Whether you grew up in the 1970s or your knowledge of this topic comes from watching re-runs of “The Brady Bunch,” you probably know that moms have changed quite a bit between then and now.
Yes, moms with shag carpeting and avocado-hued fridges and countertops loved their kids as much as the 2019 mom with the laminate floors and gray and white kitchens. Yes, Carol Brady wanted the best for her kids back then as much as Linda Belcher does today. And yes, all mothers — no matter when they were actively momming — worry about their kids, hope they grow up to be successful and nag at them to clean their rooms.
Now that we’ve gotten the similarities out of the way between moms of the 1970s and moms of today, let’s look at some key differences:
This One Is Easy: Fashion
When it comes to what our moms wore, the 1970s had a unique and memorable look. To complement that shag carpet, moms may have sported a shag ‘do (Carol Brady wore this quite well for a couple of seasons), and as Vintage Dancer notes, they were probably in bell bottom jeans, a colorful knit poncho and clunky platform heels. As for what moms wear today, you are more likely to see them in classic work clothes like khaki pants and a cardigan sweater, workout gear including yoga pants and a colorful T-shirt, basic or stretch jeans and a tunic top, and hair that is all one length or lightly layered.
What Goes Inside the Lunchbox
If you brought your lunch to school in your Bionic Woman or Six Million Dollar Man lunchbox, chances are it was very different than what a 2019 mom is putting into her kiddos’ Bento Boxes. As Scary Mommy notes, kids often brought fare like bologna, American cheese and mustard sandwiches on Wonder Bread for lunch, or maybe a classic PB&J or tuna mixed with miracle whip. Sides included a thermos of whole milk or Kool-Aid and a Twinkie or Ding Dong for dessert. The box might have also included a whole apple, orange or a banana. By contrast, today’s lunch boxes are more likely to include chicken tenders shaped like dinosaurs with with ranch dip on the side — because that is all the little darlings will eat right now — along with peeled and sliced apples or oranges, an organic juice pouch and maybe an encouraging note or cute drawing that somehow moms find the time to create in the morning.
How to Keep an Eye on Them
Moms in the 70s didn’t keep a super close eye on what their kids were up to when they were out of the house — mainly because they didn’t have the technology to do so, and also because times were a bit different then. They still wanted their kids to be safe, of course, but it meant checking back home every couple of hours and letting mom know where you were headed.
Today, thanks to smartphones and other advances in tech, it’s much easier for moms to know where there kids are. This doesn’t mean a 2019 mom has to be a helicopter parent; it simply means that if Haley or Aiden are at the park and plan to walk to their friend’s house, one of them can shoot mom a text to let her know instead of walking back home first. Modern-day moms can also use home security camera systems to keep tabs on what their kids are up to, especially if they are out running errands or at work.
What’s Next? We Will Have to Wait and See!
It will be interesting to see how mommyhood will change over the course of the next four-plus decades. If the comparisons between the 1970s and now hold true, moms will still love their kids as much as ever, but will probably have even more cool tools at their disposal to help everyone get through the day.
