Family Talks
In those days, the kids were with the kids, and the adults, with the adults. While parents certainly cared deeply for their children, deep discussions and conversations about feelings were not for the public domain.
Today, of course, there is a strong culture of parents engaging with their kids, some even argue, too much. Maybe we still have not struck the balance
Fire Hydrant Showers
This was popular in urban areas and large cities. In fact, it was almost like the official policy that during the summertime, fire hydrants would be opened to blast sweaty kids after playing in the streets.
If city officials didn't do it, then parents or an older sibling would surely do it. This way, all the neighborhood kids could get a spritz of water to cool them down. While it sounds like fun, as you might have guessed, that water wasn't always the best quality.
Walking To School
Unless you live in an incredibly safe area, it's unlikely that you will let your kid walk to school in this day and age - especially if they're in the first grade. Of course, it was a different time then and it was far more normal to let the kids run free.
Though it wasn't all bad, generally it was the older sibling or one of the older kids in the neighborhood that would accompany the kids to school. Think of it more like a 'boomer carpool'.
Drinking from Water Garden Hoses
Bottled water was not really a thing until a couple of decades later. You would just drink from the tap, and in the summer, kids, after running around the yard for a while, had no shame in taking a sip from the garden hose.
No one ever thought that water from garden hoses was unregulated and potentially unsafe. This was totally normal. The hose was a fixture of summertime fun, with kids running in and out of sprinklers.
Latchkey Kids Were Common
The '60s, a time where mothers suddenly started entering the workplace. While this is normal now, many systems have been set up to accommodate kids with busy parents. Then, not so much.
If a kid could stay outside all day without supervision, then they could definitely do it indoors. They would come home after school to an empty house and prepare themselves a TV dinner. Luckily, sometimes there was an older sibling to pick up the slack