It was a time when you only had to be back home once it get dark .
Every generation looks back at the time period when they were a kid with rose-colored glasses. This is especially true of us millennials who love to look back at the ’80s and ’90s as the greatest time to grow up (especiallythe ’90s).
Recently, I came across aReddit threadthat was clearly aimed at Gen X’ers and their childhood. In the thread, userwanik4asked: “What was the coolest part about being a kid in the ’70s?”
1.“Playing outside with your friends.”
— bouncybabygirlfordad
" This is an excellent answer . And in summertime it was until like 9 p.m. "
— Jazzlike - Election840
2.“We could create fun with almost anything as our imaginations were up to the task.”
— MacDaddy654321
3.“The music!”
— Affectionate - Set278
" There it is . I know the great unwashed from each generation always think the euphony they farm up with was ' the best , ' but I honestly and objectively can say the ' LXX actually was the good decennium of music . I do n’t think I go a minute without a radio , 8 - rails , cassette , or platter going around me except at dinnertime . I feel like I had a soundtrack to my life story for the intact decade .
Music was always just ' there . ' Almost every song from the ' 70s brings back specific memories of where I was , or who I was with , or what I was feel . Everyone listened to the same couple wireless stations , so if you dedicated a birdcall to someone luck were they would actually hear it . You brought your records to house political party .
Concerts were the biggest party of all . You spent half your summer either trying to make enough money to purchase tickets or trying to score tickets . Camping out in front of record stores or department stores the Nox before tickets went on sale , everybody partying and listening to the euphony of the radical you were trying to get tickets to . Good time . "
— Youarethebigbang
4.“No cell phones.”
— Grand - Hand-9486
" cellphone are fine . It ’s the smartphone addiction that ’s the trouble . "
— RaymondLuxYacht
5.“Saturday morning cartoons were like an event that started at 6:00 a.m. and culminated withLooney Tunesat 10 or 1. Looking back, I realize it was all just a grown-up conspiracy so parents across the land could sleep the hell in.”
— lightaugust
6.“Latchkey kid here. We had three house rules: 1.) Leave a note. 2.) Be home before dark. 3.) If you’re going to be late, CALL. Other than that, like the preacher inBlazing Saddlessaid, ‘Son, you’re on your own.'”
— chilipalmer99
7.“As a kid, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted. We had the freedom to basically raise ourselves. During summer vacation, your parents were lucky to see you.”
— CheeseburgerSmoothy
" As long as you come home for dinner 😁 . "
— CaliRollerGRRRL
8.“SeeingStar Warsat the drive-in when it first came out.”
— tattooedpanhead
" SeeingStar Warsfor the 13th time in a year after it come out because it was still in movie theaters ! "
— Bot - Magnet
" Getting to seeStar Warsat the theater when it was first free . It change my life . Then , getting to work with all the activity figures and plaything . adept multiplication . "
— SumthingBrewing
9.“Neighbors looked out for each other and also watched EVERYbody’s kids. Yes, we ran all day and half the night, mostly unsupervised… But every neighbor saw you at one point during the day and either gave you a sandwich and a nice cold Coke or told you to knock off the horseshit, or they were gonna call your parents. 🤣”
— Stormylynn724
10.“Having the room to make mistakes without someone posting them online. Not having to answer decades later for everything young and stupid you said or did.”
— seditioushamster
11.“An immune system strong enough to neutralize all ingested gunk every time I drank from the outside garden house.”
— Servile - PastaLover
" Drinking from the hose reach you that unsusceptibility ! "
— Airdriver94
12.“Going to bookstores or the library to browse and find something interesting to read. Reading lots of magazines and newspapers. Finding the movie section in the newspaper to read reviews and find out movie times. Saving up money, buying a new album, and reading the liner notes while playing it for the first time. Having a relatively quiet and spacious mind.”
— Cleareyes88
13.“Back then, $5 went really far.”
— MewlingRothbart
" A bleacher rump at the Cubs game cost $ 1.50 , and the bus was perchance 40 penny . dump your last class to make it to the 1:20 p.m. begin clip . "
— Majestic - Selection22
14.“Most entertainment was outside the house: local sports, roller skating rinks, and movies on the weekends. It was a simpler time, and many would say it was the best of times!”
— ThrowAwayButWhoCares
15.“Unsupervised play in the woods. Hours of adventures, every weekend.”
— Dreamslowly
" We express mirth about camping , too . The kids got a flashlight and were recite not to get into trouble . The parents got Kahlua and Uno . "
— Life - Philosopher-129
16.“Collecting discarded soda bottles and taking them in to get the $.05 return deposit, then buying candy and more soda — it was life!”
— Jumpy_Ebb2417
17.“Familiar faces in familiar places, i.e., the cashier at the store, the teller at the bank, the hardware store guy, etc. Five and dime stores and neighborhood theaters.”
18.“Listening to the radio back in the ’70s was just so much fun! Both the AM and FM dials played a huge variety of great songs day and night in every city and town. And the disc jockeys were outstanding, too. Plus, there were also fun and fascinating radio talk shows in the ’70s.”
— cafe - naranja
" FM radio was a liberal - for - all back then because it was n’t yet commercially viable , and owner were willing to experiment ; they had nothing to lose . "
— Abject - Picture
19.And lastly, “Talking to people on the landline felt special, especially long distance.”
— MissHavishamsDelight
You can read the original thread onReddit.
remark : Some responses have been redact for duration and/or clearness .
