach and was ready for a nap anyway.


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## Subhuti (Feb 18, 2005)

I rode on the roof of our station wagon, hanging on to the rack, for about 2 miles into town. Curvy back roads, 25 miles per hour. I was 13. I just thought my mom was being nice. It was the early eighties.


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## mamarhu (Sep 12, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Subhuti*
> 
> I rode on the roof of our station wagon, hanging on to the rack, for about 2 miles into town. Curvy back roads, 25 miles per hour. I was 13. I just thought my mom was being nice. It was the early eighties.


We did that too. In the late 60's. I had forgotten about that!


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## Subhuti (Feb 18, 2005)

So fun. I feel bad for my kids we are so protective.


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## sweetpetunia (Jun 7, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Subhuti*
> 
> I rode on the roof of our station wagon, hanging on to the rack, for about 2 miles into town. Curvy back roads, 25 miles per hour. I was 13. I just thought my mom was being nice. It was the early eighties.


Oh wow. After reading this I remembered that my husband did this with our oldest daughter. I think she was about 14 at the time. He had his old kayak strapped to the roof of his Jeep and he told her to climb up in the kayak and pretend to paddle while he slowly drove her around. Thankfully it was in a parking lot where there was very little traffic. I'm surprised they even told me about it but maybe they told me because we lived in a very small town at the time and they did it in front of our church so they figured it'd get back to me anyway.lol.


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## Quinalla (May 23, 2005)

I was not in a carseat at all as a kid, but my Mom is totally cool with all the new carseat/booster/etc. stuff now for kids thank goodness! It just wasn't a thing back then. We did always have to wear our seatbelts if we had enough seatbelts to go around, sometimes we didn't when loading up the van/car with a bunch of family.

I think my grandparents/parents/aunt&uncles still do the get me a beer from the fridge and you can have a sip. I don't think it is that big of a deal, but who knows, I'm sure I'm making people cringe with this one









No one wore bike helmets, I remember when I first started seeing those regularly on kids I was so confused. I know better now.

Not sure when I was started on solids, but I'm sure 4 months at the latest. Again though, my Mom is cool with the latest research. She is great about that. I think I was BF for a little while, but I know I got formula too as there was talk about heating up bottles of formula (in the microwave







). I've never asked for specifics, but any BFing at that time was pretty great so I give my Mom props for that. My younger cousins were all BF so I have lots of memories of seeing babies BF which was nice as lot of women in my generation don't have that.

I walked to school by myself from the beginning (Mom went with me the first day or week or whatever), it was close (down our short road and down another short road) and I didn't have to cross any streets, but still, I don't think any kids that young walk to school ever nowadays. I don't think the schools would allow it!


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## IrishWristwatch (Sep 15, 2011)

I too am 'younger' in that the majority of the 80s are a blur to me, LOL.

My parents were pretty confused. A lot of the things they did were AP-ish, but, growing up in the decidedly ultra-traditional-parenting 80s and 90s, they were also heavily swayed by popular methods and even went massively overboard in that direction on occasion.

My mom would regularly keep me up all day and all night for a full 24 hour cycle in an effort to make me a morning person. Like she'd keep me awake and then finally let me sleep at 6PM, so that I'd be awake by 6AM when she wanted to wake up, rather than my natural pattern of staying up late and waking up late. This was from the time I was a newborn through 6th grade.

Biggest and worst thing was that my parents put me on heavy meds at age 6 for bi-polar depression because I was so exhausted (gee, I wonder why!?) and sleeping so little that my nerves were completely fried. I would go into crying fits, rages, couldn't function in school, couldn't get along with other kids. I was on them until I was 12 and refused to take them. I started cheeking them that year and miraculously showed no symptoms at all of bi-polar or depression. Confronted them 6 months later and told them that I hadn't ingested a pill in months. They've still never apologized or admitted wrongdoing, but they did acknowledge that the psychiatrist who put me on all that stuff was, in hindsight, looking for a star case to present. And he did. The guy is still publishing last I checked and he made a great deal of a name for himself by publishing papers on the diagnoses of bipolar in prepubescent children and then "curing" an insane child with a cocktail of Zoloft, Tegretol and Buspar... yes, all at the same time.

SMH. 80s and 90s parents LOVED medication, I'm coming to realize. 00s parents a little less so, and I think for many of children born toward the end of the 00's and the beginning of the 10s now, there's a much greater distrust of these shrinks (as there should be) and of medicating children heavily in order to control them. But starting with people about my age through current late-elementary aged kids, there's going to be an entire generation raised on drugs.


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## muldey (May 8, 2002)

I was born in 1977.My mom(she was 19) was knocked out when I was born,she doesn't remember much.She was given a shot to "dry up her milk" and had breast cancer at the age of 46,I'm wondering if that had something to do with it.The hospital didn't even give her the option to breast feed, this was just done!When I was about a week old,my mom switched me to whole milk,because she said formula wasn't enough for me,I was drinking more than 8 ounces! Umm,I know now formula has more calories than milk,plus other nutrients that a baby needs.I'm sure that contributed to my weight and other health issues!

From the time I was about a year old,I would ask my dad if I could play with the seeds from his pot lol! He gave them to me of course! I would go in the desk in his room and take the empty film canisters he used to store the pot and smell them.I still love the smell of weed lol.It just reminds me of home,being a kid. I think it should be legal,not for kids of course,but regulated like alcohol(which I've seen destroy so many lives,I've never seen weed do that,but anyway).

I used to walk to school from 1st grade on,most of the time I would come home to an empty apartment because both of my parents were at work.I roamed the neighborhood alone from then on,I would go everywhere.I was attacked by other kids, chased by someone through the small area of woods behind my house, the boy upstairs used to hurt me,he held me at knife point in his room,hit me across the back with a bike chain,a car tried to run my friend and I over,so much happened but I did have so much fun! We found a way under the sidewalk at my friend's house,used to hold secret meetings there lol. We found a hidden room in the attic of my apartment house,it was very creepy lol. I could never imagine my kids doing this stuff,even now that they both have cell phones!I do wish they could have experienced the great times I had though.

My mom used to hit me with a wooden spoon,omg did that hurt! She would slap me across the face all the time,my mouth would bleed a lot.I had my mouth washed out with soap.She liked to pull my hair quite a bit. My dad still has that spoon,I don't even want to look at it,I really don't think he knew about the things my mom did to me,he was working a lot.She had a lot of issues,and wonders why I preferred to live with my dad when they separated when I was 15!I will never hit my kids.I had a lot of issues in school starting in 7th grade,and all my mom would do was hit and scream at me,never bothered to really find out what was going on.She did bring me to a psychiatrist,who put me and my dad on meds,my mom made herself out to be a perfect mother and wife in front of the dr.She also put me in a group home,and 2 hospitals.My dad would have taken me out,but she wouldn't let him.My teenage years sucked lol.

I moved out right after my 18th birthday,into my own apartment.Those were some of the best years of my life!

My ex had so many things happen to him as a kid.He was beat with hot wheels tracks,spoons,anything his mom would grab.He had hot sauce poured in his mouth,his father would beat him,his step mother even locked him in a doghouse! He would take off for weeks and no one cared,he was living in the woods at 15.His step father made him drink a 6 pack of beer because he stole a sip of one,at 6 years old!! He was forced to smoke pack after pack of cigarettes until he puked,after he was caught smoking,I think he said he was about 9.His father told him when he turned 18,good now I don't have to pay child support or bother with him anymore.And they wonder why he's a homeless alcoholic smoker now.He has never layed a hand on our kids,but he doesn't pay child support and he's hurt them emotionally many times.  It's just so sad,he can be a great person when he's sober.


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## rebecca_n (Nov 1, 2010)

my mom gave me pepsi in a bottle when I was about two months old. she was at a fair and said soda was cheaper than water


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## mama24-7 (Aug 11, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rebecca_n*
> 
> my mom gave me pepsi in a bottle when I was about two months old. she was at a fair and said soda was cheaper than water












Sus


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## rebecca_n (Nov 1, 2010)

lol I was pretty horrified to hear it but she didn't think it was a big deal


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

When I was a kid it wasn't benadryl given to make us sleep, it was gravol! '

To be fair, I don't really think my mum did this but it was joked about a lot, so I'm not sure.


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## kblackstone444 (Jun 17, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *muldey*
> 
> I still love the smell of weed lol.It just reminds me of home,being a kid.


I love it!


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## DHinJersey (Jan 11, 2013)

I wish some attitudes would return...like letting kids wander around neighborhoods or ride trains and busses alone. Our society is obsessively paranoid about kids doing things alone. I'm looking forward to sending our young son out on his own, after teaching him common sense safety skills.

oh, and talking to strangers. I hope my son will enjoy talking to strangers of all types (but never ever go anywhere with one!!)


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DHinJersey*
> 
> I wish some attitudes would return...like letting kids wander around neighborhoods or ride trains and busses alone. Our society is obsessively paranoid about kids doing things alone. I'm looking forward to sending our young son out on his own, after teaching him common sense safety skills.
> 
> oh, and talking to strangers. I hope my son will enjoy talking to strangers of all types (but never ever go anywhere with one!!)


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DHinJersey*
> 
> I wish some attitudes would return...like letting kids wander around neighborhoods or ride trains and busses alone. Our society is obsessively paranoid about kids doing things alone. I'm looking forward to sending our young son out on his own, after teaching him common sense safety skills.
> 
> oh, and talking to strangers. I hope my son will enjoy talking to strangers of all types (but never ever go anywhere with one!!)


I think this was possible because society's structure was different. Adults accepted more responsibilty for children in their vicinity. This is no longer the case. Probably because of a fear of being sued, at least in part. Until the previous attitude returns, it is not as safe to give children independence. And *that* is a loss for both the children and the adults.


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## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

It also depends where you live. We chose the town we live in now , in part, because there is so much more freedom. Kids do wander around alone here. Not just in town, either. Preteens and up often go hiking in the forest alone. Teens go camping. Older teens go hunting. My homeschoolers don't even get questioned when they're out during school hours. The schools have open campuses and it is just assumed that they don't have class, if they aren't in one. The homecoming parade through downtown featured pickup trucks with loads of kids piled in the back, and that's not uncommon in general. It's very "early 80's small town" in culture and attitudes around here. I keep waiting for the Russians to attack! lol


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## DHinJersey (Jan 11, 2013)

I agree where you live is important in terms of free ranging. The car centric suburbs can be challenging. When we lived in Boston I remember seeing the young kids on the subway and walking around Back Bay and thinking how fun city life must be for kids. The suburb where I grew up was sidewalk free. Kind of a bummer!

, getting kinda ot here.


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## DHinJersey (Jan 11, 2013)

Also, didn't all of our parents put us down to sleep on our tummies! Back is best wasn't a thing yet I guess. Maybe parents back then were smart enough to realize that newborns $&$# hate being on their backs!


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## sparklefairy (May 21, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DHinJersey*
> 
> Also, didn't all of our parents put us down to sleep on our tummies! Back is best wasn't a thing yet I guess. Maybe parents back then were smart enough to realize that newborns $&$#&# hate being on their backs!


I think that they avoided backs so that babies wouldn't choke if they spit up? I could be completely wrong, but I think I remember that being a big deal when they started the back to sleep thing.


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## andrewk (Nov 22, 2012)

Crazy thing is, that you *know* that in another 20-30 years or so, what we're doing now will look just as insane. "OMG! My parents used to let me play outside without an RFID tracking device or bodyguard drone! Crazy...."


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## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrewk*
> 
> Crazy thing is, that you *know* that in another 20-30 years or so, what we're doing now will look just as insane. "OMG! My parents used to let me play outside without an RFID tracking device or bodyguard drone! Crazy...."


LOL

I'm going to be one of the awful grandparents always telling them to just let the kids go be kids, for goodness sake. You ate dirt and you turned out just fine! He'll be just fine, too.


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## Caneel (Jun 13, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *incorrigible*
> 
> It also depends where you live. We chose the town we live in now , in part, because there is so much more freedom. Kids do wander around alone here. Not just in town, either. Preteens and up often go hiking in the forest alone. Teens go camping. Older teens go hunting. My homeschoolers don't even get questioned when they're out during school hours. The schools have open campuses and it is just assumed that they don't have class, if they aren't in one. The homecoming parade through downtown featured pickup trucks with loads of kids piled in the back, and that's not uncommon in general. *It's very "early 80's small town" in culture and attitudes around here. I keep waiting for the Russians to attack! lol*


OMG! What an awesome pop culture reference! I loved that movie, the original, not the remake. The pick-up truck driving, rifle-totting actors where like every guy I went to high school with. The high school building even looked like my high school.

Agree it depends on where you live. I live in a small (and what I consider to be safe) town but one almost never sees a little kid riding their bike alone. On the rare occasion I see a sub-3rd grader walking to or from school alone, it surprises me.

On the other hand, my country relatives think I am crazy for not letting DS do a lot of things that they consider normal.


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## incorrigible (Jun 3, 2007)

I see little kids walking, but not biking...but that's because almost no one has bikes. lol The hardware store has a few, but otherwise they'd have to drive about 2.5 hrs through the mountains to buy one. We're in a small logging town in Oregon. It's totally normal to see a group of young men with rifles drive through town in the back of a pickup truck. This time of year, especially, it really does feel a lot like we're living in Red Dawn. lol

My family tells a story about how I wandered out of the house when I was a toddler. Maybe 18 months. Everyone finds it perfectly normal that my SAHM would have been that unaware of what I was up to during the day when the other kids were at school. Apparently, I went out the front door, crossed a busy street, and was found wandering around the cemetery across the street. The care taker went door to door through the neighborhood, asking if anyone had lost a child. My mom didn't even know I was missing until she saw me at the door with him.


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