"My Teenage Grandson Didn't Believe Me": 21 Normal Practices And Routines From "Way Back When" That Younger Generations Will Never Get To Experience

Dannica Ramirez
·2-min read

Recently, BuzzFeed Community members shared the everyday experiences from "back in the day" that have practically become obsolete over time, and as a Gen Z'er, I'm quite fascinated. Here are some unique but common experiences from the past that, depending on your age, will have you feeling completely nostalgic or genuinely perplexed:

1."I really miss full-service gas stations. The attendants would fill your car, wash the windshield, and check the tires."

A gas station attendant, wearing a dark uniform with an Esso patch, fills a car with fuel at an Esso station in the 1950s
Steven Gottlieb / Corbis via Getty Images

2."I'm 83, and schools are so different nowadays. Before, we could go in and out of school, as could our parents. We could share food and bring whatever with us. My friends and I could go off anywhere, and as long as we were back in time for class, no one really gave a hoot. Now, my seven-year-old granddaughter can't even bring homemade cupcakes to share with her friends in class, and my teenage grandson has to go through a security checkpoint. I tried telling him what it was like back in our day, and it's sad he didn't believe me."

—Anonymous

3."When I was very young, a truck would drive by every so often spraying a large DDT fog to kill mosquitos. All the kids in the neighborhood (including me) would jump on bikes and follow the truck, pretending to be flying in the clouds. I'm surprised I don't have cancer at this point."

A truck emits thick smoke into the night, possibly engaging in street maintenance. Only vehicle lights and streetlamps illuminate the scene. No people visible
Chris Hondros / Getty Images

4."Not only did we have to type on a typewriter, but we had to use carbon paper to make copies. If you'd made a typo, it was a big pain having to erase the original AND all the copies. Then, you had to get everything lined up again before resuming typing! I don't miss this 'antique' method at all."

—Anonymous

5."We had a party line in the late '50s. My father was a doctor, and our phone number was in the telephone book like everyone else's. He got calls all through the night. I shudder to think of the personal health information that was out there for anyone to listen in on. We were the first to get a private line when more lines became available. Bet the neighbors were happy!"

A woman with curly hair in the 1980s is using a corded phone. The CBSN news segment is titled "CALL ME, DEFINITELY" and is about teens incurring expensive bills on party chat lines

6."When looking for full-time jobs, we had to...[CLICK TO CONTINUE READING]

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