Gen X'ers And Millennials Share Their Oddest Childhood Experiences And Memories From The 70s And 80s

Childhood in the 70s and 80s could be strange, funny, and sometimes hard to believe now. From school rules to family routines, a lot of everyday life looked very different for Gen X and older millennials.

In this collection, people share the oddest memories and experiences they remember from growing up during those decades. Some are harmlessly weird, some are shocking, and some make modern life feel almost unrecognizable.

Either way, these throwback childhood stories are hard to forget.

1. It's so wild to me that this was a common thing.

DanWuori

2. McDonald's was a full entertainment park from the looks of it.

HelloKameHaHaHa

3. I'm sorry, but this is a no from me.

realtimaier

4. I feel like I would get lost, though, honestly.

HughThunkIt

5. I honestly can't imagine a life like this. You'd never see this nowadays.

JulieMcCrossin

That kind of setup feels almost impossible now.

6. Oh no, I bet there was a ton of eavesdropping.

Seymour_from_GP

7. This sounds disgusting, but okay.

DarciaAnne

8. Definitely can't do that now, but I do miss the candy cigarettes.

kotstot1

9. This is so funny and also smart that they did this.

StacyKratochvil

10. This is quite interesting.

RealGravitas

11. This is still kind of common in some areas, but definitely not for a regular school bus.

crunchyrugger

School life really came with its own surprises back then.

This reminds me of the awkward school photo phases everyone somehow survived.

12. Wow, I've never seen anything like this. This is super cool.

long17_de

13. I honestly couldn't imagine. It would take me forever to do my assignments.

CourtneyAnnePh

14. Well, that's one way to embarrass a kid.

RobEdward1122

15. Hey, I mean they can use it for something else.

coach_mark1

16. Their protesting made a difference.

MiraCeleste2

17. It seems that teachers were very strict back in the day. I don't think I'd be okay with this as a parent.

athenakitty1

Some of these school rules sound intense by today's standards.

18. I'm sure there really was never anything to watch on TV with just four channels to choose from.

Ipiphiniz1

19. Smoking was such a common thing, and it's so wild. Now, you don't even see smoking sections in restaurants or anything.

pecriel

20. This honestly would be so cool, though. I mean, to have it roll around would be so fun.

KevinGi62453362

These childhood memories really show how much everyday life has changed.

We can all agree that things are a bit different now.

Some of these memories are funny, some are shocking, and all of them are very 70s and 80s.

Want more “built different” energy, see 77 vintage photos showing grandparents where safety was optional.