Things We Did As Children That Are ‘Too Dangerous’ For Kids Today
Imagine being 10 again, you find a tire, crouch inside and get your friend to roll you down the hill. It's no shock that kids today will likely never know the invincible feeling you tested as a child. Somewhere along the lines, these dangerous activities no longer became okay.
People were using the hashtag #DidAsAChildButDangerousNow to send Twitter down memory lane as they shared the things they did as kids that are considered 'too dangerous' today. Here are some of the craziest things users shared. Get ready to feel nostalgic. Oh, and kids, do not try these at home.
I Believe I Can Fly
Who is your favorite superhero? Batman? Superman? Well, who says you couldn't just be one yourself? Plus, every kid knows that to be a superhero you obviously have to learn how to fly, so you better get on it. Step one, find a cape. A towel will do, we can work on the costume later. Step two, start practicing.
Maybe start with low surfaces like a small stool before transitioning to the roof. Also, it is highly recommended to only go to higher surfaces after successfully flying off the lower ones. This guy had to learn the hard way.
Against The Law
Not only is this dangerous now, but it is also against the law now. There is quite a long set of regulations about how children can ride in a car.
For example, they can't sit in the front seat until they're at a certain height so the airbags can reach them. Plus, you need to provide the little ones with a special seat in the back.
The Secret Ingredient
One of the best parts of being a child is having a limitless imagination. There is no better way of discovering our skills and passions than by trying them out, right? Well, if you're going to be a chef, what better way to practice cooking than to experiment with the ingredients nature already offers. Leaves, mud, swamp water, you name it!
Also, who better to judge your delicious works of art than your trusted gang! The chef takes no responsibility for stomach aches that follow though.
No Pain No Gain
Is it even a slide if it's not made of burning hot metal that your leg sticks to all the way down? These slides were popular at playgrounds and guaranteed a slick, quick ride. Since they were made of metal, they could withstand constant use against all kinds of weather.
These slides provided an entirely different experience from the more commonly found plastic slides today. Some advice: stick with pants when you go on this one.
No Questions Asked
Since kids used to have no way of contacting their parents when they were out, the parents never even thought to worry and to call to check in.
Instead, they were reassured that just like a cat, the kid would eventually get hungry and want to find their way home for food.
'Round and 'Round and 'Round
Getting off this carousel not knowing left from right for a few minutes was just part of the fun. Other symptoms of its great fun included wobble walking, feeling sick to your stomach and blurred vision.
The carousel, also known as a merry-go-round, was made of a simple rotary mechanism. It spun either clockwise or counterclockwise by pushing or pulling the handles. Although dizziness was expected, it wasn't enough to keep a child from going right back on for round two.
Knock Knock, Who's There?
It was a simple prank — you knock on the door of a stranger's house, or ring the doorbell, and run away before they answer the door. Those who were truly adventurous would hide somewhere nearby to watch their reaction. Just don't get caught!
Although disruptive, it was a harmless game. If anything, it released some adrenaline and tired kids out for bedtime. Technically though, the game is illegal and if the victim really wants to, they can call the police for trespassing and disturbing the peace.
A Better Car View
It's difficult to even be able to picture such a scene today. You'd probably have everyone on the street reporting you and child services at your home within the hour.
Not to mention, the other kids' parents would give you an ear full.
All Seasonal Sledding
No need for snow for sledding when you had access to a staircase. The best part was that you didn't need to leave home. All equipment for this game could be found around the house: grab a tray or grab a basket, sit in it and hope for the best.
To level up, find new items to slide on. It didn't hurt to make a small tower of blankets and pillows at the bottom of the staircase to land on. Remember kids, safety first!
Sliding On Hot Metal
It was actually very possible to get physical burns from sliding on these kinds of slides on a hot day.
Yet you did it anyway to build up electricity and run after all your friends to electrocute them with static electricity.
Ice, Ice, Baby!
Some people already think that people in Canada live in igloos, which is not true. But, what is true is that some Canadian children really used to take floating blocks of ice and use them as boats. They would even bring sticks to navigate their islands. Shows you that being a kid requires no budget.
Such a set up was also perfect for role-playing. You're the king of your own island! You can make all the rules and even chose your geographical location. When it was time for supper, however, there was no place like home.
The Original DIY Parkour
Jump from the chair to the sofa to the coffee table to the counter, whatever you do, just don't touch the floor! This was a really good game for challenging yourself because you got to create your own parkour. At the end of each round, you could think of a new item to add to jump on.
This game could even be played outside with what's already there. Jump from the bench to the tree, hold it by the arm and land on the grass. What parkour can you come up with?
Sharing is Caring
In case you didn't know, Mercury is listed in the top ten chemicals of major public health concern by the World Health Organization. It has toxic effects on lungs, kidneys, skin, eyes, the nervous, digestive and immune systems....you get the point. These kids didn't seem to get the memo. We're hoping they're all okay.
Today, most schools have protocols in case of mercury spills which include shutting the school down for the day. The moral of the story, don't bring mercury to school.
Nature's Best Friend
This kid was truly living on the wild side. Not only did he ride a bike without a helmet, which is now illegal in Canada for children under 18, but he also did it for an entire 3km. Then, he went fishing. In a creek. By hand. Waist Deep. No supervision.
He caught whatever living creatures he could find, including crayfish which both bite and claw when scared. Then, he probably had to ride back another 3km, with still without a helmet.
Eating Raw Cookie Dough
Eating raw batter is one thing, but eating raw cookie dough is another. It's so good that they designed a whole ice cream flavor around it.
Although back then, such pre-ready batters didn't have any safeguards to protect people from salmonella or other forms of food poisoning if they ate them raw.
How To Get Rich 101
So many questions. How many teeth? His own teeth? If so, did he pull them out himself or wait until they fell out? if he pulled them out, how? Did he just go around looking for teeth? More importantly, why did anyone want to buy teeth? Guess, we'll never know.
I mean, the kid's got the right idea. People traded goods before money became a currency. So really, he might have grown up to be the world's greatest businessman or maybe even a dentist.
Cap it All Off
Forget Chubby Bunny, back then it was all about how many bottle caps you could fit into your mouth. Whatever you do, do not swallow! Honestly, this sounds more painful than fun. Not only could you choke, but you could also cut the inside of your mouth with the caps.
Also, is anyone thinking of how many bottles you would have had to drink first before having enough caps to play with?
It's Hammer Time
We've already established that children are risk-takers because they don't always understand the consequences. This, however, is next level risky. This is straight out of Fear Factor or any risk-taking reality show. At least those contestants are there competing for money. These kids were just risking their lives for.... fun?
This isn't just dangerous now, this was always dangerous. If you think this is bad, go to the next slide to see what else this group of friends did.
Windy With A Chance of Scissors
We've heard of yelling into a fan to hear your robot voice. We've heard of sitting in front of the fan to have hair blow like the Pantene commercial. Throwing scissors at a fan to see where they end up though, is uncharted territory.
The best part here is only one part of their body was given a chance at survival, their face or their torso. How do you even pick?
The Human Spider
There are kids who run away from spiders, and then there are kids who pretend to be spiders. We imagine the reason why adults do not pretend to be spiders is that our bodies just don't bend like that anymore. It's unnatural, requires a lot of flexibility, and kind of looks like the way a ghost would walk in a horror movie.
I guess it's also no longer socially acceptable. I think we can all agree that it's for the best.
Play At Your Own Risk
Kids used to be so easily satisfied and entertained. These days, your kid gets bored even with all 20 of their stuffed animals, their books and toys, and even their tablet, but back then, all you had to do was give a kid a metal bar.
They'd find a way to climb it for hours.
Arts and Crafts
It would be really interesting to learn the context of the first kid that decided that sniffing glue would be a good idea. It may seem like an innocent component of every child's pencil case, but inhaling glue is actually pretty dangerous!
Studies show that sniffing glue can cause serious health damage to a child including brain damage, respiratory failure, and heart rhythm disturbances. It seems crazy that it's also just material for making an "I Love you" card" for your mom.
Walking Home Alone
Kids aren't even allowed to leave school alone till a certain age without a parent signing them off first.
Plus, they'll make sure to charge you for an after-school program if you're so much as one minute late to pick up your child.
Hop On For A Ride
This was the best ride in town. You could fit all your friends in there, breath in the fresh air, watch the oncoming traffic and not bother the adults riding in the front.
Riding in the back is now illegal because of the lack of protection. The bed of a truck is designed for cargo and not people, so it offers no seatbelts or support during a crash. Better safe than sorry.
No Helmet? No Problem!
Now, we don't let a child out on their bike without kneepads, elbow pads, and a big helmet.
The gear ends up weighing more than the child themself and yet they still find a way to fall off and get injured anyway.
Giddy Up!
Anyone else feels bad for the pony? It probably didn't get very far from the sounds of it. At least there were other forms of entertainment around such as swinging on a rope having no idea where you'll lose your grip and land. How much support can a hay bale really give?
Also wondering if the parents were constantly losing things only to eventually find them under piles of hay near the pony years later and wonder why.
Below the surface
This could have gone two ways. Either you were going to break the ice or the ice was going to break you. Since only the upper layer of water freezes, if successfully broken, it was interesting to find and watch the fish underneath. The fish survive by breathing the oxygen that is trapped underneath the layer of ice.
Today, there are still areas where you can go ice fishing. They make equipment to drill holes in the ice now though so you don't have to jump on it.
Eating Cake Batter
If we now let our kids eat sushi, which is made from all kinds of raw fish, then batter doesn't seem that bad.
All it is is milk, eggs, flour, and other baking sweets. A dip with the finger is just too good to pass on.
Light it Up
They're colorful, they're big, they're loud and they're basically magic to a kid. The more time goes on, the more states ban all sale and purchase of consumer fireworks. After all, it's a type of explosive.
On the bright side, we can still watch fireworks during the holidays. It's a good opportunity to bring your kids and tell them about a different time when you played with fireworks. Maybe even tell them what other dangerous things you did that are no longer okay for them today.
Pranks On The Neighbors
Much of the kids' fun back in the day was at the expense of their neighbors. Kids chased an adrenaline rush with limited resources, so they would egg homes or TP them, either out of revenge or simply to bond together.
Often there were no real consequences. Today, their parents would pay the price.
Entering Strangers' Homes
To think of it, when's the last time you saw a Girl Guide selling their delicious cookies door to door? It's now a much more dangerous activity.
Kids need to be accompanied by adults, travel in groups, or at the very least never actually step into a stranger's home.
Bikes Are Made For Sharing
Why limit yourself to the one seat available on the bike when you could get creative and get a second person on for the ride?
This made traveling not only more efficient but way more fun. It just made steering and seeing ahead a bit more difficult...
Fear Builds Character
It is the kids who risked their lives climbing metal obstacles with no safety net who now occupy the jobs that keep society together.
I'd like to think looking death in the eye so nonchalantly on the daily with such activities built character.
Smoking Anywhere Anytime
It'll be hard for kids today to even believe them that there was a time when everyone smoked everywhere.
You could be enjoying a meal at a fancy restaurant with a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and a child sitting right across from you. No one thought much of the health risks.
Helping Where You Can
This may be a slightly more unique situation. Not all of us needed to grab coal from the train tracks.
Yet, the idea that you could help out with chores from an early age was not uncommon. This allowed kids to grow up with many skills outside their trades.
Father And Daughter Bonding
So much could have gone wrong in this situation, but if you think about it, the second your child steps out of your home, there's so much out of your control anyway.
Sometimes seeing how much fun they could have with a little risk made it all worth it.
A Daily Dose Of Calcium
This one maybe is okay to let go of. No one should be able to ingest that much cream in a day. If it doesn't hurt you as a child, it'll probably catch up to you someday.
At least, it ensured you got enough calcium for the day.
Learning How To Use Tools
Nowadays, we don't even let scissors near our kids until we trust they won't use them to cut off their own hair.
Perhaps it's because we're so careful to not risk them getting hurt that they get more curious and try using the tools we deny them.
The Wheel Of Dizziness
This game was not for the faint of heart. Despite it causing dizziness, nausea, confusion, and scrapes from falling off, it was often one of the most popular games on the playground.
Kids would run to it fighting for a spot to hold on for dear life.
Less Restrictions, More Freedom
There's no denying that much has changed over the years. It's not that we want to take away our kids' freedoms, but that we want to protect them.
We weren't aware of many of the long-term effects of some of the risks we took back then. Although most of us turned out fine.
