20 Kids Who Discovered Their Parents Were Much Cooler Than They'll Ever Be

I've always been a fan of all things vintage - everything from the vinyl my parents saved from their teen years to my favourite 1930s-style ruffled blouse I got at the thrift store. And aside from the fact that society was generally a lot more conservative and regressive in the past, I have always wondered what it would have been like to live in a time where vintage Pontiacs were seen on the roads and bars playing Motown tunes were the norm.

I've also wondered what my parents - who grew up in the 70s and 80s - were like. I mean, I've always just known them as mom and dad - the responsible adults who raised and nurtured me. It would be interesting to know if years, decades even, before all the nagging and cautionary tales, they were actually, you know, cool.

I started thinking about this a lot more when I discovered so many people my age posting photos of their parents doing insanely impressive things or just simply being their gorgeous selves.

So, without further ado, here are some of the world's coolest parents.

1. "48 beers and a unicycle. My dad in the early 80s."

Credit: Reddit / skeleton-spotted

I have just one question - how the hell does he stop the bike without beers dropping everywhere?!

2. "My mom when she lived in Alaska with her husky puppy, Okie."

Credit: Imgur / tonyjefferson

Everything about this photo is gorgeous: the pup, the girl's smile, and the vintage car. Also, I bet there's a great story behind this one.

3. "My mom and dad on their wedding day - 1980"

Credit: Reddit / ohfuckdood

Imagine this being one of the photos taken at your parents' WEDDING. I mean, there's cool and then there's this...

4. "My mom's selfie before it was cool (1989)"

And we thought the selfie was invented by millennials! Erm, clearly not.

5. "My dad teaching math in Southern California (late 70's/early 80's)"

This guy is basically Jim Carrey - and this could totally be the set of one of his movies!

6. "My dad in the 70's doing what he loves. father to 4 boys. More man than myth or legend"

Credit: Reddit / Reallybadat

"They were engaged after their first date."

7. "My dad in Saudi Arabia in the 70's working as a US Military Contractor diving in the Red Sea"

Credit: Reddit / urs1ne

Damn! They don't make 'em like this anymore.

8. "My dad wasn't famous, but his moves were pretty cool (1977)"

Credit: Reddit / -lilsebastian

God, I really hope he stayed cool.

9. "My dad's first car, a 1939 Ford. He bought it with his own money that he earned farming (and drove it daily)."

"He was 11 when he bought it, so this photo was taken in 1948".

10. "My mom in Moscow 1975. From all the stories she's told me about her travels, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a spy."

Credit: Reddit / smashingmellons

Way to blow your mom's cover! What if she really was a spy?

11. "Late 1960's, my dad"

Credit: Reddit / cherrycherries

Wow. I'm guessing he's quite a few people's dads...

12. "My dad, taken for Surfer Magazine. Peru, 1977"

Credit: Reddit / fyrebrahnd

From one fine specimen of a man to another. You're welcome.

13. "My mother when she was a tank instructor in 1984."

Credit: Reddit / danabre

Gorgeous, perfectly capable and accomplished.

14. "My dad being infinitely cooler than I'll ever be (1980)"

Credit: Reddit / TheMasterOfDonuts

Damn! What a stud... and I'm not talking about the horse.

15. "My mom at 16 yrs old with her Camaro in 1975."

Credit: Reddit / MorganGanem

Her first car was a Camaro?! The poster's grandparents must be pretty awesome people.

16. "My dad skateboarding at Hyde School 1982. I think he was cooler than me."

Credit: Reddit / targat2

I think he's probably cooler than everyone...

17. "A friend of my father's, telling off a Klan member. Auburn AL, 1985"

Credit: Reddit / ohdaviing

I so wish I could have been there at that very moment...

18. "My dad sculpting a bust of my mom 1980s"

Credit: Reddit / JankyTango

How romantic! It's like a scene from a movie. Like an alternative version of the pottery scene in Ghost.

19. "I found a photo of my dad cooking a barbecue on top of a moving Submarine"

Credit: Reddit / shanbuscus

Now that's what I call a sausage party...

20. "My mother skateboarding barefoot in California in 1974."

Credit: Reddit / jsparks117

This lady is the epitome of cool.

Okay, so I know exactly what I'm doing later today - going through every single last one of my parents' photo albums from back when they were cool! I wonder what I'll find...