I remember when my parents & grandparents used to tell
me about “back when they were a kid” and how so many things have changed. How my generation had it so easy, dressed so
weird, had crazy hairstyles and listened to horrible music. “What is this “noise” you’re listening to?” (By the way, I think it was Run DMC & LL
Cool J and try not to think about that one time with Samantha Fox). They talked about
the difference in growing up and how they walked uphill to school (both
ways).
Well the other day I was thinking about how kids today and
how things were very different back when I was growing up.
- When I was little I had an X-Box Kinect, except it was called actually going outside and playing with my friends
- We wouldn’t email or text anyone. We would however, write on a piece of paper, pass it across the classroom so a girl could read: “Do you like me? Yes. No. Maybe. Check one box”
- I never had a play date. Instead I walked to my friends houses, knocked on their door and asked if they could come out and play
- We used an encyclopedia not Google. Plagiarizing was much, much harder!
- We answered the phone with Hello because we had no idea who was calling
- I wasn’t worried about drugs or pregnancy, however I was worried about getting picked last for kickball
- Yes, at one point I had only 5 channels on TV, yet there was always something to watch
- I didn’t have an I-Pad, I-Pod, I-Home, PSP, Nintendo DS etc - but I did have an imagination – oh yeah, and my GI-Joe action figures
- Social Networking was when we actually met people face to face
- I would call adults Mr. or Mrs. I didn’t even know they HAD first names
- Calling your kids on their cell phone? Nope, didn’t exist, but parents screaming out their front door that it was time for dinner – everyone heard that!
- Girls wore earrings, boys didn’t
- Taking candy from strangers? Yay…free candy!
- Aids didn’t exist until I heard about Magic Johnson
- I knew what Willis was talking about
- Receipts from stores were actually short and not a dissertation about such-and-such brand that brought down an acres of rain forest to print
- Family game night was played with actual board games and not with family members in different rooms linked together through wi-fi
- Baseball hats were worn facing forward
- We would talk to strangers and respect adults
- Roller Skating was considered fun – until the slow song came on and you sweated over finding a girl to skate with, and of course, falling down
- There was only 1 Captain from Star Trek and his name was Kirk
- There was no such thing as reality stars
- The Gooch was the most feared bully on TV. Extra points for anyone who gets that reference
- O.J. Simpson ran through airports (sans knife and bloody glove) on hertz commercials
- Michael Jackson was alive and Paul McCartney was dead (well only if you played the Beatles I’m so Tired backwards)
- Vampires didn’t sparkle
- The bathroom was "The Fonz's" office?
- Donald Trump had bad hair – OK maybe things haven’t changed in that regard
My god, I am turning into my parents. Now excuse me while I walk to work - - uphill…both
ways
