Ah, the classic “When I was your age” speech. Every generation hears it, and despite swearing we’d never repeat it, here I am, joining the ranks of those who do.
Dear Kids,
Back when WE were kids…
If you had a crush, you didn’t post about it on social media. No, you carved your initials into the bathroom stall or sent a heartfelt song request to the local radio station, and believe me, they were always tuned in—there wasn’t much else to occupy their time.
Ordering pizza? The choice was simple: Domino’s. Your options were limited to cheese or pepperoni, and if it took longer than 30 minutes to arrive, it was on the house!
Making popcorn was an adventure involving a pot, kernels, and oil, or if you were lucky, a Jiffy Pop kit that inevitably led to singed fingers.
Want to catch a movie? You had to wait for that one summer blockbuster and then squeeze into a flat-floored theater, clutching a bag of popcorn and a tiny cup of soda—no cup holders in sight. And you might just find yourself seated next to a chain smoker, because, yes, that was allowed back then.
Later, when you wanted to own that movie, you’d wait a year for it to drop on VHS or Betamax, shelling out a whopping $80 and praying it wouldn’t snap every time you hit rewind. Should disaster strike, you’d whip out a pencil to manually rewind the tape of your beloved Grease 2.
Listening to music on the go meant lugging around a Walkman, which was the size of a brick and nearly impossible to manage while biking—unless, of course, you had a cool basket.
If you loved a song, you’d either beg your mom to take you to the mall for the record or cassette or camp out by the stereo, waiting for it to play on the radio—only to have the DJ chatter over the intro.
Frozen yogurt? You simply tossed Yoplait in the freezer. And prizes in cereal boxes were actual surprises inside the box, not hidden behind layers of plastic, because who needed that?
Selling candy for school? You pulled a wagon and traversed the neighborhood all on your own, without a single thought about safety.
Watching TV gave you a choice of three channels, and you’d pray for decent antenna reception. Video gaming meant stuffing quarters into an old sock and waiting for your turn at the arcade while dreaming of your own Atari or Intellivision hooked up to a tiny black-and-white TV.
When it came to communication, you were either using walkie-talkies or, if you had a bit of money, a cordless phone that barely functioned. Honestly, two cans and a string would have worked better.
Need info for a school report? Your mom would drive you to the library, where you’d sift through the Dewey Decimal system for hours, seeking out those musty-smelling books.
And a McDonald’s Happy Meal? It came with a mini burger, a handful of fries, a few cookies, and a toy. No one cared what gender the toy was intended for, and let’s be real—the toys were probably made of lead.
When your mom craved a diet soda, she reached for Tab, the “one calorie of pure evil” in a can—seriously, that should’ve been their slogan.
Shoes? You had two options: sneakers or flip-flops, which you wore until they crumbled, even at the pool.
Oh, and if you wanted to take a picture, find a coupon, look up a word, or get directions, you had to use a camera, scissors, a dictionary, or a map—because apps didn’t exist! The horror!
So, kids, toughen up! You have it pretty easy today. If we survived, so can you!
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Summary
This nostalgic piece takes readers on a trip down memory lane, comparing the experiences of past generations with the conveniences of today. From pizza orders to movie nights and music purchases, the writer highlights the simplicity and challenges of childhood while encouraging the younger generation to appreciate their current privileges.
Keyphrase: When We Were Kids
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