18 Wild Things Kids Did in the ’60s That Would Have Parents Calling CPS Faster Than You Can Say “Groovy”
Added on October 27, 2025 inFun And Facts Cards
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Remember when kids in the 1960s roamed the streets like mini explorers with no supervision, drank from the garden hose like it was the Fountain of Youth, and were tucked into cribs that today’s safety experts would practically chain-lock? If you grew up during that wild era, you know those carefree days were soaked in a kind of reckless charm that today’s parents would call down a social services SWAT team for. Now, before you light up a smoke in front of your kids or toss them in the front seat sans seatbelt, ask yourself: did the stars curse the ’60s with an aura of audacity, or was it just plain naivety wrapped in bell-bottom pants? As an Aquarius season unfolds with its signature rebellious streak, it’s fitting to look back on those head-scratching parenting customs with a smirk and a shake of the head. This isn’t a roast session for the past, but a nostalgic stroll through a time when kids’ “rights” included getting a good belt-whipping and mastering the art of the pinkie swear—blood and all. Buckle up as we dive into the craziest, most jaw-dropping things that were just part of childhood back in the ’60s—many of which would have parents today reaching for the phone faster than you can say “astrological anomaly.” LEARN MORE
Many behaviors trumpeted as ordinary for children in the 1960s would be mortifying to people today, mostly due to huge shifts in ideas regarding safety and societal expectations. Even though it was the norm back then, if parents from the ’60s were to raise their children in the same manner today, they might find social services running to their doorstep. As time marches on, parenting methods modernize, and the level of supervision required to raise children slowly increases.
This isn’t about looking down on the way things were once done, but rather just a peek into how different childhood was half a century ago. To be fair, parents and kids didn’t know any better—and most of them wouldn’t trade any of it for all the great memories they made.
Nowadays, it seems the world has become less safe, and individuals are more cautious about health and safety than ever before. If you grew up in the 1960s, you’re likely to relate to some of these norms and practices.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Nowadays, parents are given very strict instructions on how to help their babies sleep as safely as possible. In the 1960s, it was a different story, and many of today’s hazards weren’t well-known or studied.
For example, doctors encouraged babies to sleep on their stomachs (a big no-no these days). Plus, cribs were dangerous, with too wide of slats, drop rails, stuffed animals, and bumpers that are suffocation and choking hazards.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Kids today know their ‘rights’ and may even recite them for you, but most of the 60s kids grew up knowing beating was never an empty threat. And no, we’re not talking about a run-of-the-mill spanking. Many kids of the 60s knew what a belt could make their rear end look like.
Punishment by beating was common, but it was not the best form of discipline as many parents weren’t very reasonable with it. Many kids grew up fearing their parents because of this.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Parents let kids run in the streets as much as they wanted without much supervision, and they were deemed pretty safe. Today, even sending a child to the mailbox is a nerve-wracking errand in some parts of the country.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
You can barely smoke around non-smoking adults today, but smoking around children was pretty common in the 60s.
Many people didn’t know about secondhand smoke dangers, and even pregnant mothers and new mothers smoked around their children. Crazy!
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Kids could ride in the front seat without a seat belt arm. Mom’s arms were enough to hold them in place when she needed to apply emergency brakes.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
The airbags we swear by today, and the car seats we can’t be allowed to leave the hospital without were not invented until the 70s and 80s.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Trampolines today are like armored vehicles, impenetrable in all ways. Well, the kids in the 60s didn’t enjoy trampolines with netting all around; kids were around to jump around, and hopefully, they wouldn’t break their necks or ankles.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
All those escapades the boomers tell you about their going to-school trips are true (walking 1 hour in the snow uphill); there was barely any being dropped off by a bus, carpool, or a parent.
Kids mainly were sent on their jolly way to school by themselves.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Cycling without a helmet today is a capital offense for many kids; you will see them on their bikes looking like astronauts.
Kids rode bikes without helmets before parents knew the dangers of knocking their heads on the pavement.
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The closest kids today get to hitchhiking is getting an Uber, and even then, they have to share their trip with the whole village.
Hitchhiking was a common thing in the 60s, and many kids got free rides just by lifting their thumbs on the highway.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Today’s kids know to only drink from the dispenser or the water bottle (at least most of them), but drinking from the hose was common.
There wasn’t much bottled (or filtered) water in the 60s, and the hoses posed a danger from lead, but that wasn’t a well-known fact.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
We now know that sunscreen is good for you, and your skin will be very grateful when you’re older. Kids in the older days didn’t quite get sunscreen; the greater need was to get a tan.
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It doesn’t sound like an excellent idea today due to the number of predators prowling around, but some children would be allowed to go to the water on their own, as long as they stayed within their parents’ eyeshot.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Young boys and girls used to take their “pinkie swears” to a whole other level with blood oaths. Kids would make promises to each other and become blood brothers or sisters by making a small bleeding cut on each of their hands and shaking on it.
That’s just asking to spread communicable diseases and is a big no-no these days.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
As more moms entered the workforce, it was common for kids to come home after school to an empty house. This left kids to fend for themselves for several hours before their parents were able to come home from work. If they were lucky, they had an older sibling or neighbor kid that they could go to for help or entertainment.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Kids were left to sing, read, and nap on road trips before screens. Kids would often take turns napping in the back window of their station wagon.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Kids of the 60s may recall having a note taped to their shirt and dropped off at the City Bus to get their child to their destination, something that would never happen these days.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Boys were quite means to each other in this decade. It was common for “friends” to be rough, both physically and verbally, with each other. And running to mommy or the teacher wasn’t an option because the child would then just get further ridiculed.
Bullying is still a huge issue in today’s schools, and thankfully, society (and teachers and parents- for the most part) take such a problem more seriously.
JayDee Vykoukal is a writer, author, mom, and Doctor of Physical Therapy. She has been writing about everything motherhood and health-related since 2018 when her first daughter was born, and she wanted to stay home. She loves to research new topics and fun facts with her kids to teach them about the world.
JayDee Vykoukal is a writer, author, mom, and Doctor of Physical Therapy. She has been writing about everything motherhood and health-related since 2018 when her first daughter was born, and she wanted to stay home. She loves to research new topics and fun facts with her kids to teach them about the world.
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