# Things that were done in your childhood that would never be allowed today **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 2, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650 "2020-09-02T23:00:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/301 "2020-09-24T00:29:04Z")
Maybe I missed it but did anyone post that their city/town had a “noon whistle”? Our town blew a siren at 12. In the summer you knew to go home for lunch. Then there was a factory tower that played a chime at 5, you knew to go home for supper. From morning to noon and then 1 until 5 our parents had no idea where the hell we were and didn’t care. During the school year From 5th grade thru high school we were allowed to leave during lunch hour and go home if we wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/302 "2020-09-24T00:30:59Z")
At Otis AFB on Cape Cod where I spent a big chunk of my elementary school years, they blew a whistle (maybe it was a siren?) at 5 PM and that was the universal signal to head home. Until that signal, we were free range. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/303 "2020-09-24T00:32:39Z")
Things that happened in grade school … girls were not allowed to wear pants, and their skirts had to come to the middle of the knee. Exactly. A teacher (not mine) wore a miniskirt to school and was sent home by the principal to change. Boys, but not girls, were spanked with a wooden paddle in front of the class. This was fifth grade, a male teacher. I don’t remember any of the female teachers doing this. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/304 "2020-09-24T01:21:07Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Maybe I missed it but did anyone post that their city/town had a “noon whistle”? We had a six-o-clock siren. Haven’t thought about that in years! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/305 "2020-09-24T01:25:45Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I don’t think I discovered tampons until college a few years later. I mean, one didn’t see them advertised in magazines back then I saw them advertised in magazines certainly by around 1960. – apparently the first tampon ads came out in the 1930’s. > **[Parenting, Baby Names, Celebrities, and Royal News](https://cafemom.com/)** > > CafeMom is a supportive community where moms can get parenting tips and updates, real talk, laughs, and the latest celebrity news all in one place TV ads did come later, though. > [@pkbites](#): > > Maybe I missed it but did anyone post that their city/town had a “noon whistle”? Some towns around here – including mine – still do this. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/306 "2020-09-24T11:37:58Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > When I was 11, I flew from NYC to Indiana to visit relatives by myself I flew as an unaccompanied minor in the hmm, late 60s, early 70s. And the airline took care of me. My mom would hand me off to an airline employee, would would make sure I got on the right flight. That was before security barriers, so my aunt would greet me at the gate as I exited the plane, i think. It wasn’t very burdensome. And I used to talk the ear off whoever I sat next to. I flew the Boston-New York shuttle, so I usually say next to a businessman. I don’t think they seat unaccompanied minors next to men these days. But all the men I sat next to were very pleasant and put up with my chatter. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/307 "2020-09-24T11:45:33Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Maybe I missed it but did anyone post that their city/town had a “noon whistle”? Our town blew a siren at 12. In the summer you knew to go home for lunch. Then there was a factory tower that played a chime at 5, you knew to go home for supper. From morning to noon and then 1 until 5 our parents had no idea where the hell we were and didn’t care. Yup. But we had a noon siren. The volunteer fire department always gave it a blast at noon 7 days a week. I don’t remember if it was a daily test they had to do and they picked noon to do it or what. But it was always at noon time. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/308 "2020-09-24T12:05:19Z")
We had a siren at noon on Fridays, to test the air raid / nuclear attack warning system. Good times! Remember getting under your desk to protect you from being nuked? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/309 "2020-09-24T12:06:28Z")
In the town I grew up in, the fire siren went off at 7PM. We were pretty rural and the station was far away, so we only herd the siren in summer when we might be outside at 7PM. I don’t think they do that any more. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/310 "2020-09-24T12:15:02Z")
We had a couple of factory whistles that would sound at 8 am, noon, and 4 pm. They were a couple of miles away, but were easily heard. No need for a watch! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/311 "2020-09-24T12:20:58Z")
Vancouver has a “Nine O’Clock Gun” that fires at 9:00 pm every evening over the harbour. I’d been to Vancouver many times, and was used to it; but my girlfriend had not. So there we were, in a nice hotel suite overlooking the harbour, and the Nine O’Clock Gun goes off. She’s on the ceiling like Sylvester the Cat, convinced we’re being attacked (by whom, I never knew). I’m laughing my guts out. She didn’t see the humour. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/312 "2020-09-24T12:57:59Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > We had a siren at noon on Fridays, to test the air raid / nuclear attack warning system. Good times! My city still tests the tornado alarm every Friday at 11:00 am. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/313 "2020-09-24T14:21:41Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > > > When I was 11, I flew from NYC to Indiana to visit relatives by myself > > I flew as an unaccompanied minor in the hmm, late 60s, early 70s. And the airline took care of me. My mom would hand me off to an airline employee, would would make sure I got on the right flight. That was before security barriers, so my aunt would greet me at the gate as I exited the plane, i think. It wasn’t very burdensome. > > And I used to talk the ear off whoever I sat next to. I flew the Boston-New York shuttle, so I usually say next to a businessman. > > I don’t think they seat unaccompanied minors next to men these days. But all the men I sat next to were very pleasant and put up with my chatter. After we moved to San Jose from the Los Angeles area, I flew unaccompanied from San Jose to Burbank a couple of times to visit the grandparents. I would have been 8 or 9, so c. 1979/1980. Both times, I was seated with two other kids who were also unaccompanied. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/314 "2020-09-24T15:04:56Z")
Some Mexican towns have a loud clock that chimes every fifteen minutes plus the hours and can be heard miles away. You always know the time, even at night. They also chime extra on Catholic holidays, and even when there is a birth or death. It’s a beautiful tradition. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/315 "2020-09-24T18:56:03Z")
[quote=“TheCuse, post:307, topic:919650, full:true”] Yup. But we had a noon siren.[/quote] That’s what I meant. We called it the noon whistle, but yeah, it was the same siren they blew during tornado warnings or to summon the volunteer fire fighters. My younger sister still lives in the small city we all grew up in. Got to remember to ask her if they still use it. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/316 "2020-09-24T19:02:11Z")
^^Got it. Thought I moved from that area I was talking about, I have a friend who still lives in the area. And the fire department still does the noon siren. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/317 "2020-09-25T01:21:16Z")
The neighbors when I lived with my aunt and uncle had a farm bell (it was just an ordinary middle class suburban neighborhood in the 1970s), and rang it when they wanted their sons to come home for supper. A lot of other families had told their kids to come home when they heard the “Behrmans’ bell,” which was pretty reliably at 5:30pm M-Th, 6pm F & S and 7pm Sunday, because they ate their big meal at 1pm on Sunday, after church. If the Berhmans ever went out of town, someone else rang their bell. ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/318 "2020-09-25T07:19:20Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > There was one occasion when my father and my older brother had a back-garden experiment making gunpowder. > > Just the one occasion, though In the late '60s I could go to a local drug store and order 1 lb jars of chemicals like potassium nitrate, sulfur, and potassium nitrate. They also sold reagent grade hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. When asked by the pharmacist why I wanted them, I would say “For a school science project.” and that was good enough. While I was smart enough to not widely advertise my “hobby”, when a bomb threat was phoned into the school I got funny looks from more of my fellow students than I thought knew. Speaking of school policies, on another occasion the school again received a bomb threat phone call, and the vice-principal stuck his head out his office window and looked down the block to the corner where he saw two students in the phone booth. When confronted, they confessed that they’d made the call because they wanted an afternoon off. As far as I know the only official repercussion for them was a 1 week suspension, but I imagine their parents made their “holiday” less than pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/319 "2020-09-25T07:28:17Z")
> [@moes\_lotion](#): > > In the late '60s I could go to a local drug store and order 1 lb jars of chemicals like potassium nitrate, sulfur, and potassium nitrate. Missed the edit window, that second potassium nitrate should have been potassium perchlorate ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650/320 "2020-09-25T14:50:25Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I would have been 8 or 9, so c. 1979/1980. Both times, I was seated with two other kids who were also unaccompanied. My flights would have been a few years earlier. But I was usually the only unaccompanied minor on the flights. It was a popular business route, and I was usually the only minor of any sort on the flight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-done-in-your-childhood-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/919650.md?page=17)