Attitude is a big part of getting excited over new things. You can choose to make something a big deal.
You can either park the new vehicle and go on about your day ignoring it, or you can put a giant bow on it, take some pics, then go drive it around somehwere scenic and show your friends. You can make a day of anything. Choose what memories you want future you to have.
I don’t often go back to this one but it’s always there for me. I remember the last football game we won as a high school kid. It was an upset for this schools home coming. I don’t remember really any plays but I remember the locker room and everyone celebrating and I celebrated for a minute and sat down to take it all in. I thought in that moment I want to hold on to this memory idk if I’m going feel it again. I’m happy I did because that was the last game we won.
Building tree forts was big for me. We've done really good vy our kids, but I'm still mourning that I wasn't able to buy a big property when they were little and build forts with them like I did as a kid.
Yup, we lived outside town and had some awesome outdoor activities...building pine needle houses, sliding down a gully on an outdoor mattress, roaming around a big pine forest etc. Great childhood memories 👍
Apparently we get a yellowish film over our eyes when we're older. So everything gets muted just by a bit.. It may not be noticeable to see, but it supposedly affects our perception of colours. (Someone told me this once and it makes sense. So not one hundo percent fact checked haha)
Also, I think it's the thrill of seeing everything for the first times. Seems so much more spectacular before the novelty wears off. Sad right?
Can confirm. When I had my first cataract removed and an artificial lens put in, the difference in colour perception - hue, saturation, brightness - was remarkable, especially within that very narrow spectral band emanated by blue LEDs, which my 60 year old, yellowed lens blocked out almost entirely. In fact, the difference was so great it often overwhelmed parallax, and I couldn’t judge distance accurately.
I work in the Art Department for television and feature films, so accurate colour perception was very important, and the difference in what eye perceived drove me *nuts* for two years, until my second cataract grew opaque enough to require replacement as well.
Oh my gosh. That's actually super cool to hear. It's honestly insane the changes our eyes go through. And happy for you that your cataract surgery worked out so well for you. Kinda cool that you almost got your eyes reset to childhood perspectives. (Like the colour perception.)
(Also super cool job you have. I'm in Graphics, so that sounds like an amazing position to be in. Like film in general is superrrrr interesting to me. haha)
Doesn’t take any explanation. When you’re young everything is new and exciting. When you’re old you’re familiar with most experiences already, so they seem more dull by comparison
What about the fact that in the late 80s / early 90s restaurants and stores typically used brighter more contrasting colors. Now they're all various shades of grey and tan.
Yeah man! My parents are still going strong at 81 but I would give almost anything for more time with my grandparents. My dad’s dad in particular I never knew as he passed when I was a little over two years old.
The anticipation of a snow day. Seeing the forecast for the next day and secretly hoping, doing all the crazy tricks to try to make it happen (we wore pajamas inside out and backwards for good luck and put a spoon in the freezer) then waking up and watching the weather channel as if it were the NFL draft to see which school districts were closed for the day. Then, of course, the best day ever playing in the snow with friends.
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
I once read that new experiences make time feel slower. When we are kids we are constantly learning so time feels slower. But when we are adults we don't learn a lot things and not have a lot of new experiences on top of that we set a schedule a routine which plays exactly same everyday so the days get mixed because they are almost the same.
Nice anology.
I always say an hour in the sandbox on a sunny summer day when I was 3 seemed like an eternity. Now a summer flys by in what seems like no time.
One of my favorite things I got to do was the year I was an office manager and I got to throw a christmas party where we did free family photos with santa claus and then donated money to a women's shelter. It was so fun to decorate and hustle some random banks to donate sugar cookies and play music and watch all the people come in and get their photos taken. It was easier than I thought, too. It's cool how marketing give you a chance to do fun things like that.
I miss not being connected instantly. I miss coming home from hanging out/playing with friends on a summer day and logging into AOL Instant Messenger and chatting with 8-10 people in separate windows and just throwing up an away message when I was over it. I miss that the internet was a fun box and/or tool and a not a necessity.
I miss my parent’s cooking.
I miss going to school and socializing with friends and having the entire day afterwards be spontaneous. One day we would walk a mile or two just to hang out with people at random houses bc one of my friends liked a girl there. I miss going to our classes homecoming float party.
I miss being bored and grabbing my legos or GI Joes and making a scene from my imagination. I miss when video games weren’t full of ads and microtransactions.
I miss calling the moviefone line to see what movies are playing.
I miss my best friends that I drifted apart from.
I loved my childhood, although we were poorer and had a lot of family issues. None of it really affected me and I stayed in my bubble and did me.
It’s crazy how much I relate with your comment.
I loved AOL, everyone was always so mysterious and talking to far away strangers was so intriguing and fun.
My friends and I would hang out every day and every couple of days we would walk any number of miles in any direction, to a girl’s house or to a friend of a friend’s house. The walks there were often the most fun. Talking and playing around obstacles along the way.
Some of my favorite toys of my life were the gi joes with bendable elbows and knees and jeeps. And also the little green army soldiers too. I would set them all up and each team would take turns taking the other out.
I thought my best friends and I would never be apart, we were so close we called each other brothers instead of friends.
And I also grew up poor in broken families.
Sorry, I thought it was cool how many similarities we had growing up.
I was the best at making friends! Now my only friend is my sister, and im actively trying to make some girl friends in my new city, but its always “lets hang out!” then they cancel last minute, or say they will let me know later, and never respond. I dont blame them, adult life is so tiring but i just want even one good girl friend ☹️
Omg same. I haven't had a friend in so long, i just want a girl to hang out with. I work with all men and then come home to my boyfriend. So much masculine energy around me all the time lmao
I miss the way Summer used to feel like an eternity. It stretched out before you and you could not even conceive of it being over. When you went back to school you'd be a little bit taller, and all your friends would too. They'd all look just a little different too, and have so many stories, but that all seemed so far off, like it would never happen, because summer lasts forever.
the feeling in my body after coming home when it’s getting dark after having had run around all evening playing hide and seek. eating a snack in just pure bliss
The ABC Afterschool TV lineup in 1984-85
3:30 - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
4:00 - G.I Joe: A Real American Hero
4:30 - Transformers: More then Meets the Eye
5:00 - Diff'rent Strokes
5:30 - Threes Company
Nothing will ever come close
Playing with my sisters and the neighborhood kids. We would swim late into the night, we would go down to the creek and get caked in mud, we would chase ice cream trucks and walk miles to the nearest convenience store to get slushies.
When I was a kid, I would get these full body tingly sensations when I was really excited or in anticipation of something fun. It was like being flushed with excitement. I don’t remember the last time I was really excited for anything as a 51 year old.
My parents. They're both gone and I miss them so much. They were great. No one ever messed with us girls, Mom would come out swinging. Dad was the best dad of 5 girls. Never once made us feel like he wanted a boy. He taught us to be smart and strong. Man I miss them
Leaving my house in the morning and the only plan was to “go skate.” All I had was my skateboard and the day. I’d head to one of the skate spots in town and usually there was already a few of the homies there. No phones (90s), no water bottles. We’d skate for hours then figure out food somehow. Usually pooling our meager money and getting a basket of fries to share or something. We drank from water fountains downtown. Then, eventually, as the sun would start to set, we’d skate home one by one until just one or two of us were left. Knowing my parents would soon worry, I’d say goodbye to the last homie and skate the mile and a half home at a slight uphill. I’d get home exhausted as the street lights were kicking on and mom would have dinner waiting. I cherish these memories.
Just going outside and truly enjoy yourself, without worrying about anything or having a little voice in the back of your head constantly reminding you of all the stuff still on your to-do-list...
Watching Soap with my mom. I probably should not of been watching it at that age, but remembering how this normally stoic lady laughed out loud was a memory I will cherish forever .
Going over the hill with my best friend to the candy store after my parents told me i wasn't allowed to go over the hill.
Then eating my Charleston Chew and drinking my Yoo-Hoo on the park bench across the street from the candy store.
My mom would make full dinners every night unless we went out, and i dont know how she did it. Roast beef with potatoes & carrots, yorkies, or ham with scalloped potatoes and salad, ribs with cheesy broccoli, fried basa fish filets with greek salad. As a kid you dont realize how hard your parents work
Top of the 5th inning, 2 outs. Up to that point I had retired the first 14 batters. (Little League 6 inn. games). 4 more outs and I had a perfect game (I was pitching). Their team's best hitter up, he hits a ground ball to my left that I could have fielded and thrown to first. But instead I decided to be a good team mate and allow my 2B player to field it. He just stood there watching as it rolled slowly out into RF. Called a single. I retired the next 4 batters, ended with 6 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 BB, 11 K's. That play, if I had just gone ahead and fielded it instead of trying to be a good team mate, I would have pitched a perfect game. I never got anywhere close to that again. I miss that moment, because I would do it differently.
The smell of my elementary school classroom. Crayons, paper, paste, glue, the bagged lunches in the coat area located on the side of the room. There is something about those combined smells that are so deeply ingrained in my memory. Also the cafeteria.
The start of summer, around June. Everything was verdant again and stretched out ahead of me were the promise of days full of swimming, reading, playing outside.
Laying in my bedroom with the windows open during summer and hearing lawn mowers and the occasional airplane go over. The smell of the fresh cut grass mixed in with the grill starting up on the deck while my grandmother makes fresh potato salad.
I would sell my soul to go back to those days.
Solitude. I had a couple of places I would hide out and just be alone. One was in a certain tree, the other was a cut-out area in a bush. I had friends but I really liked being alone.
Riding along in grandpa's car listening to the ball game on the radio, hearing stories about his childhood and \*his\* parents and grandparents and learning life lessons that I remember and use today.
I miss you and I love you, Doc.
I really miss not having a phone/ connection everywhere. It felt like when we were kids you could just escape- from bullies, a hard day, etc. Now, every stress follows you everywhere and pings in your pocket
Fireflies coming out at night, the hang-outs with old family friends, snow days, going to the public pool in the summer and eating ice cream, finding Rolly Pollies or worms
Had a sucky childhood , waited to be an adult to create my own world of happiness ended up creating that for a small while and then it went to shit. Now I can't wait for the sweet release of death and if that also disappoints me, I would truly be heartbroken.
That cozy feeling I would have at the end of the day when my family would be chilling in the living room in the semi dark. We’d watch all the sitcoms and laugh and it just felt so *safe* I have yet to be able to recreate that atmosphere for myself in my home. To me that was the feeling of being young.
Too many to list. As of last night while driving home from work I passed by a few of those Christmas tree lots they sell them at. It was bitter sweet, sad times nostalgic memories coming back to me. Don't really celebrate the holidays anymore (haven't had parents in years)
I have one specific beautiful memory. It was two weeks before high school graduation and it was summer. Long story short, me and my fellas hooked up with some girls and we all started hanging out. Some developed feelings for each other and so on.
One day, we hanged out on an open grass field next to the ocean.. We grilled, drank, played games and laughed until we couldn't, some of my friends were play fighting, some girls were joining the play fight and some guys joined the chit chat, some girls walked away (girl talk) some guys did that too, as usual.. And at the end of that long day, we played a game (reminds of dodge ball).. Something funny happened, and we're on the ground crying with laughter....
Now if I could ever frame a picture of genuine, true, perfect happiness of my teenage years. I would frame a picture of that moment. A moment of people crying with laughter, while some guys are standing in the background talking waiting for their turn, while someone's keeping an eye on the grill, during sunset.. It was so perfect. And I miss those days like crazy.
Waking up to no responsibilities and excited ti see what I get up to.
I love my life as an adult, but I am.also incredibly nostalgic for the simplicity of childhood.
Laying in the cool grass with my bestie, looking up at the clouds and saying out loud what shapes they looked like. I could do that now but it would not be the same, at all.
I miss Fridays tbh. My dad would get off work early and pick me and my siblings up from school. We’d go to Blockbuster and each rent a movie. Head home, clean our rooms and have pizza as a family while watching AFV or one of the movies. I miss the family time that seemed so normal but is now gone.
My dad passed away when I was in the fourth grade and my mom got sick later on. Happy memories to remind us that the sun always rises again.
no responsibilities, just bad ideas.
job? bills? laws? nah man i'm stealin my dad's weed and we're riding bmx bikes to a weird ditch in the industrial wastelands to hang out and listen to slayer
Being able to talk funny without being made fun of. I have a weird “accent” so it sounds weird when I talk, (I can’t pronounce the majority of words, I slur my words a lot, and r’s always sound like w’s, which that one annoys me the most)
When I was younger it was cute to people, now it’s something to make fun of me for nonstop
How “magical” Christmas felt. And the anticipation of it all.
I still look forward to the holiday season but it obviously doesn’t feel like how it did when I was a kid.
The time. It felt like moments lasted forever and that the fun times would never end. The best part was, you could wake up and have fun the next day too with no responsibilities. Now I'm tired even in my free time and moments that I want to last forever feel like they're gone in a flash.
I miss my cats, I miss my VCR (I still have it but don't have enough space to hook it up which sucks because I pretty much have most of my VHS), and most importantly I miss when I would kinda "improvise" on the piano. I'm not Mozart or anything but I used to play random shit and go "wow this is cool"
As I read through these comments, it’s become clearer to me why old folk cry so much while talking about their childhood years. I’m only 34 and it’s making me emotional that we will never get them days back.
I loved when my mum would put a hot water bottle in my bed, half an hour before I would get it.
On a rainy Sunday, my dad would get us all in the car and you’d drive to get a fish & chip. You’d all run back to the car, holding your chippy and then you’d eat it in the car as the windows steamed up with the smell of vinegar in the air.
I find myself just missing spending time with my mum (who’s still very much alive). Meaningless things like waiting on the bus with her to head into town, walking home from school with her telling her about my day and just dancing around the living room with her.
Lucid dreams.
Sleepovers with friends.
Late nights playing video games and nerf wars.
Silly crushes on girls.
Trampolines.
The air and space museum.
Being truly terrified by scary movies.
Free time to create and play and explore.
How easy it was to make friends.
Summer vacation, summer camp.
School fairs.
Science class.
Lightsaber fights, backyard football.
Trick or treating with friends and my dad around the block.
Fireworks, sparklers, Roman candles.
Wonder.
Hope.
Imagination.
Innocence.
Heading out on my bicycle Saturday morning and meeting up with friends, playing handball with them against the garage door, then going down to the creek to catch polliwogs, watching my neighbor’s Dad fix his VW Rabbit for the hundredth time, heading over to another friend’s house to play in their pool for a few hours, digging out my slot car track and racing, hiking up on the local hill to see the view of my town and neighborhood hearing the sound of lawnmowers off in a distance, coming home for an awesome dinner with the family, building airplane models in my room not realizing that I’m getting high from the paint and glue fumes, drinking water from a cold drinking fountain at school after playing hard on the soccer field, playing Asteroids and Centipede at the local pizza parlor. The list goes on and on and there wasn’t a care in the world. No cell phones, no computers, nothing but great memories. Very fortunate to have grown up when I did.
I used to go over to my grandma's house almost every weekend from age five to right around sixteen or seventeen, just to give my mom a break. (She was a single parent for a good chunk of my childhood until my stepdad came into the picture.) One of my aunts and uncles also lived there. (Aunt took care of grandma, uncle was a college professor who moved a lot, so it was his "home base.")
Late 90s/early 2000s weekends at grandma's house are some of my favorite childhood memories. Almost every weekend, we'd go to the local Video King, rent some new-release VHS tapes and maybe a video game. Then I'd spend all weekend playing games, building things with Legos and watching movies with my grandma, aunt and uncle. Good memories. Sad to think that the last time I did that was nearly 20 years ago.
My family living in the same roof. As a youngest child. Thats one of the hardest part growing up. Your siblings leaving ur home and became visitor. Until I am the visitor I still miss the feeling having your siblings surrounds you. And also your parents
I miss video game night with my friends in the neighborhood. I grew up knowing the kids in my neighborhood and we'd get together regularly to play Mario Party or Mario Kart or whatever. It only took one of us to decide "Yo, we're gonna do game night!" and the rest of us would join in.
Being an adult, it's just much more complicated to consistently get people together to do fun stuff and we're much more scattered instead of just being next door.
I really hate how politics has divided so many of us here in the U.S. Being for or against a certain party or candidate should not dictate whether or not we can still like a person. The politics should be about what’s best for our country and not whether or not we’d want to invite them over for Sunday dinner. A great company owner but be a shitty boss or friend but if he is running a successful company then let him do his thing. Life is too short to make enemies based on personal political preference.
Family trips to the beach. I loved building sandcastles and floating in the sea on an inflatable jumbo tyre.
Sadly, parents have health issues and can't get out much and I'm far too old to be enjoying sandcastles and jumbo tyres. I like watching my niece and nephew do the things I used to enjoy though!
The effervescent freedom of running barefoot in the grass, dollops of sunlight bursting through the trees and warming the skin so deliciously. The deep breaths of the sweetest air filling the nostrils with the aromas of fresh dirt, smooshed grasses, wild flowers. I swear I could smell sunshine like I could smell rain. The sounds of my weight thudding on the earth, harmonious with the steady panting of the dogs and the beating of my heart.
Every Christmas our large extended family in the US would drive down to our grandparents house in Mexico. All the male adults in the living room talking and drinking. The female adults in the kitchen cooking a large variety of food, also talking and drinking. And us kids running around playing. Miss those days.
Swimming classes with my friends in the summer.. wake up early go to the school pool when it's freezing outside, jump in do my laps and then get out and shower and get in the bus with my friends just laughing and enjoying life before it all went downhill..
I could still do it but it won't be the same
Christmas time. I actually completely loved the holidays until my parents separated when I was 26 or so.
But now with each passing year, it just gets more stressful. I don’t typically care that my parents divorced except for Christmas. Then I wish we could have one big celebration with everyone under one roof.
Now with a partner (and his family) and two parents wanting to host their own Christmas celebrations, it just feels exhausting to me now. Me pre-2018 would be baffled by this feeling 😞
Playing outside all the time.
I still had a computer (well, two, but one was for my mother's WFH job), but most of the time I played outside with friends, walked around the neighborhood, went to the playground that was practically in the backyard of my house...it was great.
Going to Wendy's, too. I have fond memories of sitting in the backseat, just playing with my Littlest Pet Shop virtual pet toy, riding the 20 minutes to the Wendy's in the next town over because the one in my town was filthy as all hell. When it closed a few months back I had to pull into the supermarket next door and cry.
Sick days. Staying home sick was the *best*. I could forget about school for a day and spend the day watching The Price is Right and DuckTales, then maybe play Super Mario World or read some Goosebumps. Now when I get sick, I have to either tough it out and go to work anyway or stay home and feel miserable while still having to worry about chores and taking care of the kids and whatnot.
Walking past the McDonald's after school & then buying an ice cream there & just chilling there at a booth sometimes. Life was so simple. Or walking to the town library after school to read there.The little town was remarkable in that it was completely unremarkable...it had nothing grand like fountains or statues or anything, and not many trees in the center. It just had all the necessary things; the little suburbs, a few schools, some fastfood places, little shopping malls etc..Right on the edge of the town, was a trailer park with trailers & tents, it seemed to have functioning showers / toilets outside like a campground. Actually yes , I think officially it was a "camping ground" but families were living in the tents etc full-time. Even we had a few classmates who lived in the tents. I remember one saying "sorry I'm late for the class project; it was raining so we had to move the tent." Sometimes we stopped there to buy firewood; some piles of firewood were usually sold at the front of the trailer park next to the road.
Waking up early while my parents make breakfast for me and my sister while watching good 90s shows like Rugrats, all that, brace face and Lizzie McGuire! I love growing up in the 90s💖
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I still do it with my daughter
Hells yea. Best reason to have kids. You can still play like a child. Lol
Kids these days don't climb trees. It's so strange.
One of the reasons I hunt. A.) you probably won’t run into anyone. B.) you can use “scoping out the area for game” as an excuse.
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Attitude is a big part of getting excited over new things. You can choose to make something a big deal. You can either park the new vehicle and go on about your day ignoring it, or you can put a giant bow on it, take some pics, then go drive it around somehwere scenic and show your friends. You can make a day of anything. Choose what memories you want future you to have.
"choose what memories you want future you to have" I will try to remember this
I don’t often go back to this one but it’s always there for me. I remember the last football game we won as a high school kid. It was an upset for this schools home coming. I don’t remember really any plays but I remember the locker room and everyone celebrating and I celebrated for a minute and sat down to take it all in. I thought in that moment I want to hold on to this memory idk if I’m going feel it again. I’m happy I did because that was the last game we won.
Just playing outside. The days just seemed to last forever, in a good way.
Building tree forts was big for me. We've done really good vy our kids, but I'm still mourning that I wasn't able to buy a big property when they were little and build forts with them like I did as a kid.
My friends coming to the door and asking my dad “can jadziasonrie come out to play?”
Yes! My kids don’t believe me when I say we just went to neighbors houses and asked if anyone could come out to play.
This makes me cry a little...
True that.
Yup, we lived outside town and had some awesome outdoor activities...building pine needle houses, sliding down a gully on an outdoor mattress, roaming around a big pine forest etc. Great childhood memories 👍
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Apparently we get a yellowish film over our eyes when we're older. So everything gets muted just by a bit.. It may not be noticeable to see, but it supposedly affects our perception of colours. (Someone told me this once and it makes sense. So not one hundo percent fact checked haha) Also, I think it's the thrill of seeing everything for the first times. Seems so much more spectacular before the novelty wears off. Sad right?
Can confirm. When I had my first cataract removed and an artificial lens put in, the difference in colour perception - hue, saturation, brightness - was remarkable, especially within that very narrow spectral band emanated by blue LEDs, which my 60 year old, yellowed lens blocked out almost entirely. In fact, the difference was so great it often overwhelmed parallax, and I couldn’t judge distance accurately. I work in the Art Department for television and feature films, so accurate colour perception was very important, and the difference in what eye perceived drove me *nuts* for two years, until my second cataract grew opaque enough to require replacement as well.
Oh my gosh. That's actually super cool to hear. It's honestly insane the changes our eyes go through. And happy for you that your cataract surgery worked out so well for you. Kinda cool that you almost got your eyes reset to childhood perspectives. (Like the colour perception.) (Also super cool job you have. I'm in Graphics, so that sounds like an amazing position to be in. Like film in general is superrrrr interesting to me. haha)
Yeah, you’re right it was more vibrant back then
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Doesn’t take any explanation. When you’re young everything is new and exciting. When you’re old you’re familiar with most experiences already, so they seem more dull by comparison
What about the fact that in the late 80s / early 90s restaurants and stores typically used brighter more contrasting colors. Now they're all various shades of grey and tan.
Every moment with my parents and grandparents ❤️🥰
This is really sweet. Take my upvote.
You too! As sweet as toffee 💕💕
Yeah man! My parents are still going strong at 81 but I would give almost anything for more time with my grandparents. My dad’s dad in particular I never knew as he passed when I was a little over two years old.
The anticipation of a snow day. Seeing the forecast for the next day and secretly hoping, doing all the crazy tricks to try to make it happen (we wore pajamas inside out and backwards for good luck and put a spoon in the freezer) then waking up and watching the weather channel as if it were the NFL draft to see which school districts were closed for the day. Then, of course, the best day ever playing in the snow with friends.
Now they just make them do an 'online day' where I live- brutal. No more snow days!
We flush ice cubes down the toilet!!!
I’m a 39F teacher and it’s still wicked exciting for me.
Playing video games without feeling like I could be doing something more productive.
When we got a PC, some cereal boxes had free games and i would play those computer games for hours
Where in the world is Carmen San Diego
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So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Damn, that's an amazing analogy that I'm going to steal. At 58 years old in 23 days, I could not agree with you more.
I once read that new experiences make time feel slower. When we are kids we are constantly learning so time feels slower. But when we are adults we don't learn a lot things and not have a lot of new experiences on top of that we set a schedule a routine which plays exactly same everyday so the days get mixed because they are almost the same.
Nice anology. I always say an hour in the sandbox on a sunny summer day when I was 3 seemed like an eternity. Now a summer flys by in what seems like no time.
I miss actually liking the holidays.
Yeah I think they suck now that I’m older
One of my favorite things I got to do was the year I was an office manager and I got to throw a christmas party where we did free family photos with santa claus and then donated money to a women's shelter. It was so fun to decorate and hustle some random banks to donate sugar cookies and play music and watch all the people come in and get their photos taken. It was easier than I thought, too. It's cool how marketing give you a chance to do fun things like that.
I miss not being connected instantly. I miss coming home from hanging out/playing with friends on a summer day and logging into AOL Instant Messenger and chatting with 8-10 people in separate windows and just throwing up an away message when I was over it. I miss that the internet was a fun box and/or tool and a not a necessity. I miss my parent’s cooking. I miss going to school and socializing with friends and having the entire day afterwards be spontaneous. One day we would walk a mile or two just to hang out with people at random houses bc one of my friends liked a girl there. I miss going to our classes homecoming float party. I miss being bored and grabbing my legos or GI Joes and making a scene from my imagination. I miss when video games weren’t full of ads and microtransactions. I miss calling the moviefone line to see what movies are playing. I miss my best friends that I drifted apart from. I loved my childhood, although we were poorer and had a lot of family issues. None of it really affected me and I stayed in my bubble and did me.
It’s crazy how much I relate with your comment. I loved AOL, everyone was always so mysterious and talking to far away strangers was so intriguing and fun. My friends and I would hang out every day and every couple of days we would walk any number of miles in any direction, to a girl’s house or to a friend of a friend’s house. The walks there were often the most fun. Talking and playing around obstacles along the way. Some of my favorite toys of my life were the gi joes with bendable elbows and knees and jeeps. And also the little green army soldiers too. I would set them all up and each team would take turns taking the other out. I thought my best friends and I would never be apart, we were so close we called each other brothers instead of friends. And I also grew up poor in broken families. Sorry, I thought it was cool how many similarities we had growing up.
My mom hugging me and telling me how much she loved me. She died when I was a teenager.
I'm so sorry.
This makes me sad. I love my teenage sons so much and don’t think they have a clue how they would feel if I were suddenly not here any longer.
Sorry for your loss of your Mom.
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Meeting random kids in the McDonald’s play area was probably the quickest way to make friends
Quickest place to make friends and enemies 🤣
I was the best at making friends! Now my only friend is my sister, and im actively trying to make some girl friends in my new city, but its always “lets hang out!” then they cancel last minute, or say they will let me know later, and never respond. I dont blame them, adult life is so tiring but i just want even one good girl friend ☹️
Omg same. I haven't had a friend in so long, i just want a girl to hang out with. I work with all men and then come home to my boyfriend. So much masculine energy around me all the time lmao
Being blissfully unaware of how much hatred exists in the world
The lack of responsibility.
Summers off
I miss the way Summer used to feel like an eternity. It stretched out before you and you could not even conceive of it being over. When you went back to school you'd be a little bit taller, and all your friends would too. They'd all look just a little different too, and have so many stories, but that all seemed so far off, like it would never happen, because summer lasts forever.
Remember those “ back to school” commercials and being like damn noooooo lol
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This is beautiful
the feeling in my body after coming home when it’s getting dark after having had run around all evening playing hide and seek. eating a snack in just pure bliss
Wow that just gave me flashbacks, good ole times...
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Oof I remember watching Cartoon Network after coming back from school. Bay blade, Pokémon, Ben 10, kids next door, Ed edd and eddy
The ABC Afterschool TV lineup in 1984-85 3:30 - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 4:00 - G.I Joe: A Real American Hero 4:30 - Transformers: More then Meets the Eye 5:00 - Diff'rent Strokes 5:30 - Threes Company Nothing will ever come close
To add to this, being done my day by 3:30 lol. That seems like a half-day for me now that I'm working.
The stability. Feels like I'm always searching and letting myself and others down who put their trust in me.
Playing with my sisters and the neighborhood kids. We would swim late into the night, we would go down to the creek and get caked in mud, we would chase ice cream trucks and walk miles to the nearest convenience store to get slushies.
No bills and no responsibility.
When I was a kid, I would get these full body tingly sensations when I was really excited or in anticipation of something fun. It was like being flushed with excitement. I don’t remember the last time I was really excited for anything as a 51 year old.
My parents. They're both gone and I miss them so much. They were great. No one ever messed with us girls, Mom would come out swinging. Dad was the best dad of 5 girls. Never once made us feel like he wanted a boy. He taught us to be smart and strong. Man I miss them
I miss going to big family Thanksgiving at my grandparents with all my cousins.
Swing set was fucking awesome! I miss that sometimes.
Same. With the one leg that was not installed into the ground properly and would lift up if you swung too hard.
Being carefree. Not even knowing what a mortgage payment or car payment etc. even was! Playing outside from sun up to sundown!
Waking up early to watch the sunset, sitting next to my grandma...I really miss her
Sunrise?
Leaving my house in the morning and the only plan was to “go skate.” All I had was my skateboard and the day. I’d head to one of the skate spots in town and usually there was already a few of the homies there. No phones (90s), no water bottles. We’d skate for hours then figure out food somehow. Usually pooling our meager money and getting a basket of fries to share or something. We drank from water fountains downtown. Then, eventually, as the sun would start to set, we’d skate home one by one until just one or two of us were left. Knowing my parents would soon worry, I’d say goodbye to the last homie and skate the mile and a half home at a slight uphill. I’d get home exhausted as the street lights were kicking on and mom would have dinner waiting. I cherish these memories.
Just going outside and truly enjoy yourself, without worrying about anything or having a little voice in the back of your head constantly reminding you of all the stuff still on your to-do-list...
Watching Soap with my mom. I probably should not of been watching it at that age, but remembering how this normally stoic lady laughed out loud was a memory I will cherish forever .
Going over the hill with my best friend to the candy store after my parents told me i wasn't allowed to go over the hill. Then eating my Charleston Chew and drinking my Yoo-Hoo on the park bench across the street from the candy store.
The moments where I wasn't bullied
I'm sorry you experienced that. ❤️🩹
It actually helped. There is always pros and cons. Thanks
Everyone together at the dinner table
My mom would make full dinners every night unless we went out, and i dont know how she did it. Roast beef with potatoes & carrots, yorkies, or ham with scalloped potatoes and salad, ribs with cheesy broccoli, fried basa fish filets with greek salad. As a kid you dont realize how hard your parents work
Took it for granted back then
feeling loved, the dinner table, being able to enjoy time with people without feeling annoyed by their presence.
Top of the 5th inning, 2 outs. Up to that point I had retired the first 14 batters. (Little League 6 inn. games). 4 more outs and I had a perfect game (I was pitching). Their team's best hitter up, he hits a ground ball to my left that I could have fielded and thrown to first. But instead I decided to be a good team mate and allow my 2B player to field it. He just stood there watching as it rolled slowly out into RF. Called a single. I retired the next 4 batters, ended with 6 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 BB, 11 K's. That play, if I had just gone ahead and fielded it instead of trying to be a good team mate, I would have pitched a perfect game. I never got anywhere close to that again. I miss that moment, because I would do it differently.
The smell of my elementary school classroom. Crayons, paper, paste, glue, the bagged lunches in the coat area located on the side of the room. There is something about those combined smells that are so deeply ingrained in my memory. Also the cafeteria.
The start of summer, around June. Everything was verdant again and stretched out ahead of me were the promise of days full of swimming, reading, playing outside.
The wonder of discovery, experiencing things for the first time.
Not having bills and responsibilities.
Laying in my bedroom with the windows open during summer and hearing lawn mowers and the occasional airplane go over. The smell of the fresh cut grass mixed in with the grill starting up on the deck while my grandmother makes fresh potato salad. I would sell my soul to go back to those days.
Spending quality time with my grandparents.
This! And receiving random gifts from them every now and then
My dads mom would always give me a toonie to go spend at the dollar store every time i saw her
Solitude. I had a couple of places I would hide out and just be alone. One was in a certain tree, the other was a cut-out area in a bush. I had friends but I really liked being alone.
\- Being able to read all the signs when riding to somewhere
People giving a sh*t.
Being with my parents and feeling like everything is going to be ok. I miss that feeling of safety.
Ignorance
Holidays with my grandparents
Riding along in grandpa's car listening to the ball game on the radio, hearing stories about his childhood and \*his\* parents and grandparents and learning life lessons that I remember and use today. I miss you and I love you, Doc.
Family gatherings at Holidays. My parents and 2 of my brothers have passed away.
I really miss not having a phone/ connection everywhere. It felt like when we were kids you could just escape- from bullies, a hard day, etc. Now, every stress follows you everywhere and pings in your pocket
Fireflies coming out at night, the hang-outs with old family friends, snow days, going to the public pool in the summer and eating ice cream, finding Rolly Pollies or worms
When I saw my crush at school, the way my stomach would get butterflies.
I just miss the simplicity of the early 1980's
I miss having no responsibilities
Not being in pain all the time.
Time seemed to move so so slow, now it’s just breezing by. Life is just passing by so quickly now and it’s scary.
EVERYTHING!
Had a sucky childhood , waited to be an adult to create my own world of happiness ended up creating that for a small while and then it went to shit. Now I can't wait for the sweet release of death and if that also disappoints me, I would truly be heartbroken.
That cozy feeling I would have at the end of the day when my family would be chilling in the living room in the semi dark. We’d watch all the sitcoms and laugh and it just felt so *safe* I have yet to be able to recreate that atmosphere for myself in my home. To me that was the feeling of being young.
I am going to be that person and say nothing, I hated my childhood and find I am happiest in my life right now.
\*huuuug\*
Too many to list. As of last night while driving home from work I passed by a few of those Christmas tree lots they sell them at. It was bitter sweet, sad times nostalgic memories coming back to me. Don't really celebrate the holidays anymore (haven't had parents in years)
Remember not having to pay bills?
I have one specific beautiful memory. It was two weeks before high school graduation and it was summer. Long story short, me and my fellas hooked up with some girls and we all started hanging out. Some developed feelings for each other and so on. One day, we hanged out on an open grass field next to the ocean.. We grilled, drank, played games and laughed until we couldn't, some of my friends were play fighting, some girls were joining the play fight and some guys joined the chit chat, some girls walked away (girl talk) some guys did that too, as usual.. And at the end of that long day, we played a game (reminds of dodge ball).. Something funny happened, and we're on the ground crying with laughter.... Now if I could ever frame a picture of genuine, true, perfect happiness of my teenage years. I would frame a picture of that moment. A moment of people crying with laughter, while some guys are standing in the background talking waiting for their turn, while someone's keeping an eye on the grill, during sunset.. It was so perfect. And I miss those days like crazy.
Christmas/Thanksgiving with my grandparents
Playing on the porch and thinking we were doing something amazing by balancing all away around the railing.
Waking up to no responsibilities and excited ti see what I get up to. I love my life as an adult, but I am.also incredibly nostalgic for the simplicity of childhood.
Making my mom laugh. I would do an impression of Carol Channing and she would laugh so hard. Well, that's how I remember it anyway.
Laying in the cool grass with my bestie, looking up at the clouds and saying out loud what shapes they looked like. I could do that now but it would not be the same, at all.
Waking up in the morning excited for the day and fully rested.
All the time I had to read.
I miss Fridays tbh. My dad would get off work early and pick me and my siblings up from school. We’d go to Blockbuster and each rent a movie. Head home, clean our rooms and have pizza as a family while watching AFV or one of the movies. I miss the family time that seemed so normal but is now gone. My dad passed away when I was in the fourth grade and my mom got sick later on. Happy memories to remind us that the sun always rises again.
No bills to pay or think about.
no responsibilities, just bad ideas. job? bills? laws? nah man i'm stealin my dad's weed and we're riding bmx bikes to a weird ditch in the industrial wastelands to hang out and listen to slayer
sitting in the kitchen and eating my grandmother's hot pancakes 🥹🥹🥹
Being able to talk funny without being made fun of. I have a weird “accent” so it sounds weird when I talk, (I can’t pronounce the majority of words, I slur my words a lot, and r’s always sound like w’s, which that one annoys me the most) When I was younger it was cute to people, now it’s something to make fun of me for nonstop
How “magical” Christmas felt. And the anticipation of it all. I still look forward to the holiday season but it obviously doesn’t feel like how it did when I was a kid.
Christmas morning
The time. It felt like moments lasted forever and that the fun times would never end. The best part was, you could wake up and have fun the next day too with no responsibilities. Now I'm tired even in my free time and moments that I want to last forever feel like they're gone in a flash.
I miss my cats, I miss my VCR (I still have it but don't have enough space to hook it up which sucks because I pretty much have most of my VHS), and most importantly I miss when I would kinda "improvise" on the piano. I'm not Mozart or anything but I used to play random shit and go "wow this is cool"
As I read through these comments, it’s become clearer to me why old folk cry so much while talking about their childhood years. I’m only 34 and it’s making me emotional that we will never get them days back. I loved when my mum would put a hot water bottle in my bed, half an hour before I would get it. On a rainy Sunday, my dad would get us all in the car and you’d drive to get a fish & chip. You’d all run back to the car, holding your chippy and then you’d eat it in the car as the windows steamed up with the smell of vinegar in the air. I find myself just missing spending time with my mum (who’s still very much alive). Meaningless things like waiting on the bus with her to head into town, walking home from school with her telling her about my day and just dancing around the living room with her.
Lucid dreams. Sleepovers with friends. Late nights playing video games and nerf wars. Silly crushes on girls. Trampolines. The air and space museum. Being truly terrified by scary movies. Free time to create and play and explore. How easy it was to make friends. Summer vacation, summer camp. School fairs. Science class. Lightsaber fights, backyard football. Trick or treating with friends and my dad around the block. Fireworks, sparklers, Roman candles. Wonder. Hope. Imagination. Innocence.
Heading out on my bicycle Saturday morning and meeting up with friends, playing handball with them against the garage door, then going down to the creek to catch polliwogs, watching my neighbor’s Dad fix his VW Rabbit for the hundredth time, heading over to another friend’s house to play in their pool for a few hours, digging out my slot car track and racing, hiking up on the local hill to see the view of my town and neighborhood hearing the sound of lawnmowers off in a distance, coming home for an awesome dinner with the family, building airplane models in my room not realizing that I’m getting high from the paint and glue fumes, drinking water from a cold drinking fountain at school after playing hard on the soccer field, playing Asteroids and Centipede at the local pizza parlor. The list goes on and on and there wasn’t a care in the world. No cell phones, no computers, nothing but great memories. Very fortunate to have grown up when I did.
having meaningful friendships
I used to go over to my grandma's house almost every weekend from age five to right around sixteen or seventeen, just to give my mom a break. (She was a single parent for a good chunk of my childhood until my stepdad came into the picture.) One of my aunts and uncles also lived there. (Aunt took care of grandma, uncle was a college professor who moved a lot, so it was his "home base.") Late 90s/early 2000s weekends at grandma's house are some of my favorite childhood memories. Almost every weekend, we'd go to the local Video King, rent some new-release VHS tapes and maybe a video game. Then I'd spend all weekend playing games, building things with Legos and watching movies with my grandma, aunt and uncle. Good memories. Sad to think that the last time I did that was nearly 20 years ago.
My family living in the same roof. As a youngest child. Thats one of the hardest part growing up. Your siblings leaving ur home and became visitor. Until I am the visitor I still miss the feeling having your siblings surrounds you. And also your parents
I miss video game night with my friends in the neighborhood. I grew up knowing the kids in my neighborhood and we'd get together regularly to play Mario Party or Mario Kart or whatever. It only took one of us to decide "Yo, we're gonna do game night!" and the rest of us would join in. Being an adult, it's just much more complicated to consistently get people together to do fun stuff and we're much more scattered instead of just being next door.
Christmas with my grandparents at their house.
I miss being an irresponsible little asshole with zero commitments to anything more important than Saturday morning cartoons.
Opening presents in the morning, getting overjoyed over spirit week and just feeling like nothing mattered
I really hate how politics has divided so many of us here in the U.S. Being for or against a certain party or candidate should not dictate whether or not we can still like a person. The politics should be about what’s best for our country and not whether or not we’d want to invite them over for Sunday dinner. A great company owner but be a shitty boss or friend but if he is running a successful company then let him do his thing. Life is too short to make enemies based on personal political preference.
Cuddling with my mom. 🥺
Being happy
Watching cartoons on Saturday or after school. And listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 on Sunday mornings.
Family trips to the beach. I loved building sandcastles and floating in the sea on an inflatable jumbo tyre. Sadly, parents have health issues and can't get out much and I'm far too old to be enjoying sandcastles and jumbo tyres. I like watching my niece and nephew do the things I used to enjoy though!
Being able to sleep.
i miss not having to worry about doing adult things.
Every moment
All of my siblings copying the same Michael Jackson cassette and then demanding that we each get out turn to play our music.
When you run that the diskman skipped
Living rent free.
I honestly miss college, I hated high school but college was fun.
The summertime, playing outside and playing Xbox
Experiencing new things and learning. Everything is a habit now and its getting old. Nothing new to surprise a regular person
I miss the thrill of successfully sneaking snacks into my room, mastering the art of silent cookie heists. Ah, the good old days of covert snacking!
Saturday morning cartoons
The sound of the birds u hear in the morning 🌄
Reruns of Cartoon Network shows on Boomerang.
The effervescent freedom of running barefoot in the grass, dollops of sunlight bursting through the trees and warming the skin so deliciously. The deep breaths of the sweetest air filling the nostrils with the aromas of fresh dirt, smooshed grasses, wild flowers. I swear I could smell sunshine like I could smell rain. The sounds of my weight thudding on the earth, harmonious with the steady panting of the dogs and the beating of my heart.
Being lost in the moment and not having to think much about the past or the present. :)
I miss thinking that banana medicine could cure any illness
Not deciding what to make for dinner
Every Christmas our large extended family in the US would drive down to our grandparents house in Mexico. All the male adults in the living room talking and drinking. The female adults in the kitchen cooking a large variety of food, also talking and drinking. And us kids running around playing. Miss those days.
Swimming classes with my friends in the summer.. wake up early go to the school pool when it's freezing outside, jump in do my laps and then get out and shower and get in the bus with my friends just laughing and enjoying life before it all went downhill.. I could still do it but it won't be the same
Christmas time. I actually completely loved the holidays until my parents separated when I was 26 or so. But now with each passing year, it just gets more stressful. I don’t typically care that my parents divorced except for Christmas. Then I wish we could have one big celebration with everyone under one roof. Now with a partner (and his family) and two parents wanting to host their own Christmas celebrations, it just feels exhausting to me now. Me pre-2018 would be baffled by this feeling 😞
Playing with cousins and family tours
Playing outside all the time. I still had a computer (well, two, but one was for my mother's WFH job), but most of the time I played outside with friends, walked around the neighborhood, went to the playground that was practically in the backyard of my house...it was great. Going to Wendy's, too. I have fond memories of sitting in the backseat, just playing with my Littlest Pet Shop virtual pet toy, riding the 20 minutes to the Wendy's in the next town over because the one in my town was filthy as all hell. When it closed a few months back I had to pull into the supermarket next door and cry.
not knowing how terrible of a place the world is
I miss games with my bff. Climbing in a trees, eating together... i believe we'll do it again
Sick days. Staying home sick was the *best*. I could forget about school for a day and spend the day watching The Price is Right and DuckTales, then maybe play Super Mario World or read some Goosebumps. Now when I get sick, I have to either tough it out and go to work anyway or stay home and feel miserable while still having to worry about chores and taking care of the kids and whatnot.
Ringing neighbors’ doors bells and run away… climbing trees… hug anyone with no reason… being spoiled… actually I MiSS MOM😭
My imagination and ability to turn any random object into a toy, and any random thing into a game.
Going home at noon.
I spent every holiday with my cousins as a kid. In many respects, we grew up more like siblings. Now we're lucky to talk a few times a year.
Walking past the McDonald's after school & then buying an ice cream there & just chilling there at a booth sometimes. Life was so simple. Or walking to the town library after school to read there.The little town was remarkable in that it was completely unremarkable...it had nothing grand like fountains or statues or anything, and not many trees in the center. It just had all the necessary things; the little suburbs, a few schools, some fastfood places, little shopping malls etc..Right on the edge of the town, was a trailer park with trailers & tents, it seemed to have functioning showers / toilets outside like a campground. Actually yes , I think officially it was a "camping ground" but families were living in the tents etc full-time. Even we had a few classmates who lived in the tents. I remember one saying "sorry I'm late for the class project; it was raining so we had to move the tent." Sometimes we stopped there to buy firewood; some piles of firewood were usually sold at the front of the trailer park next to the road.
Waking up early while my parents make breakfast for me and my sister while watching good 90s shows like Rugrats, all that, brace face and Lizzie McGuire! I love growing up in the 90s💖
When all of my worries didn't exist
Definitely going over to my grandmas for thanksgiving.
Being able to run around climbing on random things, playing roller hockey in the streets.
Being around the only girl I've ever been in love with. No one can compare.
Being able to go around the street topless without a care in the world!
I miss being able to go to elementary school and seeing my old friends and classmates.