Top Ten Reasons I’m Glad I Was Born in the 80’s

As the big 3-0 looms on the horizon I am reflecting back on when I was a youngin’… 😉 Kids “these days” have a lot of advantages, in some ways. But some days, I feel kinda sad for them too. Why? Because they missed out on ….

Wrapping themselves up in the cord of a phone while you talk for HOURS with your best friend about… well, not a lot really. This would prompt getting yelled at by both sets of parents … you  just saw them at school, WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE TALKING ABOUT?!?!

Not only was Super Mario Brothers EASIER and more fun to play during this time period. It taught the important lesson of having to take turns when you played two player. You’d actually have to wait for the person to take their turn before you got yours. Imagine that. Not to mention, these cartridges were SO MUCH more durable. Oh it stopped working? Just give it a good blowing out, and it’s good as gold.

I don’t know about you, but I spent HOURS on making mix tapes. Sometimes taping the songs from the radio, or from the record player. Or tape to tape. These babies were a LABOR OF LOVE. If someone made you a mix tape, it was a sign that you were important to them. Because, we all know what happens if you accidentally tape over the last part of the song…. you gotta start ALL OVER AGAIN. Not that that ever happened to me. I never threw a mix tape across the room in anger. Never.

Stirrup leggings. Now, I can pass off my hot pink version of these as a childhood indiscretion. I didn’t know what I was doing. I WAS SO YOUNG. Now? These adults that are trying to bring them back? They have NO EXCUSE.

Another childhood indiscretion. Crimping. And because I had curly hair, I would actually STRAIGHTEN my hair in order to then crimp it to be cool. Sigh. Sorry, hair. From the bottom of my can of Aqua Net.

I got my style tips from Punky (except the leggings, that style tip came from Paula Abdul). And I’m not really ashamed. She might be part of why I’m a social worker, I always felt bad for her. And sometimes I would pretend that I was an orphan too, and I was only allowed to eat applesauce (I don’t know).

Playing outside! With other kids! Without any pieces of technology! OMG! I know, right? We had to MAKE UP GAMES. We got called into dinner by parents screaming our names out the front door. Everyone in the neighborhood knew us and we couldn’t get away with anything.

Saturday morning cartoons. ‘Nuff said.

We got Michael Jackson when he was good. And by good, I mean Bad! Really, really bad. You know it.

Music videos. They were a little strange. A little flashy. And they usually didn’t make sense, but we loved them! And I certainly made a lot of “music videos” with my Mom’s 50lb camcorder (my favorite being one to “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle in 6th grade – it was epic).

I may be hesitant about turning 30 (only because some things are so different than I imagined), but in all reality I am thankful to be born when I was. To know a life without being constantly connected to something electronic. To remember a world that was a little simpler, and a little bigger. And full of mix tapes. I really miss the mix tapes. How about you? Are you happy that you were born when you were?

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Happy Monday, everyone!

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Linking up by list with Stasha over at The good Life for Monday Listicles!