As kids, our parents & grandparents had to follow many odd rules that seem downright bizarre to us now. Thankfully, these outdated rules have mostly faded away & it’s hard to imagine growing up with them. Here are thirteen childhood rules from the past that just don’t make sense today. You’ll see how much times have changed—and you’ll probably be glad you didn’t have to deal with these yourself.
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Using a Switch for Discipline
If kids misbehaved, parents or teachers would tell them to go pick out a switch from a tree in the yard. A switch was a thin branch—and the kid knew it would be used for a spanking. It was a common way to punish bad behavior. These days, any kind of spanking sounds awful. A switch is no different. Schools have banned corporal punishment & most parents prefer to discipline their kids by talking things out or using time-outs.
Mandatory Standing When Adults Entered
Kids had to stand up whenever an adult walked into the room and it didn’t matter if they were in the middle of something. They had to stop & show respect by getting to their feet, both at home & at school. Nowadays, teaching kids to be respectful is still important yet we don’t expect them to make such formal gestures. Standing up every time an adult enters feels over the top and almost like groveling. Why would we want kids to act that way?!
Early Morning Chores Before School
A while back, kids got up at the crack of dawn to do chores before school. For example, they might milk cows, feed the chickens, gather eggs or haul water from the well. On family farms, everyone pitched in because the work needed to get done! Whatever the chores, they were just a part of everyday life. Today, most kids don’t have to do heavy chores before school. They’ll make their bed or pack their lunch at most.
No Playing on Sundays
Sundays were serious business in those days so kids weren’t allowed to play or even laugh too loudly. Instead, the day was centered around church & quiet time because it was a day of reflection. Nowadays, some families do still go to church to observe religious traditions. Yet most kids treat Sundays like any other day off and the no-fun rule of Sundays has disappeared for most people.
Addressing Adults by Formal Titles Only
In the past, using an adult’s first name was a big mistake and would get you in trouble. You had to call adults “Mr. Jones” or “Mrs. Brown” even if they were close family friends! For people in those days, this was a sign of respect. Today, lots of adults are fine with kids calling them by their first names because our view of formality is nowhere near the same. We’d rather allow kids to feel relaxed.
No Talking Back to Adults
Speaking of adults, we expected children to keep their opinions to themselves when talking to adults. Talking back or questioning what an adult said? That was not an option and would in fact lead to serious consequences. The rule was clear—children should be seen & not heard. It’s quite different from now when we encourage kids to speak up and share their thoughts.
Asking for Permission to Speak
Even if you were allowed to speak, you had to ask permission before you could at home & in class. The goal was to teach manners and keep things orderly. Of course, some rules are still in place to prevent chaos but most of us encourage kids to share their ideas. We want them to participate in discussions. The strict rules about when kids may talk have eased up a lot.
Eating Everything Served, No Exceptions
Once upon a time, we had to clean our plates at every meal and it didn’t matter if we were full or didn’t like the food—leaving anything behind was unacceptable. Parents would say things like “Think of the starving children in other countries” to guilt us into eating every last bite. These days, we pay more attention to portion sizes. In fact, we care a lot more about healthy eating habits & listening to your body.
No Entering Certain Rooms in the House
In some families, certain rooms were strictly off-limits to kids, like the formal living room or parlor. We’d keep them spotless for guests and this involved banning children from going in there. They had to stick to playrooms! However, we can mostly now agree that the idea of keeping rooms off-limits to kids feels outdated. Most of us prefer to have spaces that are lived-in.
Sitting Still for Long Periods
As a child, you had to sit still & be quiet during long events like church services or family visits. If you fidgeted or showed any sign of restlessness, that was considered rude. Discipline was the golden rule! Today, we know that kids are full of energy and need to move around so many people are more understanding. They’ll find ways to keep kids engaged instead.
Strict Gender Roles in Activities
Sadly, we once pushed kids into activities based on their gender. Boys were expected to play sports, build things or fix stuff—while girls were told to play with dolls, learn to sew, or help in the kitchen. If a boy wanted to dance or a girl wanted to play baseball, we’d discourage or even forbid it. While gender roles still exist, we mostly encourage kids to follow their interests.
Strict Hair Length Rules
Likewise, there were strict rules about hair. Boys had to keep their hair short & long hair would get them in trouble. On the other hand, we expected girls to have long hair and cutting it short was often discouraged. These rules were trying to maintain traditional appearances. Nowadays, kids have the freedom to choose their hairstyles—boys may grow their hair long and girls can have short cuts.
No Playing with Children of Different Social Classes
Unfortunately, parents wouldn’t let their kids play with children from different social classes or backgrounds because they wanted to keep certain social boundaries. Essentially, they feared “bad influences.” They wanted to choose friends based on their family’s status over who they liked. How wrong is that?! That’s not to say that class divisions don’t exist today but they certainly aren’t like they were in the past.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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