Originally this post was going to be about awkward family photos.
In the another blogger gets a book deal file is this fun site about awkward family photos. I figured I could post a few of my family photos that were just as awkward. The post was going to be a little on the snarky side because I am jealous of any blogger who seems to be an overnight success by getting a book deal and winding up on the Today Show. I’ve been a little testy lately.
In my search for awkward family photos I discovered there weren’t many that were truly awkward. There were several that were funny:
I don’t know who that baby is but I thought he looked funny. That is my grandmother and some strange dog, I don’t recognize the house. This picture was taken in 1966 so that baby would be 44ish now. I apologize if this is you.
This actually is rather awkward. Yep, that’s me, during my long, drawn out, awkward phase. Hey, at least I’m not wearing those pants that my brother is wearing.
I couldn’t find any pictures that were truly horrible but I did find a lot of photos that were interesting and made me wonder how we ever survived growing up back in then.
That’s my brother in his car seat in our family convertible.
That’s me, face down, in the bassinet.
Remember when kids where still allowed to play with guns?
My brother has grown up to be a very calm, reasonable person. To my knowledge he has never picked up a real gun.
I played with dolls as a child.
And finally, the picture that just says so much
Mullet, seven beers, full ashtray, nearly empty salt shaker, fast food, diet mayonnaise because that fixed everything, and Diet Pepsi obviously this picture was taken before Diet Coke was invented. Don’t even get me started on the wallpaper.
*UPDATE*
If you would like to send your survival pictures to me I will feature them here next Friday. You can send your survival photos to redheadshesaid@gmail.com. Please include your name or moniker and blog URL so I can link to you.
Guns and “child seats” and face-down sleeping babies?!?! Seriously, how did we survive? Although I'm going to have to say that the worst atrocity is your brother's pants. Spoken by a woman who wore ones just like them and thought she was stylin'. {shudders}
I have several pictures of my brother in pants just like that. I'm expecting him to see this post and make me take it down.
Hahaha I laughed so hard at the pic of you FACE DOWN! and the car seat? How the heck did any baby survive? I always knew people were taking things a little bit overboard these days. I am lovin your mullet. Hillarious!
Ah yes, my mullet. What can I say, it was the 80's and I have no other excuse. I grew it out pretty quickly.
Uh…what's wrong with the pants?…
Aww – I had a few guns to play with when I was a kid – I've never picked up a real one – I am just too terrified I might hurt some one.
You face down in the bassinet – hilarious !
All the boys at that time played with guns and toy soldiers and other violent toys. It didn't seem to hurt them.
Haha I love all of the pictures! You played with dolls so nicely. That car seat is amazing though! Wooow!
And the car seat is in the front seat, not that it would matter all that much since if there were the slightest accident my brother would have gone sailing out of the car.
LOVE the walk down memory lane! My hubby and I were just talking about this the other day – he was watching an old movie of when his parents were bringing him home from the hospital as a baby – just stuck the traveling bassinet into the backseat and off they went! Us kids used to fight each other on who would get to sit in the back of the station wagon to annoy the drivers behind us… good times. 😉
We did that too, it was always a treat to sit in that pop up back seat in the station wagon.
Great pictures! Didn't we all wear some pretty awful stuff back in those days.
Wait..are you saying putting a baby face down is wrong?! I thought that helped teach them survival instincts.
That photo was f'ing awesome.
I have to think (hope) that I was turning or something when that picture was taken. I really hope that isn't how my parents placed me every time. But then they drank a lot so who knows.
I'm still reeling over how anyone gets a book deal for something so damn stupid.
You know how people type “LOL” all the time, but you don't think they really mean it? Well, honestly, I laughed heartily at these photos! They are GREAT! and the comments are even better.
LOVE the guns, but the “car seat” leaves me speechless. Nothing like making sure your child is a projectile in the case of an accident. Well, at least he's got an extra steering wheel to help with that.
What is the deal with the photo of you FACE DOWN?? Crap, that is hilarious.
Nice shots–it's good to know that my childhood wasn't the only one that was scarring.
HAR!
That photo of you lying face-down in the bassinet is hilarious. I think you've started a whole new category (and potential book deal) here. “How Did We Survive” has wheels. I'm sure lots of people have photos like these.
It's funny, I've seen these pictures a thousand times and really never thought anything of them until I really looked at them. Why on earth did they put me face down in the bassinet? This might cause some issues for me.
I think you might be right about the pictures. Maybe I could make this a weekly deal and feature other's pictures of survival.
Most likely you were put face-down because the last time they'd put you on your back. They want to keep your head from getting “flat” — babies skulls aren't fully form and the bone is still “soft”. It was believed that if a kid only slept on its back, its head would get flattened.
I remember having a car seat like that one. I miss lying on the ledge above the backseat.
Wouldn't that make me unable to breathe? I mean it looks like my face is
smack down in that bassinet. And if it were true that my head would flatten
wouldn't the front of my face flatten out?
Or start a new blog devoted to “How Did We Survive” photos and make a fortune. Your call.
JD's right. I think you've stumbled onto something. And I totally cracked up over your face-down picture.
Heh heh! I remember those 'car seats', but never had one. Funny photos! Speaking of cars, we had a “cottage” (consisting of a spider-ridden 8-man tent) that was about a three hour drive from home. My parents smoked like chimneys while driving both there and back, and my sister and me weren't allowed to open the windows to breath! Second-hand smoke wasn't considered dangerous then. oy. We both survived to start smoking on our own.
My mom smoked though I don't remember her smoking in the car. I am sure she did I just don't remember it. It's amazing how different things were just 40 years ago and probably even less because I don't think most of these regulations went into effect until the late 70's early 80's.
Blame it on 'political correctness” and becoming such a litigious society. I would agree that certain regulations are needed for individual protections, but it's getting so out of hand that you are soon going to need a license to fart! (I already have a license to be a dozo).
😉
When I think of some of the things I managed to survive in the 50's and 60's, it's mind boggling. I think the growth of all the violence on TV, movies and video games, not to mention rap is probably more harmful than playing with guns. Although put together with the violent entertainment, it's probably not as benign as it used to be.
Love the photo of you face down in the bassinet. That explains a lot… 😉
Thanks!
Hey Jen— I am back! Great to read you again. You certainly still have the stuff. I was born in 59'. Your right how did we live through it. All the violence–Bonanza, Rawhide, Big Valley. How those shows warped our minds. Playing cowboys and Indians, how un PC, that was.
My parents had a 64' Mercury Montclair. Had a slant electric window in the rear. I used to stand up in the back seat, and stare out that window for miles on end. Every once in awhile there were sudden stops, and I would smack against the front seats. That explains a lot!
Hey, I have a Federalist Friday for you. Featuring Samuel Adams, George Washington, and Virtue. Come stop by and see me, would love to have ya'
Peace, Love, and Understanding–Elvis Costello
I think just about every family has photographs just like these. I know I could produce some. I won't, but I could.
Have a terrific day and weekend. 🙂
I would love to see your family photos.
I'll have to dig out some of my old photos – I think we were separated at birth.
I can't wait to see them!
It would be hard to see the publicist as a baby through the haze of cigarette smoke…her parents both smoked. She wonders how her little lungs developed…
Great photos, my favourite is the one of you as a baby lying face down in your bassinet, you poor thing! Didn't anybody think to turn you up the right way? 😀
I guess not. However, putting a baby down on their stomach was the right way back then. It wasn't until the late 80s when they decided the back was a better position.
Oh boy! Is that a REAL gun you have there?
Were you a crying baby? Was that their way of muffling your screams? Do you have a 'pug' nose now?
If you wonder how you all survived, try growing up in the fifties! I could list a hundred danger zones in our lives 😉
I DO NOT have a pug nose. My face is not flattened out because of this. I have no idea why they did this to me but until I posted it I didn't think much of it. Now I have questions and no one can give me answers.
I think I may ask my older sisters, who would have had their babies in the sixties. Maybe it was acceptable to put your baby on it's side, and you rolled over. I will let you know what my findings are.
Here I am, with an answer for you. My sister used to lay her babies
on their side and on their tummy. Just different positions for their
comfort. My guess is you were on your tummy and just twisted your
head over, and your mum didn't notice. It does look very funny in the
photo though 😉
That's what I assumed happened, however someone is taking the picture of me
with my head down. They could have moved it for me before the picture was
taken. I am only a few days old in the picture, I suspect if I was able to
move my head it probably wasn't all that coordinated yet. Clearly, I have
survived, through no help from my parents.
Ha ha! I suspect whoever took the photo was concentrating on what your
brother was doing! Then again, maybe your brother did it in the hopes
of removing any sibling rivalry threat!
That would not surprise me, my brother trying to eliminate the competition.
My brother had those pants, too. I love the baby face down. YIKES!
I didn't think much of the head down baby until I posted the picture. Now I
wonder if my parents were trying to tell me something. I'm pretty sure I
wasn't more than a week old in that picture.
With all the precautions now it sure does make you wonder how we made it. My brother's both sported those pants. Love the random pics and now want to go find some of my own:)
Send them here, I think I will be doing this on fridays.
Oh man, I totally remember when people used to smoke inside the house!
When my oldest was a baby I used to have to fight with my mother in law because she was constantly flipping him over to sleep on his tummy in case he swallowed his own vomit.
How did we survive would totally be a cool site.
When my son was born we were still putting them on their tummy but that was just changing. He actually did puke on his back and it freaked me out so I turned him into a side sleeper by jamming a rolled up blanket under his back to prop him on his side.
I always wondered how they carted us around in cars back then.
And now I know who to blame for my nose.
I thought they just put us in the back seat and hoped we didn't go flying when they made a turn.
This is officially my favorite post EVER. I LOVE THESE PICTURES!!!!! The car seat is my favorite… a true death machine. And guns vs dolls… you MADE may day!
I bet you have some wonderful picture that would fit in nicely with this theme.
I know of the blogger that you speak. I haven't read his book, but his posts are freakin laugh your ass off funny. Just my two cents.
I love the pictures of all the moms back then, cocktail in one hand and cigarette in the other, partying down while they're all pregnant.
I actually found a picture of my brothers. One is about to hit a balloon with a hockey stick as he stands directly over the baby and the baby actually has a the barrel end of a toy gun in his freakin' mouth. It is hilarious. It's on my blog, somewhere.
I will have to search your site for that picture.
I'm on it, Babe.
http://laundryhurtsmyfeelings.blogspot.com/2010…
And here's another interesting set of pics. Check out the last one. I am a Goddess.
http://laundryhurtsmyfeelings.blogspot.com/2009…
May I steal that for next friday? OMFG those are hilarious and your mom
looks soooo young. I need your sister drinking the beer and the baby with
the gun. The poker game would work too. Please say yes! I will link to you
with credit and all kinds of love.
Honey Child,
You are welcome to anything and everything. My insane family pictures are yours for whatever you like. And don't forget my sweet, sweet bathing cap. I'm thinking of changing my profile picture to that one.
Joann
Thank you!!! The bathing suit one is most awesome however the theme is about
surviving. Yes, one could argue you had to survive that picture but the guns
and stupidity make the theme.
That bathing cap picture would make a wonderful profile picture!
At least your brother had some “protection” around him…and entertainment. I remember “standing up” in the front seat of our car between my mom and brother…in order to see over the dashboard. How did we survive?
Ah yes, getting to sit in the death seat was always a treat.
The photos are the most awesome ever! My son John was born in 1967 and my daughter Sheila in 1970. Nobody had car seats and the babies were cradled in mom's arms on the way home from the hospital when we were told to lie the babes on their tums to keep them from choking! Surprisingly, they are both alive and doing well, in spite of me being told to drink beer to “bring down” my milk!
My doctor told me to drink beer in the last month of my pregnancy to stave off premature contractions. He said he wouldn't admit to telling me that because of all the bad press about drinking while pregnant however. He meant one beer, not a whole 6 pack. It worked too.
Oh my gosh…I was told just last year 2009 to drink beer to get my milk to come down. ROFL So at least that hasn't changed!
Haha I love those pictures! I have SO many embarrassing photos of me with HUGE frizzy hair when I was young. 🙂
I have pictures of me with frizzy hair now. You must send yours in so I don't feel so bad. And then tell me what you did to fix it.
I played with guns and dolls as a kid. I too have no interest in firearms now but I do know ugly wallpaper when I see it 😉
It was the 80's what can I say. In my defense it wasn't a wall paper I had chosen. That was my first apartment and the two men who lived there before me had picked it out. My room mate and I pulled it down and painted the room shortly after that picture was taken.
I just read your entry on 'how not to leave a comment' so I sure as hell hope I get this right the first time. As per your instructions I have endeavoured to read all the previous comments but honestly, there are just too flaming many of them and I stopped after about 30 or so. Anyway, here goes. The photos are hilarious. I have equally hideous ones from the 70's and 80's with pogo stick hair and puff ball skirts. My folks smoked like troopers, my mum all through her preganancy and they were encouraged to smoke to help soothe sore throats and aid nasty coughs. A dab of whiskey or brandy worked wonders in aiding your baby to sleep. If I can ever get my hard drive to spit up the memories and files it decided to hide last week I'll be sure to send you the pic of me in a pretty dress holding a very large shot gun 🙂
Please send that picture! That would be hilarious. What is pogo stick hair? I remember the puff ball skirts and big hair but I don't recall pogo stick hair.
My Mother in Law still suggests whisky or some sort of alcohol to help my son with his teething. Sheesh.
I don't think that is too uncommon. My father, the doctor, suggested it every time we flew with the kids. It has a topical effect and doesn't get the kids drunk.
Crap! I spelled pregnancy wrong!!! Can't seem to find an edit button either.
See, it wasn't just me. It should be on the right hand side.
HAHAHA!!! I LOVE these pictures!! So freaking funny. I'll have to dig some of mine up. 🙂
And the bassinet picture is priceless!
Oh, I can't wait to see them, send them on over as soon as you find them.
I loved guns, hunting, driving field cars and playing baseball, now I'm a couch potato just loving time with my daughter and grandkids…how time changes us.
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
Ain't that the truth!
Oh Jen these are CLASSIC photos!
And, I loved your caption underneath YOU with the Gun saying you played with dolls!
The gun had blanks in it. But the picture was taken in Italy which makes it really cool.
That's HELLA cool!
[…] How Did We Survive at Redhead Ranting. Jen posted photos from her childhood which show how our ideas about safety have changed a lot over the years. The picture of her lying facedown in her bassinet is priceless! […]
Haha, I am in love with the one of your brother in that car seat! Fantastic!
And the one with you and yer gun, you look like one of Charlie's very own. Great pics.
I never thought of that! We used to play Charlie's Angels all the time when we were kids.
[…] read a very funny, yet scary, post over at Redhead Ranting called How Did We Survive? Jen takes a trip down memory lane, showing pictures of ways in which she and her brother should […]
I had to come back and look at that picture of you in the bassinet. This has to be one of the funniest pics ever.
This was a truly funny post! Especially the car seat! And he was in the front seat no less!
To point that out seemed like overkill.
Almost died laughing when I saw you in the bassinet.
FACE.
DOWN.
You must have super human DNA roaming around inside that body.
I don't know about super human DNA but something worked. I still think my brother was behind it.
are you sure you're not just a phantom? there's no way you lived through these experiences.
I don't have pictures of the really horrible things I lived through. Most of my teen years were near misses.
OH MY GAWSH! What the heck is up with that car seat!?!?! I think I was born late enough to be covered by some of the new safety laws. Although I think the gov't has gone a little overboard in trying to nanny us all.
I don't know, it doesn't look like a car seat at all but this was back when everyone smoked and drank and took all kinds of speed.
Those are awesome! I don't know why, but the face down baby picture got my giggle box turned all upside down and backwards.
You aren't the only one. I didn't think it was all that funny.
I remember those car seats! My youngest sister rode around in one of those things but at least she had something! We, on the other hand sat on Mom's lap in the front seat. Too funny! Gosh, the things we did! I'm going to look for pictures.
When I was three my dad was drafted and we had to move to TX. We packed up the car and drove down from MN. I recall snippets of the drive and do recall there were no car seats. My daughter is 7 and she is still in a booster seat.
I can't imagine how long you've been in that bassinet face down. I once found my baby in such position and I freaked out. 🙂
It couldn't have been too long, I'm still here. Though, I am still wondering about the person who took the picture. Seems they could have moved me before they snapped the shot.
Was your grandma's eye site going in that first picture. I think that's a RACCOON!
Love the very safe car seat.
I posted and old picture of myself as a guessing challenge. Come on by and take a guess but read the comments because there are plenty of hints now.
http://afcsoac.blogspot.com/2010/05/wheres-clow…
Oh please use the picture for your upcoming post if you like. Just mention the source please.
I would love to use the photo but what did you survive? Is there a story?
I guessed but I think I am way off.
These are great! You know it is funny how things have changed. I don't have children but I have neighbor that has a son that is 7. He came over on day when we were cooking out and I asked him if he would like a hotdog. I later received a call from the not to happy Mom that fussed at me for not cutting it up into small pieces. I did not realize that children of today choke on whole hotdogs. I loved hotdogs as a child and as an adult so I am glad that I lived through it!
The hot dog thing is new. I never cut my kids hot dogs up except when they were really little. At 7 the kid can eat a hot dog on his own, or he can cut it up on his own. We are raising a nation of wimps.
Roflmbo I have a pic of my 3 sisters all in the same kind of pants as your brother.. yeah I have THOSE pics.. of course they can alays threaten me with the psychedelic bikini photo of me but I was like 9 months old so ya know I was a puppet in their hands,. no say in how I got dressed lol
You must send those pictures to me for this Fridays post, think of it as payback.
You know, I think falling off the monkey bars head first onto a slab of cement might have knocked some sense into us. We grew up to be a pretty damn tough generation.
I totally did that. I even have the scar to prove it. I forgot all about
that. Thank you for reminding me. And even though I am not in your
generation I know what you mean. That you survived the 60s completely amazes
me.
[…] read a post by Jen at Redhead Ranting the other day, called ‘How did we survive’. I read another post by Kathy at The Junk […]
I remember car seats like that.(beep beep)
Love these, Jen! Wish I had a scanner so I could upload some of my gems.
I'm still reeling over how anyone gets a book deal for something so damn stupid.
http://www.crownrentcar.net
IT’S A STICK UP!…
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…
OMG…the one of you FACEDOWN in the bassinett is my favorite! It is a wonder how we made it through unscathed, isn’t it?
That car seat should have killed us all.
Well obviously the car seat is safe, the child gets their own wheel so they can help you in case of an emergency!
[…] forget to submit your photos for Friday’s How Did We Survive post. I’ve already received some hilarious photos. It was pointed out to me that a lot of times […]