"My Grandkids Will Never Get To Experience That": Older Adults Are Sharing The Aspects Of Their Childhood That Have All But Vanished

It's always so fascinating to hear my parents' stories of growing up and how vastly different they were from my own childhood. Even though I remember dial-up and landlines as if it were yesterday, there's a whole lot I didn't experience as a millennial. So when we published the "back in the day" experiences of older adults, I learned even more from the commenters about the nostalgic moments from their youth. Here's what they had to say.

1."Recording tapes from the radio music shows or from your own stereo off your LPs. Then, you'd write down the songs you recorded and, on the other side, glue on some nice picture or draw some little artwork on it. Owning one of your favorite singers or bands actually meant something. I still have all of mine. The sound is way better than the downloaded stuff nowadays."

2."I grew up in a very rural area. Writing and receiving letters from my city cousin, who lived four hours away, was something I looked forward to. In the summer, I had a friend from elementary school who lived a half-hour away. We'd write letters back and forth almost daily during summer. Stamps were four cents, then went to a nickel. Writing letters was a happy pastime, and I miss the connections they fostered."

—Anonymous, 67

3."Music being played on MTV and Fuse instead of reality shows like 16 And Pregnant."

4."Needing a cord to connect to the internet. I was in college in the early 2000s when WiFi wasn't yet a thing. I remember toting a long yellow ethernet cable all around campus with me to plug into my laptop so I could connect to the internet in my dorm room, the library, classroom buildings, you name it: no ethernet jack or cable, no internet. And don't even get me started on the benefits of an ethernet internet connection versus your run-of-the-mill phone line, which was slow and comparatively unreliable. Back in the day, ethernet was king!"

—Angela, 40, Ohio

5."Making sure you had change in your pocket in case you had to call someone from a telephone booth. Usually, two quarters and a dime would cover it."

6."Going to the library to find a book about the topic you needed to learn about."

—karenparisotto

7."There weren't plastics or Styrofoam containers at the store. You went and asked for what you needed, and they would package it in heavy wax paper, and you moved on. Our milk was in quart-sized glass bottles and placed in a metal container next to the front door. We had to make sure to shake the milk container before each use to mix the fat into the liquid. I'm feeling so old now — I still pick up the milk and shake it."

8."Freedom to be a kid. We used to go camping most weekends, and I remember my dad giving my brother (two years older) a compass and giving me a canteen with the instructions, 'Stay together and be back in camp by dark,' and we were gone. We tramped the Sierras like they were our own backyard. In Alaska, we knew the forest and its animals like we knew the neighbors and their dogs. My grandkids will never get to experience that."

—Anonymous, 65

9."Writing a check (and not pissing off everyone in line behind you) to pay for something; sometimes, you had a check card with that specific business, so they already had your info and would take your card. If you bounced a check repeatedly, your name went on a list, and sometimes, they'd put a 'do not accept checks from so and so' sign visible at the register. Now, I use maybe one check a month. ATMs have made things so much easier."

10."Cameras! I still use a little digital camera, especially on vacation (it's waterproof). A few years ago, I asked a teenage passerby to take a photo of our group. He took the camera, inspected it, handed it back to me, and said, 'I'm sorry, I don't know how to use this kind of phone.'"

—Anonymous, 40, Canada

11."Planning to meet your friend at the mall at a certain time and having no way of telling them if you're gonna be late or can't make it."

12."Party lines. We had five homes on our phone line. Our call was two short rings and one long one, which meant it was for us. I remember my mom telling neighbors that it was for us and that they could hang up."

—Timm, 65

13."Finally getting a remote for the TV. The first ones actually had a cord, which was too short to hold while sitting on the couch, but it was still cool to have something that could flip through the five channels we did have."

14."Taping shows or games on VCR (VHS or Beta). If you missed a show or game and did not have it taped, then you just missed it. Nowadays, you can stream it live and rewatch it a million times with a streaming platform or YouTube."

—Anonymous

15."I used to love getting off a plane and walking through that long hallway to the gate with the anticipation building as you walk through the doorway and see your loved one standing there waiting to greet you. It doesn't hit the same way as seeing them at the car or baggage claim."

16."Riding in the way back of a station wagon to wave at the drivers behind us. Seatbelts were only lap belts and only a suggestion. There were no car seats except for infants. It would've been terrible if we'd gotten rear-ended, but we had a lot of fun back there!"

—Anonymous, 54, Arizona

17."Cigarette vending machines. Also, cigarette ads on TV."

18."It was very normal for all kids to be broke. Social media puts so much pressure on kids to have money and expensive items. In the '90s, if I or the neighborhood kids wanted money for something, we'd think of something we could sell and/or work for. Twenty dollars would be an astronomical amount to earn."

—Sabrina, 38, Texas

19."I loved going to the video store on Friday nights. It was something of an event, marking the start of the weekend."

20."Going to Pizza Hut with the family and having to wait for a table! Then, while waiting for the food to come out, you'd beg your parents for some quarters to pop in the jukebox or stand with the crowd at the arcade games, placing your quarter in the queue to reserve your play slot. There was no better place for a birthday party, with the smells, sounds, and activity. Pizza Huts back in the '80s were poppin'!"

21."Looking for a job in the classifieds and cutting out the comics and taping one to something you often see like a cubicle, bedroom wall, etc."

—sherricohen114

22."Only having a certain number of minutes per month to use AOL."

23."I grew up on Long Island, and my dad was a big Giants football fan. We had antennas then for TV reception — my dad would get up on the roof while my mom would be leaning out the front door with an eye on our black-and-white TV. She would tell my dad when to stop rotating the antenna when the picture was the best to see the game."

—Bunny

24."A new TV Guide magazine was available every week at the supermarket checkout that covered all of the local over-the-air channels. The annual Fall Preview issue was a big deal!"

25."Downloading a song for hours only to finally press play and hear, 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.' NOT COOL, LimeWire."

—karileah143

26."Getting the Toys 'R' Us catalog in the mail and having to circle the toys you wanted for birthdays or Christmas in pen. Then, you had to leave it for your parents to stumble upon. If you had siblings and it was around Christmas, you had to share the one catalog and leave an initial or choose a different pen color."

What common aspect of your childhood do you believe kids will never experience today? Tell us in the comments or fill out this anonymous form!

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