As I tracked my daughter’s phone using a GPS app while simultaneously messaging my son as he rode home from school, I couldn’t help but laugh at how drastically parenting has changed since my own childhood. From apps that notify parents when their teens are driving too fast to car seats that resemble astronaut harnesses, today’s parenting is infinitely safer.
It’s amusing to think about how we somehow made it through our childhoods unscathed. Drinking from a garden hose and running wild without adult supervision were just the tip of the iceberg. It turns out that parenting in the past was fraught with peril: smoking and consuming alcohol while pregnant was widely accepted. I vividly recall a friend’s expectant mother puffing away on a cigarette, urging us to play outside while she took deep drags. If only the knowledge we have now was available then. I once ordered a glass of wine just days before giving birth and was met with a stern lecture from the waitress. “But my mom did it too!” I thought.
Riding in the wayback of station wagons was just part of the adventure. My siblings and I would entertain ourselves by making faces at the drivers behind us as we bounced around in the back of our family’s 80s-style vehicle. Nowadays, I’m grateful for the safety features in my SUV, which makes me reflect wistfully on how blissfully unaware my parents were about safety.
Back then, baby seats and seat belts were merely suggestions. Infants often sat on their mother’s lap, and children rolled freely in the backseat, completely unrestrained. Who would’ve thought that a mother’s embrace could be considered as safe as a modern five-point harness? It’s hard to imagine seeing a baby on a parent’s lap while driving today.
Then there was the era of secondhand smoke exposure. My father was a heavy smoker, filling our family room with pipe smoke while creating amusing rings in the air. It’s impossible to quantify how much secondhand smoke I inhaled during those childhood years, and we simply didn’t have the research to understand its dangers.
And let’s not forget how we savored raw cookie dough without a second thought. I admit, I still sneak a spoonful from time to time – some habits are hard to kick!
As latchkey kids, we often returned to empty homes, left alone for hours with sharp objects like knives and scissors. We rode our bikes and played at parks without our parents having any clue about our whereabouts. Running with scissors was practically our childhood motto!
Sitting in the back of a moving pickup truck was also considered normal. I often wonder what my parents were thinking back then. And of course, helmets were nowhere to be found, whether we were racing down the street on our banana seat bikes or hitting the slopes in our brightly colored snowsuits. I’ve had my fair share of tumbles, but I’m relieved that today’s kids are required to wear helmets.
Cribs and bedding were essentially death traps. My younger siblings delighted in climbing in and out of their cribs, often causing loud thuds that prompted my mother to rush in. In hindsight, it’s alarming to realize that those cribs were filled with pillows and blankets, all of which we now know are dangerous for infants.
While our parents may argue that we’re raising a generation of overly protected kids, just because we survived riding shotgun on laps and emerged without significant injuries doesn’t mean we turned out perfectly fine. I fully expect my children to hold me accountable for my own parenting missteps in twenty years. Let’s hope they figure out how to make cookie dough safe for everyone by then!
For a deep dive into the journey of home insemination, check out this article on couples’ fertility journeys or explore at home insemination kits for more insights. If you’re looking for an excellent resource on pregnancy and home insemination, WebMD has you covered!
Summary
Parenting practices from previous generations can seem shocking by today’s standards. From smoking and drinking during pregnancy to the lack of safety measures like seatbelts and helmets, many of the norms of the past are now considered dangerous. While some may argue that today’s kids are overly protected, the changes reflect a better understanding of safety and health.
Leave a Reply