9 Simple Things Families In The 70s & 80s Usually Did Every Day That Kids Today Barely Experience
Annie Spratt | Unsplash The Gen Xers raised in the 70s and 80s were coined the "latchkey generation" for a reason. Compared to the overprotective parents and constant vigilance of families today, these kids had space to explore and play.
While they could roam free, they also had a number of family experiences that were non-negotiables and were just a normal part of life. The simple things families in the 70s and 80s did helped shape who they are, but kids today will barely experience them at all.
Kids today barely experience these simple things families in the 70s and 80s did daily
1. Using and developing film
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Part of the resilience and patience that Gen Xers have today is a product of being forced to wait for things, in comparison to our culture of convenience and instant gratification today. They had to save their money and manage their boredom, but they also had to wait for camera film to develop.
It's such a small part of daily life, but also something young people today never even have to think about with their cell phones. Most people didn't even know how their photos turned out until days or weeks after, when they finally got them developed. No editing, no convenience.
2. Bartering over phone use
When an entire family had the same phone number and a landline in a shared place at home to share, managing that schedule became a daily routine. Not only were siblings often fighting over each other for phone time, but everyone was worried about people listening in or missing a call.
The convenience that kids today have, with a cell phone and phone number all to themselves, is undeniably different from this old-school family ritual.
3. Calling an operator for information
Calling "411" for a real-life human operator was a real part of life just a few decades ago. In an era where Google and social media weren't options to stalk someone or get information, people called operators for information, whether it was addresses or even business hours for their favorite stores.
While it seems somewhat inconvenient now, with the world at our fingertips and in our back pockets, it was a convenience and daily ritual at the time.
4. Waiting for Saturday morning cartoons
Most kids in the 70s and 80s waited all week for Saturday morning, because that's when all their favorite cartoons were finally on TV. Throughout the week, they watched the news at night with their parents or played outside, but on Saturday mornings, that was a ritual unlike any other.
Parents drank their coffee and read the newspaper. Kids huddled up around the one TV and watched a seemingly endless stream of cartoons for hours, or until they were kicked outside to play or forced to clean by their parents.
5. Printing out paper directions
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With printed MapQuest directions in a passenger's hand and a paper map for emergencies in the dash compartment, families were fully analog anytime they got in the car.
Whether it was a road trip out of state or a trip to a store they hadn't been to before, every family used these printed instructions and directions on the road. Even though it was somewhat chaotic at times, especially in comparison to digital GPS and cell phone alternatives today, it was the norm.
6. Sharing family dinners
Even though we know that kids benefit greatly from the belonging and connection family dinners offer, so many kids today don't experience the joy of family dinners every night.
Whether it's a tendency to order out or long work hours for most parents, family meals are framed around necessity and convenience, not tradition and connection. Even though kids in the 70s and 80s were annoyed to leave their friends outside to come in for dinner, it's a tradition they're better off after having in their lives.
7. Letting kids play outside unsupervised
Gen Xers are the latchkey generation because they spent most of their time as kids alone and fending for themselves. They could play outside until the streetlights came on.
They could make friends and play in the woods, and even walk outside of the neighborhood by themselves, without parents watching over their shoulders. Their bicycles were a form of freedom. While kids today are stuck with babysitters or at home behind screens, these kids practiced their independence and agency early on.
8. Tuning into the nightly news together
Much like kids enjoyed watching cartoons every Saturday, most families in the 70s and 80s gathered together to watch the nightly news every evening. It was a tradition, even for kids who listened through the walls of their bedrooms and trickled in after not being able to fall asleep.
With famous news anchors that became a kind of community for so many families, and nightly sign-offs that helped people who lived by themselves feel less alone, this tradition is something non-cable TV watchers won't understand today.
9. Going to the mall
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Even if it wasn't necessarily an everyday occurrence, for families, going to the mall was a regular ritual. From being a third space for teenagers to offering all kinds of shopping experiences for parents, you could spend a whole day at the mall without complaint.
While malls are coming back for younger generations today, they're just not what they used to be.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
