1976 Best year for kids. Would you agree?

[scrummyyummy]

Reading about 1976 in the papers today brings back some good childhood memories. Lots of people are saying they had a Chopper (which I sadly, didn't), but it's the comments about how much freedom they had as a child, when they could play outdoors and disappear for hours with their friends which I miss for my children growing up nowadays. Even if they could have the same freedom, they are bogged down by so much homework these days. I'm sure I didn't have that much when I was their age! All these constant assessments take over the family life!

[B00]

I remember '76 very well, I was 6 at the time. I read the article too, and it's pretty much true. Me and my friends ran riot throughout that summer. We'd go out after breakfast and only go in when our mum's bellowed for us to come in for tea, wolf that down, then out again till mum bellowed us in for supper and bed.

[craft1948]

Good grief B00....................you're the same age as the daughter.

[B00]

Yay, im considered a young 'un!!

[Meg888]

I was also 6 at this time, had a lot of fun riding bikes, climbing trees (as a little girsl). However, I disagree that it's homework etc that puts a stop to kids playing out. I think it's more cautious parenting, gadgets etc. As the mother of a 14yr old girl, she doesn't seem to get half as much homework as I did in high school. Kids these days are all too willing to do there socialising on the internet unfortunately.

[MarkRae]

I remember it being very hot.

[ojread2]

I remember '76. Was the year I turned 11
Very hot summer, a drought, and I had chicken pox
Saw 3 geese fly over our garden (never seen flying geese since!)
Nadia Comwhatsit scored a perfect 10 at the Olympics and me and my friends tried to do all of her moves on the green outside our front doors
And the year my dad found a recipe in an Xmas annual that he still uses today

[chi-chi66]

my daughter was born in'74, she had freedom, no chopper though. We lived on a fairly busy road. When younger she played there with her friends, running from house to house, not quite as much traffic as to-day, but I could see her from the front windows. Then we had water fights in the summer
with all the neighbours in the back gardens. Ashe grew she still had freedom
but going further afield. Home from school, homework done, tea then out again. I did'nt worry as I'm sure some parents do to-day, it's a shame.

[scrummyyummy]

Boo, my neighbour opposite used to do the same when she wanted her boys back in for meals! She would stand on the doorstep shouting both their names until they turned up! Can you imagine doing that now?! My neighbours would report me for being a noisy neighbour or they would think I was some nut job!

[ummmm]

I was 3 so don't remember much of it.

My kids play out.

[scrummyyummy]

Meg, I didn't mean it's homework that puts them off going out to play but it's one of the many factors in our household. I think these days, kids just like to sit in front of the TV or Xbox or computer. Even when my son has his friends over, they all just want to play on the Xbox! We did buy a trampoline a few years ago when it was all the rage and they loved it and so did their friends (not sure the neighbours liked it though!) but that novelty wore off and it's now rusting in the back garden!

[nailit]

I had a lot of happy times with my chopper when I was young...

[andy-hughes]

Not a 'kid' - I was 22 in 1976!

That said, it was one of the best years of my life.

I met the love of my life, we had a wonderful summer, I had a great bunch of friends, and I lived the life. If there was a year i could re-live, '76n would be it.

[mccfluff]

pretty sure i was still in africa then, i remember playing with a lobster in the garden (????)

don;t think we were allowed to play out as such

[Old_Geezer]

36 years ago ? How do folk remember details that far back ? That's over a third of a century ! Anyway I was too old to be a kid then.

[Traci66]

The summer of '76 was brilliant, we went out with our bottles of juice and jam butties after breakfast, went home about 5ish for some dinner and then back out again until called in for bed and bath. Every Sunday Dad took us all to Ainsdale for the day, (didn't cost anything to go there, nothing to spend money on), he always made pilchard butties, which were usually a funny shade of green by the time we came to eat them. There was also loads of ladybirds that year.

[Davethedog]

Not a kid in 76 - I think that most people would say a summer between their 8th and 14th birthdays.

I don't think the dangers to children are any worse today than they ever were, I just think that our 24 hour all encompassing media and social networking just makes it more public. The moors murders were in the 60's

Playing out was fantastic and no mobile phones then so when you were gone - you were gone.

[B00]

I almost caused a neighbourhood riot on our back street that summer too.

The lady in the house opposite had her walls pebble-dashed, and I spent a very happy morning picking the pebbles out of it as the cement was drying. She went bonkers, read me the riot act, which caused me to go home crying and my mum storming round there. Before I knew it ,the whole street was arguing with each other.

Happy days!

[commoner]

"had a lot of happy times with my chopper when I was young..."...

....no double entendre intended I hope?

...'ourse not ;-)

[Kiki-frog]

Teenage angst, rows with parents, 'O' levels, water from standpipes and a drippy ex-boyfriend who wouldn't leave me alone. No, not a good year.

[scrummyyummy]

Boo! We had a pebble dashed pre-fab bathroom which I remembered being hoistered in place by a crane, all ready furnished! That was before '76 though but it was a real luxury as we didn't have to use the outside toilet any more! The bathroom suite was a very bright blue colour! I used to love picking off the pebbles off it!!