Childhood Memories

Remember being a kid and thinking you couldn't wait to grow up? We were convinced that life as an adult was so much better. Boy were we wrong. Life as a kid was so much simpler. Someone cooked for you, cleaned up after you, took care of you when you were sick and made sure you had everything you needed. Your only job was to go to school and have fun. Aside from the occasional chores and whatnot, life was just easy. I know everyone gets older and thinks back on the way life was and thinks that their generation was the best. But I am going to just state the obvious anyway and say that MY generation really is the best. Being born in 1979, the 70's were behind us, but in my home, and I'm sure many others, bits and pieces of them still lingered. Orange shag carpet and 8 track players for instance. But the 80's were looming on the horizon. Microwaves, video games, MTV and more were waiting just ahead.
Oh the 80's... such memorable times. The 80's brought us so many wonderful things. Technology (Who remembers BETA?) was just the beginning. Walkmans paved the way for ipods, microwaves reinvented dinner, mobile phones were fast becoming something more than just television props and speaking of television... MTV was making its mark on the hearts of kids everywhere. "I want my MTV." was more than just an advertisement, it was a way of life. You didn't just hear your favorite songs, you watched them. You dressed like your favorite MTV stars and VJ's and you couldn't wait for your favorite hour, whether it was 'Yo! MTV Raps' or 'Headbangers Ball' or one of the many reality shows/specials that came along as the channel grew. TV and movies were a big part of any kids life if you grew up in the 80's & 90's. Everyone has a favorite and the list is endless. Cartoons when I was a kid were just better. You can take your Spongebob idiot pants and stick it where the sun don't shine. I'll take 'Smurfs', 'GI Joe', 'Transformers', 'Carebears', 'Gummi Bears', 'Muppets', or anything from the 80's over that junk anyday. Television shows were family friendly and taught you life lessons, not how to kill someone and leave no evidence behind, or how to act like a trashy, ignorant disaster. Things were just better back then. Toys were meant to be played with, not to play for you. You had to use your imagination and be creative. You didn't get every new toy that came out and you didn't expect to, either. When you made your Christmas list, it was things you wanted, not things you demanded. You might get 1 or 2 things off your list, not every damn thing on it. And if you didn't get the one thing you really wanted, you either saved your allowance (that you actually had to earn) and bought it yourself, or you asked for it the next year. You played outside, you rode your bike to your friends house 4 blocks away. It wouldn't have even occurred to us to ask our parents for a ride. You played sports and kept score. Winning made you feel good and losing made you try harder the next time. If you were bad at something, it was ok to say so. It made you want to practice more or just try new things. If you had a fight with your friends, you handled it yourself. My mom never called my friends mom and told her to make her kid apologize. I would've felt like an idiot. We called each other names and picked on one another. Every kid was a bully at some point, until they got picked on too. How did our parents handle it? They told us, "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you." or "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." and we got over it. Life was just different back then. Simpler. Easier. Better.

The 90's were the last of the good times. Now, by good times, I don't mean the Grunge look. That was just bad all around. No one can pull off that much flannel and ripped denim. Not even Jared Padalecki. But the 90's were the end of an era. The last of the normal kids. By 2000, seeing a kid on a bike was like seeing a unicorn. Being ridden by a fairy. Over a rainbow. Made of gumdrops. Ok, you get my point. Things have changed. Some may think it's for the better, but not me. Yes, I love my cell phone, and facebook, and the internet just as much as the next guy, but I'd give it all up for a chance to have the simplicity and fun of my childhood back. So here's to all the "Back in the day." and "When I was a kid." and "I remember when." moments that are sure to come. Hold on to those times. Share them with your kids and grandkids and let them live on forever...