As of 2011, roughly one-third of fathers who have working wives engage in regular child care, according to the U.S. Census Bureau 3. It wasn't uncommon for a girl to marry and begin having children shortly after high school graduation. With only 34 percent of all women in the workforce, moms were the primary caregivers during the 50s. The 1950s brought a widespread fear that kids were out of control under the influence of comic books and movies and rock and roll. Although the name "authoritarian" wasn't used in the 1950s, the style was. In the aftermath of WWII's significant instability came the 1950s, suburbia, and the dream of a "picture-perfect" family. Cars provided a teenager with independence and a teen couple with a place to spend time alone away from parents' prying eyes. When any adult, excepting your Parents, entered the Room, you would stand up. Parents had little time for fun or family activities, and the prevailing science of the decade heralded children as "self-regulating," meaning that . Take it from the Old Testament, strict corporal punishment has been a popular form of discipline for a long time. Money doesnt grow on trees. Discipline at Home. On the bus, it was expected that boys would give up their seat for a woman or anyone senior in age and also give up their places in line for the bus. His controversial advice was that parents need not worry about spoiling their children. Boys were encouraged to enlarge themselves, explore, and claim extra territory. Children were precious assets and the center of the family. var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-117827-1"); Clean-cut boys and girls living life in the suburbs, seemingly without a worry in the world, became teenagers who were independent, interactive, pleasure bound, and rebellious. His was one of the first works to promote a scientific view of child-rearing, and parents increasingly turned to advanced theories on parenthood to know how to discipline their children instead of turning to their friends or relatives for parenting advice. A child would be taught to say, "I would like," and was taught never to say the words, "I want." Nowadays, students are often trying to keep their iPhones hidden under their slim desks, hoping the teacher doesn't catch them (or, the teacher is perfectly fine with them texting and doesn't really care). While people certainly ended their marriages in the 1950s and '60s, there was a deeply-ingrained social stigma against divorce that has undeniably lessened in the decades since. Discipline was strict in schools, as boys got a caning and girls got slapped on the knuckles with a ruler. Cunha is also completing her master's degree in mass communication. However, elders who look back at what life was like in the '50s see a lack of morals in today's society that affects how children grow up. In 1690, Locke published the Essay Concerning Human Understanding, and presented the idea that children resemble a blank tablet (tabula rasa) at birth, and they are not predisposed to sin. Punishments or rewards were then allotted accordingly. 1. Every morning, when entering the classroom, a teacher would be greeted with a chorus of "good morning sir" or "good morning madam." Parents had little time for fun or family activities, and the prevailing science of the decade heralded children as "self-regulating," meaning that left to their own devices, children would regulate themselves in such a way to perform as necessary in society. The Children Act 2004, which pushes forward the main proposals of the green paper - electronic children's files; children's directors; and a children's commissioner - is passed by parliament. The teacher's job was not only to teach basic reading and arithmetic. Teenagers came into their own during the 1950s, assisted by increased spending power, the ubiquity of the car, and high school's elevation to a world with its own speech patterns, style of dress, beliefs, pastimes, music, and social mores. Life continues. A child would be taught to say, "I would like," and was taught never to say the words, "I want." First-time moms in the '70s were much younger. Looking back to the discipline techniques of the 1930s shows us where society has been and where it is now, in terms of forming our kids into mindful, responsible adults 1. By the early 1900s, some childrearing experts proposed new methods of pressuring children into good behavior. One method was called the scorecard, posted in the childs home and gold stars or black marks were placed where it said Rising on time, Cleaning up room, Writing to Grandma, and other tasks and duties (sound familiar?). Nevertheless, there does seem to be a census among eyewitness accounts of what it was like to be a child in the '50s that discipline produced a greater fear of authority than what exists today. Instead of an egalitarian family style in which everyone gets a vote, parents during this time were directive. Corporal punishment was practiced frequently, and this was taken for granted by the childrens parents. The debate has been how it should be achieved. The traditional one-room schoolhouse gave way to multiple, stratified classrooms and a principal who oversaw them. Children's mental health issues were taken less seriously. Teenagers with cars were common due to the prosperity of their parents and incomes of their own. In contrast, the man was the "breadwinner." Yet just a few years later, in Ingraham v. Wright, the court ruled that corporal punishment in schools is constitutional. To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click here to follow us on Instagram! //-->. Dads spent less than 20 minutes with their children. Heres Augustus Hare, in 1896, remembering a punishment he was subjected to by a maiden aunt when he was around five years old: The most delicious puddings were talked of, -dilated on- until I became, not greedy, but exceedingly curious about them. . Children in the 1950s had very different lives to young people today. Most states dont even define what parental physical abuse consists of, and Delawares rule against closed-fist punchesinflicted, youll remember, by an adult on a childis actually unusual. We had a copy of it at home and it fascinated us! According to the Pew Research Center, while 73 percent of U.S. children under the age of 17 were living with their married parents in 1960, only 46 percent of that same demographic was living under the roof of still . 10 Funny April Fools' Pranks You Can Do Over Text. As always, I acknowledge that I have sourced my images from the Internet and made efforts to copy only those which are marked as available for re-use. For example, the creation of antipsychotic drugs and advancements in health care caused the number of mentally ill patients institutionalized at public hospitals to decrease by 92 percent from 1955 to 1994, according to a report from Out of the Shadows: Confronting America's Mental Illness Crisis. Ive just looked these stories up for this post and Ive learned that they were originally written in German by a man called Hoffmann who wrote them for his young son. Children were expected to be quiet and well-behaved at school. How Does a Parent's Absence Affect Teens? She has a Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education. 40+ Spring Letter Board Quotes to Refresh and Renew. These tips can help you simplify your family's life! . Fortunately, most five-year-olds have the discipline and maturity to deal with disappointments like that without too much fuss. Family Life in the 1950s. In fact, you would usually not even bother asking, in the 50's most would eat as a family and leave the Table together. 5. Sure there was the James Dean 'rebel without a cause' attitude and the 'Teddy Boys' later to become 'Rockers' and nowadays known as 'Bikers', although I must add it's hard to find a modern day Biker without manners. Opening the door for someone, especially a woman or an adult, was necessary, as was letting her exit before the child did so. Seventy years ago, moms were younger and they worked far less. google_ad_height = 90; Kids walked to school together and had next door best friends. Discipline with respect to children was a major concern within families. Nevertheless, there does seem to be a census among eyewitness accounts of what it was like to be a child in the '50s that discipline produced a greater fear of authority than what exists today. 8 ^8 8 start superscript, 8, end superscript As adults, they gave birth to an "echo boom" generation of children, a smaller but still significant generation of . Parents wanted their children to have better lives than they had had and did everything possible to make life "good" for their kids and grow them into successful adults. On the bus, it was expected that boys would give up their seat for a woman or anyone senior in age and also give up their places in line for the bus. Parents trusted their children to keep themselves safe, instead of hovering over them in a protective manner. All Rights Reserved. Spanking a child was often seen as an effective and acceptable form of discipline in the 50s, though its use has declined in the decades since, notes the American Psychological Association 45. Children were expected to be quiet and well-behaved at school. "Teachers wanted discipline to be put in their contracts to be very clear what they were responsible for," Kafka said. Eat your crusts or your hair wont curl. In the 1960s, dads seldom pitched in around the house. Childhood Memories of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. He once knocked me down and threatened me with a stick. Children should be seen but not heard. However, elders who look back at what life was like in the '50s see a lack of morals in todays society that affects how children grow up. In the 1950s, childrenif you can believe ithad more freedom, very few mothers worked, and very few dads spent time with their kids. And bad behavior was seen as a major issue at the time. While people certainly ended their marriages in the 1950s and '60s, there was a deeply-ingrained social stigma against divorce that has undeniably lessened in the decades since.. But research has shown in recent years that zero tolerance didn't succeed in making schools safer and did result in racial gaps in school discipline. And by some people, we mean virtually everyone up until last Thursday or so.. All rights reserved. There was also the crippling Polio virus. I think people talked in proverbs a lot more then. Detention was given for many misdemeanors, and children were never meant to speak back. Posts about discipline written by kidsofthe50sand60s. . Today, it remains legal in 19 states. Family became a powerful unit, efficient enough to subdue the demons of war that were haunting the common man. Congress passed the Gun-Free Schools Act in 1994, signed by President Bill Clinton.