Most generations seem to think that things were better when they were growing up. Maybe it’s just because we have fun childhood memories but it does seem like kids these days are missing out on some of the adventure that kids had growing up in the 1980’s for example. Let’s take a look at some the things we recall as being pretty awesome when we were growing up.

Growing up in the 1980’s, we had lots of time for excitement and anticipation. We didn’t have the instant access to things that kids these days have. There was no Sky or YouTube, no Netflix or movie streaming. We waited all week long for Saturday morning cartoons, which just seemed to make things all the more special when they finally happened.

Listening to music was just a little bit tougher back then. Remember having to grab a pencil to wind in the foot of cassette tape that had worked it’s way out after you inserted it into your Sony Walkman? All that fast forwarding and rewinding just to get to the song we loved? But didn’t it make it all the sweeter when we finally got to it? The 1980’s taught us excellent problem solving skills in that respect.

Homework did not have the benefit of instant access to Google either. If we had a project on some obscure topic that wasn’t covered in any of the books we had at home then we had to be taken to the library. Remember those? Yes, kids these days might find it hard to believe that their parents had textbooks and library cards.

Meeting up with friends did not involve mums comparing diaries and arranging playdates. We would say we were off to a friend’s house and disappear on our bikes until it got dark, with not a mobile phone in sight. How we managed to make it to adulthood is a mystery. We would play out for hours, in the woods, in the park, in the street and as long as we were back for tea, everyone was happy.

One thing that has definitely improved for the better is playground equipment. Remember the metal poles that would get scorching hot in the summer and the climbing frames positioned over hard asphalt. Every day you were lucky to get home in one piece, from the threat of either 3rd degree burns, broken bones or at least, a mild concussion. Play areas are a lot kinder these days thankfully. For Climbing frames for older children, visit http://www.niclimbingframes.com/climbing-frames.

Sweets were better back then too. There were sweet shops, real life shops where they kept an array of tempting treats in big plastic tubs. You could pick out what you wanted, to be weighed and then presented with a little white paper bag that was like manna from heaven. The packets seemed bigger, or maybe we were just smaller.