Mike
Ah, the good old days—when kids drank from the hose, rode in the front seat, and no one had ever heard the phrase “screen time.”
Parenting back then was… let’s call it hands-off, if not completely unhinged.
Before car seats were standard and secondhand smoke was a concern, moms and dads were winging it with confidence and a Marlboro in hand. It’s equal parts horrifying and hilarious to look back now and realize just how casually chaotic parenting used to be.
This collection of old-school parenting photos proves that standards have come a long way—and also makes it pretty clear why Gen X and Millennials have trust issues.
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2. “My mother and grandmother demonstrating safety standards in the 1960s.”
3. Me Back In 1991 Just Your Typical Aussie Kid Drinking Xxxxlight Beer(I Wasn’t Aloud Heavies Back Then) And Holding A Baby Crocodile
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5. My Dad And His Veterinarian Mother, With Their Pet Lion Which They Raised For Two Years, 1959
6. “Back in the day. 1950s to be exact. Check out that car seat.”
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35. “My mother-in-law riding a bear at 2 years old.”
36. “My dad showing off his parenting skills 1985.”
37. Infant Me, My Mother & Father At A Bar Because That’s How Parents Rolled In The Early ’80s
38. “My Hilarious Father (With The Magazine) And My Grandfather, Grandmother, And Uncle At His Bar Mitzvah In 1972”
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41. A Photo Of Me Dressed Up As My Dad, With My Dad (1982)
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44. “Children’s Motor Wheel, 1927”
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Read also: 40 Nostalgic Pictures That Transport You Back To The ‘Old Internet’ Days