If you grew up in the ’70s, half the things you did back then would make today’s parents gasp.
The 1970s felt like a different planet where safety was an afterthought and convenience was a luxury we had yet to invent. It was a decade defined by a distinct lack of supervision and a style that prioritized bold colors over good taste. Looking back, it is a miracle we survived our childhoods without bubble wrap or GPS trackers.
We lived in a world where entertainment was limited to what the antenna could catch, and privacy was hard to come by. These daily habits defined a generation that learned to be resilient because they had no other choice.
Hitchhiking As Transportation
Sticking your thumb out on the side of the road was considered a legitimate and budget-friendly way to get around town. It was common to see people hopping into cars with strangers to save on gas or bus fare. Trusting a random driver was just part of the adventure, not a cautionary tale.
The perception of this practice shifted drastically as the decade wore on and fear began to take hold. According to a Freakonomics Radio review, data show a steady decline in hitchhiking in the US since the 1970s, driven by rising distrust. What was once a symbol of freedom quickly became a symbol of danger that parents warned their children against.
Kids Roaming The Neighborhood
Parents in the 70s had a very loose approach to supervision that would be called negligence nowadays. Children left the house after breakfast and were told not to return until the streetlights turned on. The entire neighborhood was your playground, and you had to sort out your own disputes.
This free-range style meant you had to rely on your friends and your wits to get through the day. There were no cell phones to check in with mom if you scraped your knee or got lost. You learned independence early because there was no digital leash connecting you to home.
Party Lines For Home Phones
Privacy was nonexistent when you had to share your phone line with the family down the street. You often picked up the receiver to make a call, only to hear your neighbor gossiping about their relationship problems. Listening in was a temptation that many bored kids found impossible to resist.
Phone companies eventually realized that people wanted to talk without an audience listening in on the other end. In 1971, Southern Bell announced it was phasing out party lines in North Carolina as technology advanced. The death of the party line marked the beginning of true privacy for teenage phone conversations.
Only Three Or Four TV Channels
You didn’t need a remote control because there were only a few options worth watching. If you wanted to change the channel, you had to physically get up and turn a dial that made a satisfying clicking sound. TV was a shared experience because everyone was watching the same shows at the same time.
The explosion of choices we have now was just a dream back when reception was spotty and limited. Back in the 1970s, only eight percent of U.S. homes had basic cable service. We planned our evenings around the TV guide because missing a show meant you might never see it again.
Riding Bikes Without Helmets
If you wore a helmet while riding your bike in the ’70s, you were likely the only one on the block doing it. Most kids just hopped on their banana-seat bikes and took off without a single piece of safety gear. A scraped knee or a bump on the head was just the price of admission for a day of fun.
Safety standards were in their infancy, and most people did not see the need for bicycle head protection. The Snell Foundation promulgated the first bicycle helmet standard in the U.S. in 1970, but very few helmets were certified to it. We rode with the wind in our hair and completely ignored the concrete rushing past us.
Drinking From The Garden Hose
Nobody wanted to go inside for a glass of water, only to risk getting stuck doing chores. The solution was to crank on the spigot and drink the hot, rubbery water straight from the green hose. It tasted like plastic and dirt, but it was the most refreshing thing in the world on a hot day.
Hygiene standards were different then, and the idea of bottled water would have seemed laughable. We shared that hose nozzle with every kid in the neighborhood and, probably, the dog, too. It was a simple way to stay hydrated that cost nothing and did not require a plastic bottle.
Wood Paneling On Every Wall
If a room didn’t look like the inside of a tree, was it really finished? Dark, faux-wood sheets were the go-to choice for dens, basements, and living rooms across the country. It made every house feel like a cozy, albeit slightly claustrophobic, log cabin.
This design trend was an affordable way to cover up imperfections and add texture to a room without painting. It was a staple of the era that many new homeowners immediately ripped down, only to be replaced decades later. That dark vertical grain is instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in a ’70s home.
Shag Carpet Everywhere
Flooring in the 70s was not just something you walked on; it was something you could lose small toys in. Deep, fluffy carpets in shades of avocado green or harvest gold were a soft place to sit and watch TV. Vacuuming was a workout as you tried to pull dirt out of inch-deep synthetic fibers.
The industry saw a massive boom as homeowners rushed to cover their hardwoods with this plush material. By 1968, the number of carpet square yards shipped had reached nearly 400 million. It was a nightmare to clean, but it made the floor feel like a giant, fuzzy blanket.
Rotary Phones That Took Forever
Dialing a phone number was a physical activity that required patience and finger strength. If you messed up the last digit, you had to hang up and restart the process. Calling a friend with a lot of zeros in their number felt like a punishment.
These phones were built like tanks and could survive a drop from a second-story window. There was a satisfying weight to the receiver that modern phones cannot match. The sound of the dial spinning back to zero is a sensory memory that defines the era.
No Sunscreen At The Pool
We did not worry about UV rays or SPF ratings when we spent the entire day at the beach. People would lather themselves in baby oil to amplify the sun rather than block it out. Getting a sunburn was just the first step in getting a tan that would last all summer.
The science of skin protection was still catching up to the public’s desire for bronzed skin. Franz Greiter only introduced the modern Sun Protection Factor (SPF) rating system in 1974. We cooked ourselves in the sun without realizing the long-term damage we were doing to our skin.
Smoking Sections In Hospitals
Tobacco smoke was a constant presence in nearly every public space you visited. You could smoke in grocery stores, waiting rooms, and even hospital cafeterias without anyone batting an eye. The air was always thick with a gray haze that clung to your clothes for days.
The idea of a “non-smoking” area was often just a few tables away from the smokers, with no barrier in between. It was a social norm that superseded health concerns for the vast majority of the decade. Ashtrays were as common as salt shakers on restaurant tables.
Riding In The Wayback
The station wagon was the classic family chariot, and the best seat was the rear-facing one in the trunk. Kids would roll around in the “wayback” without seatbelts, making faces at the drivers behind them. It was a lawless zone where you bounced off the walls with every turn the driver made.
Safety regulations had not yet mandated that every passenger be strapped in, especially in the cargo area. Parents focused on the road while the kids tumbled around in the back like laundry. Surviving a road trip in the back of a wagon was a badge of honor for ’70s kids.
Key Takeaway
Reflecting on these habits reminds us that the 70s were a unique mix of freedom and questionable judgment. We made the best of what we had and found joy in simple, often dangerous, things. It is fun to look back, but most of us are happy to leave the lead paint and the lack of seatbelts behind.
Those days taught us how to entertain ourselves without a screen and how to navigate the world with a little less fear. While we have traded the rotary phone for a smartphone, the memories of that tactile world remain strong. The 70s were perfectly imperfect, and that is precisely why we still talk about them today.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
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14 Boomer Habits That Are Making a Comeback
14 Boomer Habits That Are Making a Comeback
As trends in lifestyle and culture ebb and flow, certain habits from previous generations resurface, influencing new generations in unexpected ways. The boomer generation is now seeing many of its beloved practices and preferences re-emerge, often taking on a modern twist that appeals to today’s youth.
These 14 resurgent boomer habits reflect nostalgia and a growing appreciation for simplicity and authenticity in an increasingly changing world.
