Parents Who Grew Up In The '80s And '90s Share What Blows Their Kids' Minds

Kasia Mikolajczak
person holding a cassette
Unsplash | Javier Martínez

If you grew up in the '80s or even '90s, you know life was much different then. It was all before the digital age took over our lives. So would the kids of today know how to survive without Google or their smartphone?

Something tells me that wouldn't be possible, haha. And it seems that their parents see that first hand. Here are a few things that blow their kids' minds.

No Cellphones

hand holding a cellphone
Unsplash | Frederik Lipfert

I get kids today can't even imagine living without their cellphones, huh? But back in the day, if you were outside and wanted to call someone, you had to find a payphone. Oh, yeah! And you also needed to have some spare change on your hands to do that. I know, I know, it sucked!

Rotary Phones

hand dialing on a rotary phone
Giphy | Marc Rodriguez

Speaking of phones, would your kids know how to use a rotary one? My guess is — big fat, no! In fact, I saw a video of a young kid being totally baffled by one. Needless to say, it had me in stitches. It was absolutely hilarious how they couldn't figure out how to dial on it.

No Google

Google screen
Unsplash | Nathana Rebouças

Now when you want to learn about something, you head to the 'ole trusty Google. But what about before? Well, have you heard of a place called a library? Yes, they do exist, and that's where people used to go for a wealth of knowledge. It's strange but true.

No Google Maps Or GPS

map in a car
Unsplash | Tabea Schimpf

How did people get around in the '80s and '90s without Google Maps or GPS? Newsflash, they still print maps. Aha! I remember every trip that I took as a child involved a physical map. We studied that thing before venturing out, haha. Today's kids wouldn't even know how to read one.

Vinyl Records And Players

vinyl record player
Giphy

It's pretty easy now to listen to music wherever you are. All you need is your cellphone or a music player and that mp3 file. But back then, people were into vinyl records and record players. I don't know about you, but I love how a record sounds on a record player. Sadly, kids, today would be baffled by it, hehe.

This topic is so interesting there's even a Twitter thread about it.

And people started posting all the things their kids would find crazy if it were to happen today. For example, smoking was pretty much allowed everywhere. I mean, even in hospitals for crying out loud, and schools too. Remember that? I admit I don't miss it at all.

One School Bus

Kids today may be a little spoiled when it comes to being picked up and drop off by a school bus right in front of their house. That didn't happen back in the day. There was only one bus stop and everybody waited there for their ride to school.

Rural Schools

Oh, my goodness. What? I haven't heard of that. I guess that's because I've only lived in Europe and Canada. It must've been a place in the U.S., haha. That's pretty crazy. Am I right? It was definitely a different time.

Careless Safety

Today's playgrounds definitely don't resemble the ones kids played at a long time ago. Just take a look at this photo here. Does that look familiar to you? If it does, you know exactly what I mean. I'm chuckling at this Twitter caption here. Indeed, we stared death in the eye every day, lol.

Car Seats

Speaking of safety, how about this car seat? OMG, what? Haha! That's not exactly how it works. But wait a minute, when I was a child, I don't think there were car seats at all. Imagine that? I know, it sounds pretty dangerous. I honestly don't know how people got around that.

This Hopeful Request

Yes, I remember those days. It used to happen to me all the time. Usually, I heard a song on the radio for the first time and couldn't get it out of my mind. So I had to call the radio station and plead with them to play it again. Those were the days you learned real patience.

McDonald's Birthday Parties

Okay, I admit I totally missed out on those McDonald's birthday parties because I grew up in Europe. But they must've been epic, no? If you had one, I bet we all would like to know more about it. Did you and your friends love it?

This Gym Class

I guess back then, people weren't that modest, haha. I mean, it's a Primary school, so I doubt anybody cared that much, but it would be a total outrage today, no? It's funny how things change.

No AC

Since I grew up in Europe, having AC was pretty much unheard of. There was no air conditioning in houses, cars, or stores. Oh, how did we survive? Let's put it bluntly — we did! Living without AC is possible, kids.

These Luxuries

Oh yes! Back then, keeping up with the Joneses was much easier, lol. All you needed was one set of things. Now people have multiple TVs, gadgets galore, various cars, and even more than one house. We were happy with what we had. Period!

Encyclopedias

I already mentioned there was no Google, and you had to go to the library to get information. But if you were lucky enough, you also had some encyclopedias lying around. And you were even luckier if you could afford the whole set. That's right.

The TV Schedule

Oh yeah! Where I grew up, we only had two channels. That's it, folks. And yes, we would get the TV guide from our local daily newspaper. That's how we knew what was on, and we were stuck watching whatever was on TV that night.

Do you remember all that?

woman saying "Those were the days."
Giphy | IFHT Films

Boy, how things have changed. Am I right? It's no wonder kids today wouldn't understand any of it. Back in the day, things were more challenging, yet we survived it alright. I admit technology has improved things, but sometimes I wish we could go back to a more simple time. What do you think of that?