If you grew up in the 70s & 80s, you're lucky you made it out alive

Do you look back on your childhood of net-free trampolines and no mobile phones and wonder how you even survived? You need to see this.

In this age of ‘helicopter parenting‘, GPS kids’ watches, mobile phones at primary schools, trampoline nets and other methods of child protection and surveillance, it seems quite remarkable that those of us who grew up in the 50s, 60s, 70s and even the 80s and 90s managed to reach adulthood in one piece.

Long before Facebook was a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye, parents were using street lights as curfew indicators and allowing their kids to drink water straight out of the garden hose. Trampolines were bounced on even when their springs were rusting, trees were climbed with fervour and bones were occasionally broken.

There was so much potential for injury and harm, and yet somehow, somehow, most of us survived – relatively unscathed, save for a few scars here and there.

Watch this video and tell us: how many of these things do you remember?

What parts of your childhood make you wince when you look back?

Having fun reminiscing? CLICK THROUGH this gallery of retro childhood games for a flood of memories.