Children Past Parents Adults Strict Teenagers Chaperone People

In the past, American parents "tended to be" (were often) much stricter than they are today. Many of the old parenting rules seem "old-fashioned" (out of date; old and no longer applicable) by today's "standards" (the way in which things are measured or assessed).

For example, in the past, teenagers who wanted to "date" (spend time with a member of the opposite sex due to romantic interest) would have to be with a "chaperone" the entire time. A "chaperone" is an adult whose job is to watch what the two young people do and make sure that there is no inappropriate behavior. Today, however, most parents allow their teenage children to go out on dates without a chaperone as long as they know where the teenagers are going and when they'll be back.

In the past, parents often repeated two phrases: "children should be seen and not heard," and "speak only when spoken to." These both mean that children shouldn't "volunteer" (offer) information unless they are asked a direct question. For example, if people were eating a meal together, in the past, the children were expected to sit "at the table" (around the table) without saying anything unless someone asked them a question. Today, most parents enjoy hearing their children participate in conversations, sharing their opinions or just telling adults about their life.

Finally, in the past, most adults insisted that children "addressed" (called) adults as "sir" or "ma'am," or used "Mrs." or "Mr." with the adult's last name. This is still true for some parents, but other parents "prefer" (like more) to let their children address adults by their first name.