I was a child from the ‘90s. It was a good time. Life was simple. And I thought it’d be fun to show some appreciation of different things from a decade that certainly had an impact. Things I miss from the ‘90s?
Blockbuster. I love movies. Believe it or not, there was a time before Netflix and Hulu. Going to Blockbuster was an adventure. Whenever my family had family nights, we would mix things up and rent a movie, watch it together, and be present. Renting movies with friends was fun too. It was an experience. I miss video stores. I wonder if they’ll ever make a comeback?
TGIF Lineup. Back in the day, before a lot of some of the not-so-great programming that’s out now, ABC had a quality line up of good, clean shows that children and their parents could watch together. Show’s like Boy Meets World, Family Matters, and Full House were wonderful. Some of the stuff out today that kids and teenagers are exposed to and can easily access now is scary. Even certain cartoons are questionable.
Limited Technology. When my brother and I were kids there was exactly one computer in the house. It had dial-up internet. And we weren’t allowed to use it without our parent’s permission. The rules were permission first, weekends only (after grades had been checked), and we were only permitted to use it during the week if needed for school projects. My parents also had access to our email accounts and passwords. I’m abundantly grateful they set boundaries with that. There were no smartphones or social media. My brother and I had a real childhood. My parents shared a cell phone and they were rarely on it, unlike what you might see in our culture today. Do you notice how hostile, hateful, depressed, withdrawn, emotionally unstable, or unbalanced people seem these days? I blame a lot of the tech. We have control over how we use our tools, but some of those tools can sometimes take a serious toll.
Gel Pens & Handwritten Notes. Using gel pens on black construction paper was everything. It’s something a lot of ‘90s girls probably remember and can appreciate. Notes to friends. Handwritten letters. Straight up fun. Also, when a guy liked you in the ‘90s and early through mid-2000s, he’d usually write you a note and include his number. One of my first crushes did that and I held on to that note for the longest. I wasn’t allowed to talk to boys on the phone until my dad talked to them first, but when we did talk, we used landlines ya’ll. Again, there were no smartphones, DMs to slide in, or looking people up on social media.
MASH. It stands for Mansion, Apartment, Shack, and House. If you don’t know how to play MASH, were you a real ‘90s kid? Some of my co-workers and I played this game when we were passing the time during a slow afternoon, and it was hilarious. It brought back some fun memories and it was just as enjoyable as I remembered. If you haven’t played, you’re missing out.
Book Fairs & Book Clubs. Fam, the book fair was life! I’m an avid reader and some of my best memories was hitting the book fair and being in book clubs. I spent a lot of time at the library. And if you don’t know about The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Sweet Valley High, and Amelia Bedelia? We need to have a talk.
Simplicity & Anonymity. I remember the ‘90s being peaceful. Again, things were simple. Today’s generation has the world at their fingertips through smartphones. When I was in elementary school, I remember my mom taking me to the local library to look at encyclopedias to do research for a paper and to use the library computer to type my paper. Computers were still on the rise, and my family eventually had one at home, but before that time, we used the library. I also remember playing outdoors. A lot. My parents had strict limits on how much media my brother and I consumed and what we consumed too. Growing up Christian meant mostly PG-rated content, no secular music (although I eventually found out about Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, N’SYNC, and the Backstreet Boys), and late-night TV wasn’t allowed without my parent’s permission of the programming. And back then, a degree of anonymity was normal too. No one cared about what people “posted” because there was no social media to keep tabs on everyone. Real relationships weren’t reduced to online friend requests. And… wait for it… there was no such thing as those ridiculous gender reveals for babies, excessive engagement and wedding photoshoots, or anyone boasting or complaining or oversharing about their love life, hospital visits, politics, or how they feel about their jobs, bosses, co-workers, significant other, an ex, or anything else happening in their lives. If you found out about something with someone, it was likely because you knew them well or were actually friends or family. Gravitating back to that kind of living could change the world for the better. Maybe more people would actually listen, pay attention, respect one another, and pause and reconsider what they share and expose, before blindly following trends and going public with certain things not meant for public consumption. I miss the ‘90s. I wonder if we’ll ever get back to the kind of peaceful and simple living that decade offered.