“Back in my day, we used to walk 5 miles to school in sub-zero temperatures without batting an eyelid. Not like you spoiled little brats these days!” We all have an older relative who says things like this about raising kids. They are despairing the coddled youth with their smartphones, crappy music, and parents that seemingly can’t say no to their every demand.
And you know what? They might actually have a point on the parenting styles of today. Although the world might seem like a more dangerous place now with higher safety standards required, kids of previous generations had to make their own entertainment. They had to learn to look after themselves from a younger age and take far more risks while doing so. Parents didn’t have things like Mumsnet to help them with parenting tips, alternatively, guilt and stress them out for letting kids go out of the safe environments and learn from their own mistakes.
To celebrate the eccentric approaches of old-school parenting and child safety, we here at Bored Panda have put together a list of parents and their kids doing things that would horrify the mommy and daddy bloggers and Instagrammers of today. What’s your opinion on the evolution of parenting over the years? Scroll down below to check out the vintage photos for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
#1 Me Back In 1991 Just Your Typical Aussie Kid Drinking Xxxxlight Beer(I Wasn’t Aloud Heavies Back Then) And Holding A Baby Crocodile
Image source: truthcrusade
#2 My Mother And Grandmother Demonstrating Safety Standards In The 1960s
Image source: thisisanendtable
#3 If Your Mum Didn’t Lay On The Ground Making Herself Into A Ramp For Your New BMX, Did She Even Love You? 1980’s
Image source: therealabv
#4 California Marijuana Initiative Rally 1972. That’s Me In The Box And My Parents In The Picture
Image source: 19blackdog72
#5 My Dad And His Veterinarian Mother, With Their Pet Lion Which They Raised For Two Years, 1959
Image source: ryanb99
#6 Princess Yvonne And Prince Alexander In Germany, 1955
Image source: Photo Tractatus
#7 A Couple Ice Skating With Their Baby, 1937
Image source: Gar1986
#8 Infant Me, My Mother & Father At A Bar Because That’s How Parents Rolled In The Early ’80s
Image source: areyoufknserious
#9 The Pinnacle Of Parenting: 1930s Swimming Lesson
Image source: cheml0vin
#10 Car Seat Safety In 1958. Not Strapped In To Anything, These Seats Relied On The Mother To Put Her Arm Out And Stop The Baby From Falling Forward
Image source: claire303
#11 My Hilarious Father (With The Magazine) And My Grandfather, Grandmother, And Uncle At His Bar Mitzvah In 1972
Image source: JasonPlatz
#12 My Mother-In-Law Riding A Bear At 2 Years Old
Image source: Homebrew-Joe
#13 Harley With A Baby Seat, 1962
Image source: Bob Sandberg
#14 A Photo Of Me Dressed Up As My Dad, With My Dad (1982)
Image source: fuuuuuckendoobs
#15 My Dad Showing Off His Parenting Skills 1985
Image source: imakethenews
#16 My Mom In The Hospital After Giving Birth To My Sister. Canada 1978. Smokes And Roasted Chicken
Image source: rookdanger
#17 Back In The Day. 1950s To Be Exact. Checkout That Car Seat
Image source: iworkondishwashers
#18 My Mom Showing Off Her Parenting Skills 1978
Image source: thedumone
#19 Me, 1958, Relaxing After My Bath With Toby, I Was Never Again This Cool
Image source: ickeyray54
#20 13 Y/O Dad Having A Taste While The Grownups Are Busy Playing Cards; Upstate New York, August 1954
Image source: stevierayfrog
#21 My Father And His Pet Lion Priscilla, California 1970’s
Image source: spencehord
#22 My Adorable (4 Year Old) Mother At A Zoo In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 1970
Image source: youngbarrister
#23 Just A Photo Of Yours Truly (At 11 Years) Petting A Full Grown Tiger. My Mom Calls It Her “Bad Parenting Moment”
Image source: reesmeister
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