If you remember doing these 9 things as a kid, you grew up in a simpler time

Remember when summer felt endless and a stick could become anything from a sword to a magic wand? If you’re nodding along, you might be one of us who grew up before smartphones became our constant companions and social media dictated how we spent our free time.

I’ve been thinking lately about how different childhood looks today compared to when I was young. Not in a “back in my day” kind of way – though I’ll admit I’m getting dangerously close to that territory – but more as an observation of how dramatically the world has shifted.

The things we did for fun, the way we connected with friends, even how we dealt with boredom – it was all so wonderfully uncomplicated. If you remember doing these nine things, chances are you experienced childhood during a less complex era.

1. Playing outside until the streetlights came on

This was the universal curfew, wasn’t it? No cell phones to track us, no texts from mom. Just that simple rule: when those streetlights flickered on, you better start heading home.

We’d spend entire days roaming the neighborhood, creating elaborate games with whatever we could find. A patch of woods became an unexplored jungle. The creek behind the school transformed into pirate-infested waters. Our parents had no idea where we were most of the time, and somehow, we all survived.

The freedom was intoxicating. We learned to navigate social dynamics without adult intervention, figured out how to solve problems on our own, and developed an independence that seems almost foreign to many kids today.

2. Waiting by the radio to record your favorite song

Do you remember the dedication it took to create the perfect mixtape? You’d sit by the radio for hours, finger hovering over the record button, waiting for that one song to come on. And the frustration when the DJ talked over the intro!

There was something special about that anticipation, though. Music wasn’t instantly available at our fingertips. We had to work for it, wait for it, and when we finally captured that song on tape, it felt like a real accomplishment.

3. Using encyclopedias for homework

When I needed information for a school project, it meant hauling out those heavy encyclopedia volumes or making a trip to the library. Research was a physical activity that required actual effort.

You’d flip through pages, cross-reference topics, and sometimes discover fascinating things you weren’t even looking for. There was a certain satisfaction in finding that perfect piece of information after searching through multiple books.

Compare that to today’s instant Google results – convenient, sure, but it lacks that sense of discovery.

4. Calling your friend’s house and having to talk to their parents first

“Hello, Mrs. Johnson, is Tommy home?” Those awkward conversations with friends’ parents were a rite of passage. You had to be polite, articulate, and sometimes engage in small talk before being passed to your friend.

It taught us etiquette and how to interact with adults. There was no texting to avoid human contact, no direct line to your friend’s pocket. Communication required courage and social skills that were developed through these seemingly simple interactions.

5. Getting film developed to see how your photos turned out

Remember the anticipation of dropping off that roll of film and waiting days to see if any of your pictures actually turned out? You had 24 or 36 chances to get it right, and there was no delete button.

Every photo mattered because film and developing cost money. We were more intentional about what we captured. Birthday parties, family vacations, special occasions – these were photo-worthy events. Not every meal or random moment needed documentation.

The surprise element was half the fun. Sometimes you’d forgotten what was on that roll, and picking up developed photos was like opening a time capsule.

6. Watching Saturday morning cartoons as an event

Saturday mornings were sacred. You’d wake up early, pour a bowl of sugary cereal, and plant yourself in front of the TV for a solid block of cartoons. This wasn’t on-demand entertainment – if you missed your show, you had to wait another week.

The ritual of it created a shared experience. Monday at school, everyone had watched the same shows, seen the same commercials. We had common cultural touchstones that brought us together.

7. Looking up phone numbers in the phone book

That thick phone book that doubled as a booster seat for younger siblings? It was our Google for finding local businesses and people. You’d flip through those thin pages, running your finger down columns of names and numbers.

Need to call the pizza place? Better hope you remembered to keep that flyer with their number, or it was phone book time. And if someone had an unlisted number? They might as well have been living off the grid.

8. Making plans and actually sticking to them

When we made plans to meet at the mall at 2 PM, that was it. No last-minute texts saying you’d be late, no changing locations on the fly. If someone didn’t show up, you’d wait a reasonable amount of time and then assume something came up.

This required a level of commitment and reliability that’s become almost quaint. Your word meant something because there was no easy way to bail at the last second.

9. Being genuinely unreachable

Perhaps the biggest difference was the ability to truly disconnect. When you left the house, you were gone. No one could reach you unless they knew exactly where you’d be and called that location.

Long car rides meant actual conversation or comfortable silence, not everyone buried in their own screen. Vacations were complete breaks from regular life. Being bored wasn’t immediately solved with digital distraction – it forced creativity and imagination.

There was a freedom in that disconnection that I don’t think we fully appreciated at the time. The mental space it provided, the presence it demanded – these were gifts we didn’t know we had.

Final thoughts

I’m not suggesting everything was better then – we’ve gained incredible conveniences and connections through technology. But there was a beautiful simplicity to growing up in that pre-digital era that shaped us in unique ways.

We learned patience, developed imagination, and built real-world social skills through necessity. We experienced the joy of anticipation and the satisfaction of effort. Most importantly, we had the space to just be kids without constant documentation or digital pressure.

If you remember these things, you’re part of a generation that straddled two worlds – the analog and the digital. And maybe that gives us a unique perspective on what we’ve gained and what we’ve lost along the way.