Parenting has completely changed since we were kids.  Some say for the better, some think it's gone too far.  Here's 7 things our parents did to us that would wind them in jail today.

C. Woods/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
C. Woods/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Not Requiring Bike Helmets
As a kid, I rode my bike all over town, through traffic and even jumping a ramp over the town creek.  Not once did I ever own a bike helmet.  I didn't even know helmets for bikes existed until I saw some kid in high school get beat up for wearing one.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Not Requiring Seat Belts
Our family car didn't even have seat belts.  And car seats?  What were those?  I remember my brother in some sort of box-type contraption in the back seat of the car.  When we made a fast left-hand turn he'd slide all the way to the other side of the pleather bench seat.

Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images
Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images
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Letting Us Drink Just a Little
When the family got together, it wasn't strange or unusual to get a little sip of beer... or even a small glass of a whisky sour (mine was made with blackberry brandy because, you know, I was a kid).  Nowadays, that'll not only land you in jail... it could wind your kids up in foster care!

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Getty Images
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Taking Bathtub Photos
Everyone had funny nude photos from when we were young.  They were kept in a drawer only to be brought out to completely embarrass you whenever you were stupid enough to bring home a new girlfriend for the first time.  Today, that full-frontal on your hard drive is no laughing matter.  It's a felony.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Letting us Ride In The Back
Remember those old station wagons that had the back-facing seat?  You know, the death seat?  Or better yet, how many times did you just jump in the back of a pickup truck and ride through town with the wind in your hair?  Today you wouldn't get 2 blocks without someone calling 911 and getting the entire town police force after you!

Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Smoking Candy Cigarettes And Playing With Realistic Toy Guns
Smoking used to be cool.  So cool, in fact, that kids used to pretend to smoke until they were lucky enough to do the real thing.  We had bubble gum that was wrapped in paper and packed with powdered sugar. One blow and wow... real smoke!  Today, those candy cigarettes are contraband, illegal in all states.  And the toy guns we used to play with looked like actual guns.  No bright orange markings.  Bring one to school today and the best outcome is that you're arrested. Worst outcome? Being mistakenly shot by a real gun owner first.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Oli Scarff/Getty Images
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Being Unsupervised All Day Long
Before cellphones and GPS, when a kid went out to play by himself he was gone... off the grid.  Where you went and what you did was entirely unsupervised.  You could be studying at the library or lighting fireworks down by the river, no one would ever know.  Today, leave your kid in the front yard by themselves for 10 minutes and see if you don't get a knock on the door from the authorities.

Good Morning America recently published a similar list of 5 things, including parents who are now in trouble for getting their kids fat.  Did we miss any others?  Let us know in the comments section below.

 

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