Norms in the ’70s were basic, unspoken habits everyone just went along with. People didn’t question much: safety, privacy, even cleanliness were not top priorities. Parents didn’t hover, and kids had much more freedom (sometimes too much). What was normal then could feel risky or odd now. Let’s check out 10 everyday customs from the ’70s that have disappeared.
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1. Letting kids sleep in the car’s back window
Those days, the small shelf behind the back window was also a cozy place for kids to nap on long drives. No car seat, no booster. Just some sunscreen, a pillow maybe and that afternoon sun-baked cushion. Mom and Dad never questioned it. People simply hadn’t recognized its danger so no one thought it was wrong.
2. Smoking inside government buildings
You know where city dwellers smoked back then? At City Hall, the post office, and the DMV waiting rooms. (Right there.) Ashtrays sat in plain sight next to the “No Littering” signs, and no one thought twice about it.
3. Having just one house phone for the whole family
And it wasn’t even a cordless phone. It was a landline, just hanging on the wall in the kitchen. A cord long enough to entangle someone walking by. Everyone answered it; there was no privacy.
4. Taking shoes off only at bedtime
Kids walked through mud, stores, and even across someone else’s carpet with their shoes still on. It was not seen as rude because taking shoes off indoors just was not a common custom. No one made a fuss about tracking dirt inside. Even little kids would crawl into bed wearing socks full of playground dust and no one blinked.
5. Sipping water straight from the garden hose
No one asked how the water got there. You were hot. You were outside. You reached for the hose. That rubbery taste was part of the flavor of summer. No parent shouted, “Get a clean glass,” because no one cared.
6. Reusing tinfoil and wrapping paper
Tinfoil was smoothed carefully, folded, and tucked in the drawer. Birthday paper was peeled off carefully and saved for next year, not because it was fashionable to cut down on waste, but because you just didn’t toss out things that still had a use.
7. Playing with mercury when a thermometer broke
A thermometer shattered, and someone, instead of freaking out, would scoop up the shiny little beads and roll them around with a pencil. Kids thought it was magic. There was no hazmat warning, just maybe a casual, “Don’t eat it.”
8. Leaving the house unlocked, even when away
Not just when you ran to the store, but sometimes even overnight, people left their doors unlocked. Neighbors were trusted, and locks were seen more as protection from the weather than from thieves.
9. Recording TV shows with a tape recorder
Everyone sat in front of the TV, making no noise while the cassette recorded audio from the TV speaker. Later they listened to it like a radio play with commercials included.
10. Matching outfits for family outings
Back then, families dressed alike with matching floral prints, denim outfits, or color-coordinated pantsuits. We often spotted them on family days out and it was all about feeling connected, not about looking silly.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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