Things in life often change at a pace that is difficult for some people to catch up with; the things they used to enjoy back in the day no longer exist and what was customary became unacceptable all of a sudden. And while some things clearly changed for the better, others might leave some individuals perplexed, misunderstood, or even scolded.
Members of the ‘Ask Old People’ community on Reddit recently discussed instances of such change when one user asked them about things that were perfectly normal and acceptable when they were growing up, but would now be considered rude or boundary crossing. If you’re curious about the netizens’ observations, scroll down to find them on the list below and feel free to upvote those you can relate to or agree with the most.
#1
Playing by myself in the woods at a pretty young age.
Image source: wendyrc246, iviphoto93 / Envato
#2
Possibly stopping in at a friend’s house unannounced. That used to be fairly common when everyone didn’t have a phone in his or her pocket.
Image source: Eff-Bee-Exx, AlenaIvochkina / Envato
#3
TV Specials. Like The Wizard of Oz being broadcast once a year and made for TV movies and mini series that were outside of the normal schedule. Or when Schindler’s List was broadcast commercial free in the 90s.
Also, scheduling your free time around a show you wanted to watch.
Image source: queenchubkins
#4
I worked as a temp a lot during the 90s. There were many offices that specified that women were to wear dresses or skirts only; not pants. That would not fly nowadays.
Image source: Nice_Ad4063, LightFieldStudios / Envato
#5
Riding in the bed of a pickup truck, usually on the tire hub. My mom’s Eagle didn’t have seatbelts in the early 80s.
Image source: life-is-satire, Mint_Images / Envato
#6
Kissing, hugging, or being forced to dance with a creepy relative.
Image source: inky_bat, nd3000 / Envato
#7
Scolding someone else’s child. I remember getting corrected by strangers.
Image source: roytheodd, elenbessonova / Envato
#8
This may be hard to believe but when I started buying cigarettes in 1964 for 25 cents from a vending machine at the coin operated laundromat I often saw people, both men and women quietly sitting in their underwear reading magazines while their clothes were washing or drying. I do remember one guy in boxer shorts and shoes tap dancing. .
Image source: anon, Mint_Images / Envato
#9
When I was a kid, if a neighborhood kid was playing outside at someones house and got dirty, they got put in the tub and scrubbed down by the matriarch of the house. Their clothes were also thrown in the washer and dryer. No one thought anything of this.
Also, the women in my neighborhood fed lunch to whatever kids their own was hanging with that day.
Image source: gloominatrix
#10
Pulling out a cigarette and lighting it without asking if it’s okay.
Image source: MindingMine, AllaRudenko / Envato
#11
All my parents’ friends used to give me a spanking for each year on my birthday. Does anyone else remember this? Birthday spankings? So weird.
Image source: audvisial, wolfhound9111 / Envato
#12
When I was a executive assistant I was called “the girl” when my boss was referring me to clients. “I’ll have the girl write up the papers. Also, i was 38 at the time.
Image source: Fuzzzer777, prathanchorruangsak / Envato
#13
Smoking indoors.
Image source: somekindofhat, rushay1977 / Envato
#14
Telling other peoples kids off, I grew up in a village and everyone yelled at you if you were naughty. If I’d complained to my dad that Mrs next door had told me off he’d have said serves you right. That said Mrs next door wouldn’t have told my dad on me.
Image source: Crochetqueenextra
#15
I was on a job interview in the 70s. The man said, ‘Why should I hire you? I will train you. Then you will get married and have babies.”
I was a college student looking before graduating.
Image source: HighPriestess__55, Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels
#16
Asking people when they were going to get pregnant. Or why they didn’t have any kids yet.
Image source: StuffonBookshelfs, zamrznutitonovi / Envato
#17
Inviting the neighborhood children into your home. (1960’s and 70’s) On Halloween some people would ask you to step in the house to show an elderly family member your costume. It was very awkward . We also had a very religious elderly woman across the street, ( empty nester married couple) she held a Bible school every Wednesday after school for neighborhood kids to attend. We would go into her downstairs family room and she would show a film strip, give a felt board presentation, sing some songs. Then we would make a craft project and have a snack. Each week we were given a Bible verse to memorize and if you could recite it, you got a small prize. We were there about an hour and a half. This woman really enjoyed doing this, the parents didn’t seem to mind either. Actually, it was the most religious exposure I had as a child. She was a very kind and sweet woman, and well liked in the neighborhood. This would NEVER happen today.
Image source: Lainarlej, uraneva / Envato
#18
The big paddle that one of the teachers would posses that would be used on your hind quarters at their whim. No parent permission needed.
Image source: OICGraffiti, LightFieldStudios / Envato
#19
Bullying. Not only was it acceptable, but it was sometimes encouraged by teachers and parents because it would “toughen you up.” I was a victim of extreme bullying. It gave me CPTSD, actually. And I think it contributed to some of my health problems as an adult. Yet, when my mom tried to get help for me at school and from the bullies’ parents, they told her that kids will be kids and she had to stop trying to fight my battles for me. Now? I asked my young cousin if there were anti-bullying rules at her school (middle school) and she said yes, but they didn’t really need the rule because nobody really bullied anyone anyway. She literally thinks that kids naturally don’t bully other kids! Because the rule worked! It’s mind blowing to me. I wonder who I’d be if we’d had that rule.
Image source: fauxfurgopher
#20
Cutting through our neighborhood backyards. We all did it. Until we got into Highschool and cars became the norm. You might get hurt today.
Image source: dvoigt412, westend61 / Envato
#21
I’ve been told that women were expected to wear “foundation garments” at work, and if they didn’t, then they might get reprimanded. I’m talking about longline bras and girdles.
In the 80s, one of my friends got sent to the office for not wearing a bra to high school.
Image source: smartbiphasic, romankosolapov / Envato
#22
Elderly men innocently chatting up random kids in the streets. My father used to do that, and was heartbroken when it became unacceptable behavior.
Image source: olderfartbob
#23
We let dogs poop everywhere and never picked it up.
Image source: wawa2022, Satura_ / Envato
#24
My childhood gp making consistent remarks to our mom about how my dad better get a stick to beat the boys back as my sister and I began to grow up.
before anyone goes there, no he wasn’t a closeted pedophile. he had no personal lasciviousness to him at all. that kind of objectification was simply considered a “normal” way to compliment girl children in the 70’s.
to be fair, I’m not sure it’s over. in the 90’s I was going down the throats of people who tried to make similar kinds of remarks about my son within his hearing. .
Image source: Optimal-Ad-7074
#25
Definitely dropping by people’s houses. My dad was a Boy Scout leader (my brother was a boy scout) and we had teenage boys dropping by to ogle my two oldest sisters all the time (under the guise of a family visit :-)).
The neighborhood was full of kids and we always stopped by rather than calling. You’d knock on the door and call out, “Can Gigglefester come out and play?”.
Image source: GiggleFester
#26
Teachers laying their hands on kids. In first grade my teacher grabbed me by the ponytail and dragged me backwards across the room. In second grade after a couple tardys my teacher grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me.
Image source: Shaydie
#27
Kids mixing alcoholic drinks for guests at home.
Image source: Writes4Living, LightFieldStudios / Envato
#28
Definitely thought of now in a bad light- catcalling women when they walk by.
Image source: 1tiredmommy
#29
Asking someone if they “went to church” upon meeting them. Had to explain to my grandma that doing so would lose me relatability/trust FAST among my age group because that question is no longer kind when asked.
Image source: BaseballMental7034
#30
Within extended families, asking another adult member when they were finding a marriage prospect, getting married, having children etc.
Image source: JustAnnesOpinion, monkeybusiness / Envato
Follow Us
