Remembering the days spent in the family computer room playing The Sims or logging into AOL Instant Messenger can make one feel old, especially when realizing that kids today will never share these core memories. Reddit user u/Subject_Thorn asked the r/AskReddit community to share things that kids growing up in the 2020s won’t experience, and older adults had a lot of nostalgic responses. Some of the experiences shared included waiting for television shows to come on at a specific time, answering a landline phone, downloading a song for hours only to find out it’s a virus, and waking up early on Saturdays to watch favorite cartoons.
Other memorable experiences mentioned included calling a crush’s house and speaking to their parents, recording favorite songs from the radio onto cassette tapes, and watching the TV ticker for school closings. Driving to new places using physical maps, going to movie stores, watching the nightly news with parents because there was only one TV in the household, experiencing dial-up internet and AOL chat rooms, and buying video games that didn’t require updates or extra paid content were also highlighted as things kids nowadays won’t experience.
The nostalgia continued with memories of not having smartphones and the freedom of not being constantly reachable, parental controls on gaming consoles, coming home when the streetlights turned on, scheduling TV consumption around a strict TV schedule, and going to school without the added stress of social media. Other unique experiences highlighted included fixing TV antennas for better reception, meeting family and friends at the airport gate, dealing with smoke in restaurants from the smoking section, and exploring outdoor areas as part of childhood adventures.
Additional memories shared included developing film rolls with bad pictures, getting kicked off the internet because the phone line was needed, checking newspapers for movie release dates and showtimes, experiencing snow on Christmas that now rarely sticks around, and having a CD binder full of music for road trips. These reminiscences evoke a sense of nostalgia for a time when life was simpler, technology was less invasive, and childhood was filled with unique experiences that today’s kids may never have the opportunity to enjoy.
