For as long as there have been parents, we’ve reveled in sharing stories with our kids about how tough things were for us back in the day. “In my time,” ancient ancestors likely grunted to their little ones, “we didn’t have fancy tools; we had to hunt for dinner with nothing but our bare hands!” My own parents regaled me with tales of their uphill, snow-covered walks to school, barefoot, which I rolled my eyes at. It’s our duty to remind our children how resilient we were and how fortunate they are to have all these modern conveniences.
Though I’m only in my mid-30s—hardly ancient unless you ask my kids—things have evolved dramatically since my childhood. The world today is vastly different from the ’80s and ’90s, and some of the typical experiences I had sound downright archaic to my children. For instance, back in elementary school, it was possible to receive an actual spanking from the principal for misbehavior—a notion that today’s parents would find outrageous. But back then, we all feared the ominous wooden paddle that hung in the principal’s office.
Here are some old-fashioned struggles I faced that leave my kids in utter disbelief:
- Researching in Libraries
Forget the internet! We had to physically go to the library, navigate the Dewey Decimal System, and dig through books for our school projects—all without the luxury of Google. THE HORROR. - Handwriting Everything
Reports didn’t magically appear; we wrote them by hand with real pencils until our fingers ached. If we were lucky, we might get to use a typewriter, which was cool—until we had to rip off all that paper. - Bathroom Breaks Without Phones
Today, bathroom breaks are extended to catch up on social media. Back then, we had to bring a book or settle for reading shampoo labels, or worse, just do our business and leave. - Rewinding Movies
There was no instant gratification with our movies. We had to rewind VHS tapes, often starting them at the end credits, and “Be kind, please rewind” became the mantra of every rental store. - Dialing Rotary Phones
Kids today are baffled by the idea of rotary phones. Dialing took forever, and if you messed up, you had to start all over. I can see why they’re shocked! - Busy Signals
After all that dialing, hearing the dreaded busy signal was the worst. If your friend’s sibling was on the line, you might as well ride your bike to their house to share the news. - Mystery Calls
When the phone rang, it could be anyone—from Grandma to the police. We answered with no idea of who was on the other end, diving into the unknown. - Cranking Car Windows
Why did we have such strong arms? Because we had to use good old-fashioned muscle to roll down car windows. No simple button-pushing for us! - Waiting for Film Development
There was no “Instagram” back then, just the agonizing wait for film to be developed. Unless you had a Polaroid, which cost a fortune! - Manual Checkouts
Checkout lines were a test of patience. Cashiers had to ring up each item and enter coupon codes by hand, while parents counted cash or wrote checks. - Saturday Morning Cartoons
Kids today have endless access to cartoons. We had to wait all week for Saturday morning to get our animation fix, and if we missed it, tough luck. - Changing Channels Manually
We had to get up to change the TV channel. Remote controls weren’t standard, and kids were basically employed as channel changers. - Limited Flavor Choices
We had one Cheerio flavor, and Gatorade was only lemon-lime or orange. Our snack options were minimal, unlike the dizzying array of choices today. - Road Trips Without Gadgets
Imagine long car rides without tablets or DVD players! We had to rely on Walkmans and play games like I Spy, making actual conversation a necessity. - Dial-Up Internet
When we finally got the internet, it involved dialing in and waiting for that screeching modem sound. If someone picked up the phone during our online time, we were booted off!
I’m grateful my kids enjoy conveniences I didn’t have—parenting without the Internet? Can you even imagine? While we may not have walked to school “barefoot in the snow uphill both ways,” we certainly had our share of challenges. So while I regale my children with stories of my youth, they can be thankful for their modern luxuries.
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Summary:
In this article, Jamie Anderson humorously recounts 15 outdated experiences from her childhood that leave her kids in disbelief. From researching in libraries to waiting for film development, she highlights the stark contrasts between her upbringing and her children’s modern conveniences, all while playfully lamenting the bygone days of manual labor and limited technology.