14 And Under -1973 Parents Guide- -

In 1973, the biggest parental battle is over hair length (boys) and hemlines (girls). Your 14-year-old daughter wants hot pants and platform shoes that cause ankle fractures. Your son wants a feathered mullet and a denim jacket with a Led Zeppelin patch.

Parental Guide: Compromise on the hair. Fight on the shoes. A broken ankle in 1973 means a plaster cast for six weeks with no waterproof cover. You will be signing the cast with a Sharpie every night.

In 1973, parental guidance systems were not as standardized as today (the US PG-13 didn’t exist; R and X were used). In Germany, the FSK (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft) rated it "18 and over" in some versions, but in other countries it was marketed toward teens.

Parents’ groups objected to:

Your 14-year-old’s record collection (yes, vinyl—probably scratched) includes albums like The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd), Houses of the Holy (Led Zeppelin), and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John). Parents in 1973 are convinced that rock music causes drug use, premarital sex, and long hair that obscures the ears (a major sign of delinquency).

The Smoking Gun: The album Bat Out of Hell won’t drop until 1977, but the seeds are there. In 1973, kids are playing “Light My Fire” backward to hear secret messages.

Parental Tip: Do not forbid the album. Instead, read the lyrics aloud at the dinner table in a monotone voice. Nothing kills the mystique of “Stairway to Heaven” faster than dad reciting it like a grocery list. 14 and under -1973 parents guide-

1973 was the year of Deep Throat (the film, not the Watergate source). Pornography went mainstream. For the parent of a 14-year-old, this meant magazine racks at the grocery store and FM radio.

The Top 40 Danger Songs like "Midnight Train to Georgia" (Gladys Knight) were fine. However:

The Bedroom Door Dr. Spock’s revised 1973 edition of Baby and Child Care argued that privacy for 14-year-olds was a right, not a privilege. But conservative guides warned: "A closed bedroom door with a boy/girl friend inside is a recipe for teen pregnancy." The 1973 parent was the first generation to have to decide: Lock the door or allow privacy? In 1973, the biggest parental battle is over

The early 1970s were a transition period between the Hays Code era (strict US censorship) and the modern rating system. European cinema, especially German and Italian, pushed boundaries with "educational" or "comedic" sex films aimed at teens. Parents feared these films would encourage sexual activity among younger adolescents.

In 1973, most schools still separate boys and girls for a single 45-minute filmstrip titled “Becoming a Woman” or “The Wonder of Growth.” The filmstrip features a disembodied voice, a flute soundtrack, and a diagram of a uterus that looks like a pear.

What your 14-year-old actually knows: Everything. The older sibling of their best friend has a copy of The Joy of Sex hidden under a mattress. They have seen National Geographic magazines. And if you live in a city, they have seen hardcore pornography sold in brown wrappers at the gas station. 1973 was the year of Deep Throat (the

Your job: Do not panic. Buy them What’s Happening to Me? by Peter Mayle (published 1975—pre-order it). In the meantime, say this: “If you have questions, ask me. If you don’t want to ask me, ask the librarian at the public library. Do not ask the kid behind the 7-Eleven.”