The world is completely different for kids today than it was for people who grew up in the 60s and 70s. But it's ironic that the simplest things old-school kids were allowed to do are the things that actually made them better humans. Things 60s and 70s kids were allowed to do that made them better humans1. Without the buffers of phone screens or overbearing parents, Gen X and boomer kids learned these social skills from an early age. Whether it was mowing the lawn or babysitting their siblings, they were given the kinds of household responsibilities that parents today outsource or do themselves.