Parenting has undergone significant changes since the 1960s, when parents raised their kids, with modern households having completely different standards for what children owe their parents. One study dispatched researchers into homes and found that children’s daily activities included housework; the equivalent figures for mothers and fathers were 27% and 15%, respectively. These changes are part of a larger cultural shift in child safety, academic pressure, and family life that has changed the way we raise kids.
This change of perspective raises important questions about what the children need and whether encounters prepare them for later demands. Just to give a brief overview of why these changes are essential, let’s dive in into these 10 chores.
Walking or Biking Alone to School in Number of Miles
Kids from the 1960s often walked great distances to school without any adult in sight. The National Center for Safe Routes to School states that in 1969, 48% of children walked or biked to school, whereas only 13% do so today. Two to three-mile walks to and from school were common for elementary school children who had to cross busy roads and intersections on their own.
Unlike the parents of previous generations, today’s parents operate under distinct circumstances; the National Safety Council states that 31% of parents cite traffic as the reason they drive their kids at all. Changes in urban planning have also removed many of the sidewalks and pedestrian crossing points that were prevalent in the 1960s.
Tending Victory Gardens and Livestock
The 1960s suburban family typically had an extensive garden that required daily work as a group, Goettelmann says. Community-garden initiatives emphasize the idea that conscripts continuously performed gardening labor—watering, weeding, and harvesting—because it was a way of teaching responsibility and had been a means of providing food for their families.
Spartans had frequently eaten together in communal meals as part of their upbringing in a community that shared the obligation to eat in public outlets.
Many families also raised chickens, rabbits, or goats in their suburban backyards, which provided children with morning and evening chores to do upon returning home.
These duties ensured that children learned about food production cycles and how to care for animals, and also contributed to family food sovereignty. Current zoning laws and homeowners association covenants have largely removed such opportunities for children who want to farm.
Running machinery, Moving Parts, and Power Tools
Children routinely operated lawn mowers, chainsaws, and workshop equipment that modern safety standards classify as inappropriate for minors to use. A Pediatric study analyzing NEISS data (1990–2004) found an average of 9,400 annual lawn mower injuries to children under 20, equating to about 11 per 100,000 children per year.
Such age-restricted liability and safety guidelines have effectively excluded children from nearly all power equipment. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that children under 16 not operate power lawn equipment at all.
Managing Complete Laundry Operations
Laundry was a complicated, multi-step process that parents assigned children as young as eight because it required chemical knowledge and physical strength. Washing machines were not nearly as safe, and attention was needed for multiple washing cycles.
An article in Annals of Plastic Surgery retrospectively reviewed 104 pediatric cases of wringer‑washer injury from 1970‐1980, ranging from abrasions to the loss of limb. The article highlighted the actual dangers these machines posed to children who were actively involved in laundry duties. Today’s washing machines have numerous safety features, automated cycles, and reduced decision-making in the laundry process.
Preparing Complete Family Meals
You started cooking early, using gas, and had sharp knives, all while multiple things were going on at once. A comparison of time diary data over the past 50 years showed the steepest decline between 1965 and 1992.
During 2007–2008, 65–72% of daily energy at home was from home food supplies, and 54–57% of the sample reported cooking. The low-income and low-education group had the sharpest decrease in the percentage of cooking, yet they had the highest average daily energy intake from home.
Modern convenience and safety regulations in food have made the cooking process easier, but they have limited children’s opportunities to learn a comprehensive set of cooking skills. The advent of microwave ovens and mass-produced food has significantly reduced the need to learn to cook in the first place.
Handling Hazardous Cleaning Chemicals
Household cleaning included industrial-strength chemicals that came without child-resistant packaging, dilution instructions, or even the names of ingredients. As multitudes of household chemicals were developed in the early 20th century, doctors who were concerned about poisonings in young children lobbied the federal government for rules that required warning labels on packaging for the chemicals.
Parents offered little warning beyond the most basic: ‘Don’t mix different products.’ Between childproof packaging and diluted solutions, most of the knowledge of how to handle chemicals has been taken away from the kids.
Babysitting Siblings for Extended Periods
Ten-year-olds were often left to care for their younger siblings when their parents were away for extended periods. Implicit within that figure are numbers of older brothers and sisters, friends, grandparents, and neighbors who helped care for children who were not cared for during their mothers’ working hours.
A U.S. Department of Labor/BLS study from 1967 on “Working Mothers and the Need for Child Care Services” found that nearly 46% of children 6–11 years old were “cared for in their own homes by their fathers or other relatives, or by babysitters or housekeepers.”
Child protection laws and modern liability issues have also established age limits below which no one is allowed to charge for childcare services. “Sibling care has been replaced by paid care in the form of day-care centres and after-school care.
Walking Alone in Dark, Unfamiliar Areas
Children used to walk through the streets, frequenting the market until after sunset with no adult accompanying them or a cell phone. Research about children’s independent mobility tells us that in prior generations (roughly around the 1970s), many 10- to 14-year-olds regularly walked to school, the store, parks, or could be sent to run an errand around the neighborhood, and not always during the daytime; they would do their thing, just come home later.
Helping Your Family Budget Money and Paying Bills
Children were taking on various household financial tasks that involved mathematical knowledge and financial judgement like paying bills, making bank deposits, tracking the budget.
Research in the 1960s showed that by the ages of 11–12, most children can reason about concepts such as depositing money in the bank, earning interest, and managing an account. These children could manage and manipulate bank-like systems and monitor deposits and withdrawals, and make decisions about spending/saving in controlled “play finance” tasks.
Most kids won’t have the same hands-on opportunities with electronic banking and checkless payment systems as their parents did when they were growing up. Now, children are often blocked from accessing many financial accounts due to privacy regulations.
Hitchhiking and Riding Alone
Children often hitchhiked and used public transportation to get around alone, fostering navigation skills and social judgment. It was common practice for teenagers to hitchhike in the 1960s. Advice from the time emphasized the importance of identifying reliable drivers, going with friends, and rejecting certain rides — a form of informal safety education that relied on social judgment.
New-age security concerns have effectively taken hitchhiking off the roads and replaced it with supervising kids to the bus stops for bus use. Consequently, formal child transport services have replaced the traditional community systems.
Key Takeaways
The shift from 1960s-style childhood expectations to today’s parenting norms mirrors a seismic change over the past 50 years in how far people are willing to go to keep their children safe. Studies also show that children who did substantial amounts of housework grew up to become better problem solvers, have greater financial stability, and exhibit greater independence than their peers 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.
16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
I was in the grocery store the other day, and it hit me—I’m buying the exact same things I always do, but my bill just keeps getting higher. Like, I swear I just blinked, and suddenly eggs are a luxury item. What’s going on?
Inflation, supply-chain delays, and erratic weather conditions have modestly (or, let’s face it, dramatically) pushed the prices of staples ever higher. The USDA reports that food prices climbed an additional 2.9% year over year in May 2025—and that’s after the inflation storm of 2022–2023.
So, if you’ve got room in a pantry, freezer, or even a couple of extra shelves, now might be a good moment to stock up on these staple groceries—before the prices rise later.
6 Gas Station Chains With Food So Good It’s Worth Driving Out Of Your Way For
6 Gas Station Chains With Food So Good It’s Worth Driving Out Of Your Way For
We scoured the Internet to see what people had to say about gas station food. If you think the only things available are wrinkled hot dogs of indeterminate age and day-glow slushies, we’ve got great, tasty news for you. Whether it ends up being part of a regular routine or your only resource on a long car trip, we have the food info you need.
Let’s look at 6 gas stations that folks can’t get enough of and see what they have for you to eat.
