What We’d Love Our Kids to Know about Our Childhood
What are kids like these days? They know how to use emojis, they can navigate a touchscreen at the age of two, and they ask Alexa the kinds of questions that adults would have struggled with in the 1980s and 1990s. Our children navigate a digital world that is now, and they do it like little cybernetic geniuses.
We’re very proud of them. We are.
Sometimes, however, we can’t help but think: “You don’t know what it was like when you were our age.” “
The experiences of our childhoods, those grainy VHS tapes, dial-up tones, and backyard adventures are a world away from the algorithm-driven, sleek streaming experiences that they’re experiencing today. It’s often such a stark contrast that we can only describe it as a story from long ago.
This one is for our children: five amazing, magical, and surprisingly analog facts about the world in which we grew up. Spoiler alert! It didn’t include Wi-Fi but was still epic in its own right.
1. It Was Like There Was No Internet
We didn’t even have internet. No internet. It was like it didn’t even exist when we were kids. No social media. No social media. No social media. No email. No YouTube. No YouTube.
You could have reserved a microfiche if you were lucky enough to be able to access the school library. You can Google it now.
We somehow survived. We were lost without GPS. We did our homework without Google. And we arranged to meet up with friends, without sending “u here?” text messages every five minutes.
It wasn’t just hardship and carrier pigeons. We were able to truly breathe because we didn’t have any digital distractions. This boredom led us to more daydreaming, creative problem solving, and creative play. Our minds were free to wander when the internet wasn’t there to fill in every blank moment or answer every question.
Dear children:
It was a hassle. We also learned patience. It also taught us patience. How to survive long car rides by thinking about things and staring at the window.
2. We Only Listened to a Few Songs (over and over again)
Siri is a great way to play your favorite songs. You can ask Siri, “Hey Siri, I” and it will instantly bring up karaoke, remixes, etc., and playlists.
We didn’t get that.
In our childhood, music came from a handful of sources: the radio, the cassette tape, CDs, and, if we were old-school enough, vinyl records. No skipping of tracks. No repeat button. No repeat buttons.
Spotify didn’t have an algorithm that suggested music to us. In our “discovery phase,” we would listen to the music that was popular with older siblings (often while sitting in a beanbag pretending to understand grunge songs) or watch Video hits or Rage on Saturday morning television. It was not polished, but it had great energy.
What about the albums that we owned? We listened to them with great devotion. From start to finish. We learned the lyrics. Liner notes were worn out. We were in love with the entire album, not just the singles.
Dear children:
Although we didn’t have 70 million songs, we felt each one of them. Sometimes, less music was more meaningful.
3. Home Was a Haven (No Screens and No Pressure)
The social world ceased to exist when the school bell rang. The day ended when we got on the bus or our bikes and rode home. After hours, there was no message. No social media checking. We won’t be glued to our phones by late-night messages or TikTok.
Home is our sanctuary.
Then we would change out of our school uniforms, have a snack, and maybe do some chores. And then settle into the monotony that “nobody from school can contact me right now”. Wow, it felt great.
There was no drama in your home unless someone called your house landline to ask to talk to you. (And risked your father picking up the phone). It was tidy. It was a true pause on the chaos.
There were rules: screen-free dinners, TV ending at a specific hour, and bedtimes, which were mostly respected.
We slept better without the stress of perfecting Instagram-worthy rooms or TikTok dancing routines. We were much better.
Dear children:
There’s also magic in being unconnected. Silence, stillness, and not being always online are powerful.
4. Collecting Things Was a Full-time Hobby
Collection was a physical hobby before kids had virtual zoos in Minecraft, or digital collections of skins and Battle Passes in Fortnite. And passionate.
We collect everything
- Stickers – especially the puffy, scented, and glittery ones!
- Trading Cards: Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or footy cards?
- Marbles: the bigger and shinier the better
- Remember when Beanie Babies were worth a fortune?
We did more than just collect. We traded, bartered, and displayed our treasures. Sacred were our little cardboard treasure boxes. In the schoolyard, collections were a form of currency. All of this mattered: your swapping skills and ability to grab a rare item, or your carefully curated albums. It was an expression of pride and identity.
Collection required patience, unlike today’s digital games, which reward screen time. You saved up for the next Woolworths promotion, waited for the Woolworths promotional offer, or hoped to find a foil card in random packets.
Dear children:
We didn’t build digital empires, but rather we created tiny museums of happiness. Without Wi-Fi, we learned about patience, value, and the thrills of hunting.
5. Multi-tasking wasn’t a Thing, and that was Glorious
Multitasking is a skill that kids of today have mastered. Today’s kids are multitaskers. They can juggle multiple tasks at once: school, sports, drama, five different shows streaming, five different group text chats, YouTube, and a snack.
What about us? We were focused.
We were watching Round The Twist. Stop. The TV was the time for the evening. We sat down. We didn’t take selfies or scroll through social media while watching. We watched it as if it were a movie.
The day that we celebrated was:
- Reminding ourselves of our library bag
- Not losing our lunchbox
- Eating a roll-up while watching Matilda VHS
- Cordial can be consumed without spilling on the carpet
We were not “behind”, we just weren’t in a hurry. The world unfolded slowly. Deliberately. It was not a pressure to do everything at once and be everywhere. We were more present and more often content.
Dear children:
Being busy doesn’t mean being better. The best memories are made when you do just ONE thing with your heart.
One Generation to Another
Our dear children of the digital age, yes, it was “tougher”. We had to rewind tapes. Calling movie theaters was necessary to find out the times of sessions. We had to wait until dial-up connected so that we could check just one email.
We also had another thing: a sense that was not derived from technology. We had a pace of life that allowed us to develop our imaginations. Memories that were not captured in megapixels but rather in smells, sounds, nd feelings.
Even though your world is different, faster, flashier, and more connected, we hope that you will also carry a bit of ours with you.
You could start a sticker collection. Or write a handwritten letter. Sit under a tree and daydream away from any device.
We promise you’ll be amazed.
What did you enjoy about your childhood?
