Nothing beats looking at old photos of your parents and realizing they led full, amazing lives before you came along. (Yes, even if they made some questionable clothing and hairstyle choices along the way.)
We come bearing proof: Below, HuffPost readers share their favorite old-school pics of their effortlessly cool moms and dads.
1
This Leisure-Suited Hair God
Ariel Van Patten
"This photo of my dad Marc was taken in approximately 1975 for his 8th grade dance. My dad would always tell my brothers and I about this powder blue leisure suit that his older sister told him would be so 'chic' for him to wear to his dance and get him all the girls. He found the photo recently and we all love it." -- Ariel Van Patten
2
This Worker Bee
Kristine
"Here's my mom Aleyda working at the Culver City Police Department in Southern California. I just love how it shows how happy she was. She absolutely loved being a dispatcher and she says it was the people that she worked with that made her job easier to handle." -- Kristine
3
This Very Lucky Ice Cube Fan
Bryce Rodriguez
"This was 1992. My mom Linda says she was in Hollywood and passed Ice Cube on the street and had the pic taken. I love the fact that my mom looks so '80s/'90s and he just looks very normal." -- Bryce Rodriguez
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4
These Traveling Lovebirds
Chrissie Evans
"My mom and dad strolling in Puerto Vallarta in 1954, not long after they met. They first saw each other in Mexico, when my dad was making ends meet as a picador (one member of a bullfighting team). It was love at first sight." -- Chrissie Evans
5
This Effortlessly Cool Guy
Evan
"This is my father Randy's high school senior picture, taken in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, in 1979. My dad has always been quite the lady's man, and this was particularly true in his high school and college years. He's always been a very cool, hilarious, and interesting man. Although not the most conventionally attractive (those eyebrows!), he's always had this endearingly confident, comfortable air to him that has resonated with almost everyone he's met." -- Evan
6
This Peak '90s Fam
Tim
"My dad Kelly and my mother Debra with me and our dog, Deena. Too much '90s. My dad passed away three years ago and this my favorite pic of him." -- Tim
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7
These "Twist" Aficionados
Patrick Andrae
"My parents Dee and Mike doing 'The Twist' at my Aunt Kathleen's wedding in 1965. They've so young and having a blast! My dad was half the age I am now." --
Patrick Andrae
Patrick Andrae
8
This Cultured Record Collector
Arif Syed
"This was taken in the mid '70s in NYC. My father, Harun Syed, had immigrated to the US from Bangladesh alone in 1968 at 17 years old, and this is him after a few years of getting into the American music scene. He takes great pride in learning about different cultures and being able to have meaningful conversations with people who come from those cultures. He's not one to just listen to someone speak; he always asks questions and engages." -- Arif Syed
9
These Bathing Beauties
Thomala
"This photo was taken in 1960 in Green Valley Lake, California, where my grandfather had a cabin. I love this photo because my mom Gerri (the one on the right) and her friend are still friends today. In fact, the friend in this photo is my Godmother." -- Thomala
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10
This Studly Scholar
Randy Tsang
"My dad Peter is 21 here, studying for his medical degree whilst looking after me. The pic was taken in 1984 in Cork, Ireland. Money was very tight, to the extent that my mom and dad were relying on scholarships and prizes to get by. So there was a lot of pressure on my dad to study hard and get good grades." -- Randy Tsang
11
The Easy Rider
Michael Haak
"This is a pic of my dad Bob Haak around 1975 somewhere in western Nevada along Highway 95, where we are from. I love this pic because it confirms to me exactly where I got my sense of adventure and exploration from. Nevada does that to people and it's passed on down to the next generation. The people there love to get out and explore and it's a beautiful place to do it." -- Michael Haak
12
This Cool Girl
Cory Lefebvre
"The photo was taken in the late '70s or early '80s. Personally, I really love how relaxed and happy my mom Cory looks in this pic. She passed away about about three years ago and we have a few iconic pics of her from this day, all with those awesome sunglasses and in every one she has a little smile on her face." -- Cory Lefebvre
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13
This Rebellious Navy Man
Valetia Twaddell
"This is a photo of my dad Albert Twaddell -- aka Butch Twaddell -- working in the naval yards in Washington, D.C., during the Vietnam War in 1968. I love this picture because you can see how much pride he has in being part of the Navy and yet he still has that wild rebel look in his eyes that drove all the girls in his high school crazy." -- Valetia Twaddell
14
This Serious Babe
Maria
"This was taken around 1972 or 1973 in San Jose, Costa Rica, where we are originally from. My mom Carmen was probably about 23 years old at that time. What I like the most about the picture is the way my mom looks in it: the fashion, her hair. These days, she mostly keeps her hair above the shoulder length, so to see her with long hair, it brings me back to when I was younger. Also, my mom doesn’t like to take many pictures of herself, which makes this one even more special." -- Maria
15
This Deeply-In-Love Duo
Mauricio de la Vega
"My parents Aleida and Vicente de la Vega were high school sweethearts. They had been 'going steady' for four years before they married in December 1971 in Miami, Florida. On a whim, my mother attended a bridal fair with some friends and entered in a raffle to win an all-inclusive honeymoon to a fancy resort in Acapulco, Mexico. Well, she won the raffle but was told that the prize expired in five months. Soon after, the happy couple was engaged, married and on their way to Mexico. I am happy to report they are still happily married." -- Mauricio de la Vega
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16
This Very Intent Reader
Matia B
"Here's my dad, Bohus Lenicky, casually ignoring me and my sister in the '80s while on a summer holiday!" -- Matia B.
17
And Finally, This Cool Cat
Colleen
"This was taken in 1952, when my dad Richard was 18. I love his expression.... It embodies who he was." -- Colleen
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