Does anybody remember them? They were popular in my area when I was little. It was an organization with adults (I think mostly suburban mothers) would bring in children who were caught in an emergency like being chased into their homes. The child would be able to identify a "block parent" house by a sign in the window of a woman and a child. I have not seen those signs in ages so I'm just curious about whether or not block parents still exist.

Does anybody remember them? They were popular in my area when I was little. It was an organization with adults (I think mostly suburban mothers) would bring in children who were caught in an emergency like being chased into their homes. The child would be able to identify a "block parent" house by a sign in the window of a woman and a child. I have not seen those signs in ages so I'm just curious about whether or not block parents still exist.


Sounds vaguely familiar.  Child safety was a big deal with the boomers.  People got awfully paranoid after they switched their drug of choice from pot to coke.  However -- I think you are on to a phenomenon that did exist in the eighties.  I just can't put my finger on what it is.

Maybe it was a holdover from postwar paranoia too!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/02/buck.gif

I remember those.  I don't know anyone who took it seriously, on my block you knew the houses you could knock on the door of at any hour of the day or night for help, and the houses you crossed the streets in front of know matter what time of day.

I remember those.  I don't know anyone who took it seriously, on my block you knew the houses you could knock on the door of at any hour of the day or night for help, and the houses you crossed the streets in front of know matter what time of day.


Sure, Chris, you can ring my bell any time.  Mmmmm.mmmm!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T0yBN1LAMoc/RyjN9Af29AI/AAAAAAAADNw/TSgGgAj9FNU/s400/FamilyGuyHerbert.jpg

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/15/walk.gif

Actually, Block parents was a product of the '60s, including this sign for Calgary, AB:

http://southwoodconnects.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/block-parent.jpg

They seem to be more prevalant in Canada today as well. In my neighborhood, a Block Parent sign was in two halves. The upper part was indicated by a orangeish-red hand on a black background, while the bottom half had black text describing the sign on an orangeish-red background. Neighborhoods in more recent years where I live have "burglars beware" signs.

People discovered they needed to be neighbors again because isolation breeds paranoia.