40 years ago,things were very different ,MTV was just catching on and Atari was still very popular. we didn't have all the constant news in our face.but our social media was hanging out with friends and family.
Some of the things we used to do would probably get you arrested now.
Safety standards in cars were pretty well absent, the regulations were more like mild suggestions rather than rules or laws, nobody wore seatbelts, and many people just wondered why they were even there.
as a kid you could sit in the middle of the bench seat up front and control the radio, if you wanted to see over the tall dash then you could just simply stand up. dad may have even placed you in his lap so you could help him steer the car. It was also common to
see kids just packed in the back of a station wagon or maybe in the bed of a pickup truck. Car seats were available for purchase but rarely would you ever see one in a car if your car was packed with kids.
Then it was usually easier just to leave them in the car and then go into the grocery store and shop. Most people just left the windows rolled down and the kids would be just fine.
Kids were very active and it wasn't uncommon just to tell your parents you were going outside to play and then you would disappear. For most of the day if not all of it it was always.
Then most of the kids would knock on their friend's door to see if they were home. and if they wanted to come out and play if you went around riding bikes then you certainly didn't wear a helmet. Most people couldn't even see these in stores to buy and if you could they wouldn't have even wanted them.
same thing with elbow pads and knee pads most kids just thought it was cool to show off your latest injury or skin knee. if you happen to be too far from home too late then no problem.
Find one of the pay phones that were all over the place and if you didn't have change then that wasn't a problem either your parents knew when they got the collect call, you have a collect call from I'm at the community center do you accept charges.
Your mom and dad would just come and pick you up and load up the bikes if you had them otherwise your parents just expected you to be home.
