Last Updated on May 9, 2025 by Matt Staff
’70s parents had some questionable parenting tactics. Growing up in the ’70s meant a lot of freedom and a lot of questionable decisions by the adults in charge. Back then, kids weren’t just playing in the yard; they were babysitting infants, mowing lawns with gas-powered beasts, or riding bikes before sunrise to deliver newspapers. Parents called it responsibility. Looking back, it was more like free labor with a side of danger.
Somehow, we made it through, but it’s wild to think how normal it all seemed at the time. Here are 17 jobs kids were doing in the ’70s that probably should’ve come with a warning label.
1. Babysitting siblings at just 12 years old
Kids would get off of school around 3, and parents would work until 5 or later. This meant the oldest sibling was in charge.
2. Mowing lawns with gas-powered mowers
Sharp blades and no safety gear are not the best conditions for kids under 14.
3. Working on the car
Handling gasoline, sharp tools, and jacks with zero training.
4. Delivering newspapers before sunrise
Alone in the dark, often on a bike, in all weather.
5. Helping on construction sites
Hauling wood, hammering nails, sometimes even on roofs.
6. Selling door-to-door candy or fundraising stuff
Unsupervised, knocking on strangers’ doors.
7. Riding along with trucker dads
Their job was to keep Dad awake, and seatbelts were optional.
8. Cleaning out barns or chicken coops
If you grew up on a farm in the ’70s, odds are you had to fight off a rooster or two.
9. Helping with harvests
Manual labor in fields, often for entire days.
10. Running errands to liquor stores
Yes, parents often sent kids to pick up groceries, and booze was on the list.
11. Picking up smokes for Mom and Dad
It wasn’t uncommon for parents to send their kids to the grocery store with money and a list. Cigarettes were often on that list.
12. Roofing with their dads
Hot tar, steep pitches, and no safety lines.
13. Butchering or cleaning fish
Sharp knives and slippery conditions. If your parent was a butcher in the ’70s, we feel for you.
14. Driving tractors on farms
Kids drove big machinery with minimal oversight.
15. Helping at mechanic shops
Kids had exposure to oil, solvents, and sharp tools.
16. Cleaning chimneys or fireplaces
It just so happened that kids fit perfectly into those hard-to-reach places.
17. Collecting bottles and cans at events
Sharp metal, broken glass, and sketchy crowds.
Want to see more vintage ’70s content?
Take a look at these 21 Vintage Photos of 1960s-1970s Surf Culture, or check out these 35 Vintage Photos from the Early 1970s. Finally, if you want to see into the Hippie Revolution, check out these 20 Vintage Photos From The Hippie Revolution (1960s-1970s).
