What time were you allowed out to and how far were you allowed to go as a kid?

[Kittyblue]

After dark my mom wanted to know where I was or who I was with as I got older, but otherwise no curfew. Fun times, before cell phones. We'd tell our parents we were at someone's house and go out cruising.

 

[superme80]

I was allowed to sit on the front porch to wait for my sister's piano teacher once I turned 9.

 

[RamblingMad]

After dark my mom wanted to know where I was or who I was with as I got older, but otherwise no curfew. Fun times, before cell phones. We'd tell our parents we were at someone's house and go out cruising.

It was a lot like the kids in ET and Goonies. I pretty much had the same amount of freedom.

Kids today grow up to be adults that can't even change a flat tire. This is what I deal with now managing the last two generations. They've lost the ability to be self sufficient.

 

[MOUSEALERT]

When we were in primary school 8 to 9pm in our street, there were loads of us the same age in the street.

In secondary school - 10.30pm out and about wherever we wanted really but needed to make sure home before pub closing and Dad in !!!

 

[aprilgail]

I had to be in the house at 7 pm, take my bath and be in bed by 8 pm. And all the other neighborhood kids still out playing at 8:30 pm during the summer used to irritate me.

At what age?? Even at 3 my daughters bedtime was later than that LOL. When I was a kid we went as far as we wanted to, had to be back near the house when the streetlights came on but once the streetlights came on in the summer it was time to play kick the can until we were tired out. When my daughter was little the ice cream man would come down the block 9:30-10ish and we would always buy ice cream to end the night- one stupid neighbor complained about the ice cream truck coming after 8pm because his kids were in bed and it would make them cry they couldn't get ice cream LOL.

 

[mrodgers]

We knew to go home if we heard my dad whistle. I think we could hear him whistle from the other side of town.

If we did need to be home earlier, my dad had a whistle we knew to we had to head right home.

Seems I'm not the only one. Could hear my Dad whistle from the next neighborhood (which is good because we weren't allowed to be in the next neighborhood, LOL.)

Our bikes were our freedom. Moved from Pittsburgh to a neighborhood in a back then small town. We were gone from morning til lunch, everyone went home to eat lunch, then back out on the bikes until 6 when Dad got home from work for dinner. Out after dinner until we heard Dad whistle.

I can't remember the early school days. Summers we were out until 11-12:00 playing hide and seek somewhere in the neighborhood.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

We were allowed to go to the park across the street or the library or a friend's house until 6, which was when we ate dinner. After dinner we were allowed to play on our street until my Dad yelled out the door for us to come in. I guess that was around 8:30. All of the places we played or the stores we were sent to were all within a three-block radius, so we never really went far afield. The farthest we ever went was to Oregon Avenue, which was about 7 blocks away. That's where the rec center was.

 

[tvguy]

At what age?? Even at 3 my daughters bedtime was later than that LOL. When I was a kid we went as far as we wanted to, had to be back near the house when the streetlights came on but once the streetlights came on in the summer it was time to play kick the can until we were tired out. When my daughter was little the ice cream man would come down the block 9:30-10ish and we would always buy ice cream to end the night- one stupid neighbor complained about the ice cream truck coming after 8pm because his kids were in bed and it would make them cry they couldn't get ice cream LOL.

Wow, liberal parent, LOL. Probably until I was about 9 or 10. I remember moving into the dorm in College and being in bed by 10 pm, to be up by 7:45 am for 8 am class. Just retired, but the last 13 years my wife and I worked 7 pm was our bedtime since we had to be at work at 3 am and up at 2 am. We are still adapting and made it until 9:15 pm last night. 830 or 9 pm has not been unusual. My wife is fine with 8 or 9 hours sleep, me, I can easily sleep 10 hours a night.
Our kids, I think 9 pm was their normal bed time through elementary school. But I worked graveyard shift and left for work about 10:40 pm and many nights I had two kids waving goodbye to me from their bedroom windows on the front of the house, so bed time, and sleep time are different for sure.

 

[tnolan]

When I was 10, my curfew was 9 pm and after dark I had to stay on the block.

 

[goofyernmost]

We lived in a fairly rural area so as long as we could see clearly enough to not run our bikes or our bodies into trees all was good. We did live on a main highway though so traffic was heavy there. Not allowed to be on the highway unless we had a specific place to go and they knew about it.

I do remember riding my bike with my cousin to his grandparents farm about 14 miles away when I was about 11 or so. We were supposed to ride home as well but our butts and legs were to sore to continue so my Aunt picked us up at the farm and took us both home. Half an accomplishment. I bar that I kept referring to throughout my life. A low bar is easier to reach.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Had to be in our yard when the street lights came on. Not sure we ventured more than a couple of miles from home. Most everything we did was within that radius. Life was way simpler when I was a kid.

 

[davper]

Be home by dark and don't cross any street with the yellow line down the middle until I was in the third grade. Then there was no limit to range. But I never left my 1 square mile neighborhood.
That was until I turned 12. Then it was be home by 9pm. From then on, I was in every city and neighborhood that public transportation and my bike would carry me. My longest destination was 125 miles round trip on my bike. It was 10 hours and I remember not being able to walk afterwards.