“No, Mom… that’s not how you do it!” Most of us have said something along those lines at least once. Maybe it was about the way our parents cooked, how they used to do household chores, or one of those old-fashioned habits we were convinced made no sense. Every generation likes to believe it’s found a better way of doing things. And while we’ve certainly made progress in many areas, it’s also true that some of the “old ways” were actually pretty smart.
That’s exactly what people started discussing when someone online asked, “What’s something older generations got right that we’ve quietly stopped doing, to our own detriment?” The answers came pouring in. From stronger communities to healthier routines that made everyday life a little better, people shared plenty of timeless ideas that might deserve a second look. Keep scrolling, Pandas—you may find yourself agreeing with more of them than you expected.
#1
They understood that not every feeling deserves an audience, and we’ve somehow turned every passing emotion into public content.
Image source: eia-cesque, www.kaboompics.com/Pexels
#2
Dancing. Dancing with partners and steps as a form of socializing, not just Tik Tok dances.
Image source: Vita-Incerta, Haibo Ni/Pexels
#3
Having hobbies. Why does no one have hobbies anymore?! I’m a weirdo and a nerd at my workplace for having stuff I like doing in my spare time other than scrolling or watching shows.
Image source: maroontiefling, Thirdman/Pexels
The world is changing faster than ever. It feels like every other week there’s a new gadget, a smarter app, or another piece of technology promising to make life easier. And to be fair, many of these innovations really do. We can work from anywhere, order groceries in minutes, pay for almost anything with a tap, and stay connected with people across the globe. But as we’ve embraced all these modern conveniences, we’ve also quietly left behind a few everyday habits that may have been doing us more good than we realized. Sometimes moving forward doesn’t mean leaving everything behind—it means taking the best lessons from the past with us.
#4
Visiting people without texting first. It sounds annoying now, but people were actually more connected when every interaction wasn’t scheduled a week in advance.
Image source: bettyypretty, RDNE Stock project/Pexels
#5
Keeping albums with actual photographs. It’s always fun to flip through them when we’re together.
Image source: LeMeowLePurrr, Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels
#6
Shame. A baseline sense of the concept of shame. To create a massive spectacle of yourself for no reason but entitlement and attention was severely frowned upon. A little shame and humility goes a long way for a civilized society.
Image source: ColonelBelmont, Sanket Mishra/Pexels
Take the way we spend money, for example. These days, many of us hardly ever carry cash, relying instead on bank cards, smartwatches, or our phones to pay for almost everything. It’s incredibly convenient—but convenience can sometimes come at a cost. When you hand over physical cash, you actually see and feel the money leaving your wallet, making each purchase a little more deliberate. Swiping a card, on the other hand, feels almost effortless. Research reflects this difference. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the average cash transaction is around $22, while non-cash purchases average roughly $112. Other studies have found that people can spend up to 83% more when paying with cards than with cash, showing just how much our payment method can influence our spending without us even noticing.
#7
Doing things because they mattered, not because they’d get likes.
Image source: Extra-Shallot-7468, Luis Quintero/Pexels
#8
Learning how to repair and mend things.
Image source: Peripateticdreamer84, Bulat843 🌙/Pexels
#9
Phones that don’t come with the societal expectation that you will be available 24/7/365 to answer calls, texts, messages. Call my Millennial views Boomer, but I refuse to be guilted or bullied into using the device and service I pay for when someone else finds it convenient instead of when I do
We were not designed to be “on” all the time and people tend to get really pissy when you point that out and that this is a recent phenomenon that people have such easy, on demand access to eachother.
Edit: the people I said get really pissy about this being pointed out seem to have found this post.And proven the point better than I ever could 😂.
Image source: ExplorerEducational4, Алексей Веретенников/Pexels
There’s actually a fascinating reason for that. Researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management found that paying with a credit card activates the brain’s reward system differently than paying with cash. In simple terms, swiping a card makes us focus more on the excitement of getting something new than on the fact that we’re spending money. Psychologists often refer to this as reducing the “pain of paying.” That’s why it’s so much easier to add one more item to your shopping cart when all it takes is a quick tap. It’s not that cards are bad (they’re incredibly useful) but understanding how they affect our decision-making can help us become a little more mindful about our spending.
#10
House parties! Growing up as a child in the 80s we were constantly at house parties and it was so much fun. Sometimes there would be a theme, like Vicars and tarts (which I know is terrible by modern standards) but there would be a core of 50-60 people just socialising on a regular basis. My parents used to get 200-300 Christmas cards every year.
We just don’t do these this anymore. The only house parties are when teenagers parents go away!
Image source: BlackcatLucifer, cottonbro studio/Pexels
#11
Willing to sacrifice being your kid’s friend so you can be their parent first.
Image source: BestDig2669, August de Richelieu/Pexels
#12
Dressing appropriately for the occasion.
I too enjoys being comfortable but showing up at a restaurant in pj pants is pathetic.
Image source: Squirrel_beak, Mikhail Nilov/Pexels
Food is another great example. After a long day, ordering takeout can feel like the greatest invention ever. Few things beat having dinner arrive at your door without lifting a finger. But for many older generations, eating out was an occasional treat rather than a regular habit. Most meals were cooked at home, partly because restaurants weren’t as common and partly because dining out was considered expensive. Interestingly, that hasn’t changed much. Consumer spending data highlighted by Forbes found that the average restaurant meal costs about $20.37 per serving, while a home-cooked meal averages around $4.31. Beyond saving money, cooking at home also gives you more control over ingredients and often brings families together around the dinner table.
#13
Failing people in school. Now, if you don’t understand your course material or don’t bother doing your homework, you get passed through every grade and end up with a high school diploma that doesn’t guarantee that you have any real skills or knowledge.
PS: I understand and support the idea that some students need accommodations for disabilities. What I’m talking about is that we now have a system where students are not really accountable for their learning.
Image source: notyouagain19, Andy Barbour/Pexels
#14
Teaching your own children basic life skills instead of assuming they’ll just figure it out themselves or someone else will do it for you.
Image source: Pandoratastic, Ron Lach/Pexels
#15
Unionizing and working for a collective good rather than an “I got mine” or “Every man for himself” attitude.
Image source: BrownPelikan, Tony Zohari/Pexels
Older generations also exercised their memories far more often than we do today. They remembered phone numbers, birthdays, addresses, shopping lists, and directions simply because they had to. Today, our phones remember almost everything for us. While that’s undoubtedly convenient, researchers have started looking at something called digital amnesia. Surveys suggest that 91% of people use the internet as an external memory bank, while nearly half rely entirely on their smartphones to store important personal information. Some neurological studies suggest that outsourcing so much of our memory may change how deeply we process information. Of course, no one is suggesting we throw away our smartphones—but maybe remembering a few phone numbers isn’t such a bad exercise after all.
#16
Being alone or apart and really missing someone.
We’re all in each other’s pockets. People text and call and track and watch their loved ones throughout the day. We broadcast our lives on social media and share opinions, photos, videos, memes, etc. etc. etc.
I’m tired of everyone in my feed even if we haven’t seen each other in 20 years, because there’s no chance to truly disconnect from them.
Image source: thimbleful_of_f***s, Piotr Arnoldes/Pexels
#17
Calling out other people’s kids on their bad behavior.
Image source: Faptasmic, www.kaboompics.com/Pexels
#18
Joining and participating in civic clubs, social clubs, hobby clubs and other similar groups.
Image source: EmpressMom, Victor Parra/Pexels
Another thing many people miss is how much easier it once was to focus on one activity at a time. Older generations often spent their evenings reading books, gardening, sewing, fixing things around the house, or simply listening to music without constant interruptions. Today, it’s common to watch TV while scrolling social media, reply to messages during meals, or bounce between several screens at once. Our brains rarely get a chance to settle. Research has shown that constant multitasking can increase mental fatigue and make it harder to concentrate for long periods. On the flip side, spending even 30 uninterrupted minutes doing a hobby you genuinely enjoy can help reduce stress, improve focus, and give your mind a much-needed break from the constant noise of modern life.
#19
Sewing. An incredibly useful skill that most people don’t know.
Image source: spacebeige, Erwin Bosman/Pexels
#20
My husband and I joined a weekly bowling league and it’s opened up so many friendships. It’s so interesting because you make friends with people your own age and then also have a 75 year old bestie name Arnold.
One of the best things we’ve done!
Image source: Itchy_Swimmer_8360, Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels
#21
This may shock many Redditors, who by definition choose to spend our free time reading and writing …
Most people now do not know how to read or spell.
Image source: lostthering
#22
Allowing children some independence so they can learn how to behave in the world.
Image source: ICUNurse1969
Of course, this doesn’t mean the past was perfect or that everything older generations did was automatically better. We’ve made enormous progress in medicine, technology, education, and countless other areas that have improved our quality of life. The point isn’t to romanticize the past—it’s to recognize that some old habits still have plenty of value today. Sometimes the smartest approach isn’t choosing between the old way and the new way. It’s finding a balance that lets us enjoy modern conveniences while holding onto the simple routines that still make life healthier, calmer, and a little more meaningful.
#23
Sitting and discomforting instead of immediately reaching for something to numb it.
Image source: BrownieLake
#24
Holding politicians to higher standards.
Remember when Dan Quayle misspelled ‘potato’ and dropped out of the race in shame?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Image source: Creative_Cat_322
#25
Living within our means.
Not tolerating the nonsense corporations and politicians are subjecting us to.
Image source: FlyingTerrier
#26
The it takes a village to raise kids thing.
Image source: shoulda-known-better
And that’s exactly what today’s collection is all about. The people sharing their thoughts aren’t arguing that we should go backwards—they’re simply highlighting a few everyday habits they believe are worth bringing back. Some answers are practical, others are nostalgic, and a few might even make you rethink your own routines. Keep scrolling, Pandas, and let us know: which old-school habit do you think deserves a comeback?
#27
Self reliance? Whatever is contributing to “learned helplessness” and not even trying is doing y’all dirty.
Image source: SlowHedgehog33
#28
Writing thank you notes. I always sent cards to my grandma’s and such after holidays and birthdays.
Image source: GrandmasBlueWaffles
#29
Learning to behave in public and speak with strangers.
Image source: BobcatSig
#30
Having community (of many different types). Even as an atheist, I recognize it’s really unfortunate that nothing replaced the community aspect of church this century for people who aren’t religious.
Image source: RafaelSirah
#31
I would say being comfortable with boredom. Many people have a lot of struggles with that, but it seems like that the older generations are more comfortable with it. And that’s a great thing in my opinion.
Image source: Dry-Bass103
#32
Writing checks to pay for things and using credit cards for emergencies. Our checking account was our money. When the account was low we quit spending. If you went over the bank charged $35 per transaction. We didn’t overspend and rarely used a credit card.
Image source: RevolutionaryBody936
#33
Vaccines. Measles was eradicated. It’s not now.
Image source: Head_Kangaroo
#34
Free college, government owned hospitals, socialized health care… gone.
They are now trying to do the same to public schooling.
Image source: shwarma_heaven
#35
Using a clothesline to dry laundry in the summer. That electric dryer costs a fortune in electricity needlessly and brings in hot outside air to equalize pressure inside the home.
Image source: No-Internal7243
#36
Home economics classes are no longer a thing. At least not 30 years ago when I was in high school in my place. I think that they kinda did away with it when people stopped really writing checks and you stop needing to be able to like balance your own bank account with the Internet, but there’s like so much more that goes in to being an adult and taking care of your “home.” Like personal finances, how to buy/shop for groceries, basics of cooking, etc.
My parents didn’t teach me that at home and I obviously didn’t learn it at school and now I’m useless and my house is a disaster. I’m trying very hard to learn how to stay within my budget. It wasn’t until I went to college and I had a finance class that the finance professor taught us so much more about the stock market and about how to pay down your mortgage faster, but like if it wasn’t for him, nobody would have taught me that.
Image source: Every-Abroad-847
#37
Having a sense of communal good. Advertising then the internet have convinced everyone in the global west to put themselves first.
Image source: wh0else
#38
I feel like dating was probably a little more serious in older generations.
It seems like dating now can be very exhausting because people move on at the slightest bit of boredom in a relationship.
I just don’t get it…
Image source: MidRoundOldFashioned
#39
Stricter schooling and proper physical education in schools. I taught PE my whole career, and fitness really declined over that time.
Image source: ShockingHair_63
#40
Teaching social expectations and how to speak to people. Kids aren’t explicitly taught how to act and speak in specific scenarios, so how can they learn what is and isn’t normal if they’re not exposed to it?
Image source: ReasonableBeep
#41
Discipline. Time out is a failed social experiment.
Image source: Isthisyourcard63
#42
Using iodized salt. It’s actually a huge problem for huge chunks of the world where iodine isn’t naturally occurring.
Iodine deficiency results in painful goiters, and extended deficiency can lead to an extremely bad birth defect historically known as “cretinism” which is physical and intellectual stunting during fetal development.
We don’t really remember life before iodized salt, but introducing iodized salt proved to be such an improvement it just became expected, and it alleviated the problem so well most people don’t even know it was ever a problem at all.
So much of the influencer driven culture around food and home cooking has actively derided iodized table salt in favour of sea and rock salts that haven’t been iodized. This is actually driving up goiter rates in some places and could lead to a resurgence in associated birth defects.
Now I’m as big a fan of fancy sea salt as the next person, but throw some table salt into your food from time to time as well, just to be safe.
Image source: jokerTHEIF
#43
Living in small houses. you don’t need that much space. You don’t need that much stuff.
Image source: tenderbuck
#44
Valuing privacy.
Image source: BaylisAscaris
#45
My grandparents bought most things with the expectation that they would own it for a very long time. Every purchase was a very methodical process to ensure they were making a good long term decision. My parents bought things like cars and appliances with the expectation that they would have them for 10 years or more. My generation (and now my son’s generation) has been robbed of that. Nothing is built to last that long anymore. The things we buy have all become so technologically complex that they are either obsolete in 5 years or cost prohibitive to repair. In the past 5 years I’ve had appliances and TV’s break to the point where repairing them was more than the cost of buying a new model. What’s scary is that cars are quickly becoming that way. A friend of mine drives a pretty modest SUV that was about $45k when it was brand new. It was recently vandalized and required a bunch of new glass, plastic trim and rubber seals along one side of the car. The cost of just the parts was several thousand dollars (covered by insurance). After labor, it was $4400, almost 10% of the cost when the car was new. It’s crazy…
Image source: DavidAg02
#46
The subtle art of sitting and chatting together for hours. Or just companionable silence.
Image source: BookLuvr7
#47
The expectation that a help line will actually know something and try to help.
Instead you get someone following a script and working through trying a bunch of stuff that you know is completely unrelated but you MUST do this first until they pass you on to the next person who has a different script and then usually the third person actually listens to the issue and tries to fix it.
Image source: somewhat_random
#48
Kicking the kids out of the house after Saturday Morning Cartoons until dinner time. Also, Saturday Morning Cartoons.
Image source: omgitsjagen
#49
Sitting on a porch and doing nothing but listening to nature.
Image source: trwawy188
#50
No-one polishes their boots any more.
You have to feed the leather.
Image source: permaculture
#51
Forgiving your spouse and moving along, instead of divorcing over the smallest things.
Image source: lki6780
#52
Reading the local >!newspaper!
Image source: Ok-Cardiologist7238
#53
Writing stuff down. My dad had notebooks for every job and I used to think it was old man nonsense, now I run a shop and half my life is scribbled notes so I don’t forget who needed a call back.
Image source: MidwestTroy92
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