1970's and things kids no longer do


I grew up around car shows with my grandfather.
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I lived outside of town about 10 miles. So we didn't have others to run around with. So no friends or sleep overs. But I had knives, guns, drove tractors, and broke horses.

I remember breaking a mule to ride with my dad. He was on the horse, I was on the mule, and he ran a hobble. Every time it tried to buck me off, he pulled the rope to trip it a little. I got tossed off of my share of horses.

I was driving tractors and heavy machinery on the farm for 10-12 hours and hauling grain wagons to town. The age limit was when you were big enough to reach the pedals comfortably.

So we were very responsible at an early age. At 10 years old we could outwork most people today.
 
I lived outside of town about 10 miles. So we didn't have others to run around with. So no friends or sleep overs. But I had knives, guns, drove tractors, and broke horses.

I remember breaking a mule to ride with my dad. He was on the horse, I was on the mule, and he ran a hobble. Every time it tried to buck me off, he pulled the rope to trip it a little. I got tossed off of my share of horses.

I was driving tractors and heavy machinery on the farm for 10-12 hours and hauling grain wagons to town. The age limit was when you were big enough to reach the pedals comfortably.

So we were very responsible at an early age. At 10 years old we could outwork most people today.

Yep. I was unloading and stacking hay at age 12.
 
Man the most formative years of my life for sure, entered as a little kid & exited a teenager – I think those years of life leave the most permanent impression because you’re such a blank slate, everything is new, everything is exciting, you’re far from the later stages where life becomes more like Groundhog Day. I imagine that no matter what decade your childhood was in would be the best because of this, & for my part I certainly feel that way about the 70’s, still far and away the coolest decade I’ve lived in & the standard by which I measure everything. Maybe that explains why I’m a grumpy bastard.

I posted this shot on my Schwinn revival thread, the pieces of my version of those years I’ve managed to hold onto like grim death:

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A few weeks ago I stumbled onto an old KISS video which brought me back to those days. I had all their albums, saw them at the Spectrum in Philly in 79 for my first concert. I've probably watched 50 videos over these last days and realize how much I still love these guys

 
Great vid...

Only the well-off kids in my neighborhood owns a Schwinn. And the REALLY well-to-do had an Apple Crate or Cherry Bomb chopper.
No text message reminders to come home, no Life360.. when the street lights came on, you went home.
I once travelled to another state.. on my skateboard.
 
I grew up in the country - we knew where every readily available faucet was in several square miles. "Readily available" meaning it was close to the road so we didn't have to go into somebody's yard. We always made sure to turn them off after drinking too.

We didn't have water facets where I lived in the early 70's but we had this.

Butchered a few whales.

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Gave dog team demonstrations to the tourists one summer.

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Mid 70's I lived in WA in the country and was bucking hay and cutting firewood and anything else to make a dollar.


Late 70's I was in the Army.
 
I was a sixties kid but that was pretty accurate. Those cute girls are all grandmas now.
It was also rural where I was. The neighborhood watch was everyone's mom and if you screwed around your mom, and dad, knew about it before you got home. We had a hand pump in the back yard with the best and coldest water. Dad's paddle of choice was his belt while mom's was whatever was handy. The rubber boot with metal buckles stands out. It was, 'be home before sunset', because there were no streetlights.

The seventies were tougher on me because I thought my ex Marine Dad only knew how to yell and being the oldest and a teenager, I got the brunt of it.
 
I grew up in the country - we knew where every readily available faucet was in several square miles. "Readily available" meaning it was close to the road so we didn't have to go into somebody's yard. We always made sure to turn them off after drinking too.

I grew up in the country too. There were no faucets around other than back at our respective houses. There was this one deep cattle trough . It had critters living in it. It had to be a hot day for us to take a drink.