Loveday Writing

I grew up as a child in the ‘90s, although I had a happy childhood, I don’t miss being a child, but I do miss the ‘90s. So much has changed over the last fifteen years, most if it is good, some of it not so good. Below are the top five things of why I think it was great growing up in the ‘90s.

Having to actually talk

Social media took the world by storm in the mid 2000s, it took the stigma out of online dating, it interconnected everyone in a way that wouldn’t have happened under any other circumstances and it made contacting family far away or overseas easier. However due to the convenience of social media being available at your fingertips and not actually having to talk to people, basic social and interactive skills are declining.

One of the best things about growing up in the ‘90s was not having social media dictate our lives. One of the best parts about going back to school after the summer holidays was catching up with my friends. It was always exciting finding out news about your friends and family first hand rather than by a change in relationship status on Facebook.

Phones and computers weren’t smart

Although the idea for mobile phones had been around and developed for many decades, mobile phone usage didn’t become popular and common until the mid ‘90s to early 2000s. However when I was growing up it was less common for people to have a mobile phone and for children to have them was laughable. Now in the mid 2010s, I am still shocked when I see 10 year olds owning mobile phones.

These days it is also unheard of for people to not own an iPad, tablet, smartphone, iPhone or laptop. Computers and phones become outdated after only a couple of years this wasn’t the case in the ‘90s. It didn’t matter as much if you didn’t have the most modern computers in your home, or if you didn’t have a laptop. The pre-handheld computers, smart computers and smartphone days were good ones.

Not being wrapped up in cotton wool

Over the last few years I have noticed that schools have banned certain activities such as handstands and cartwheels because they are afraid of possible injuries and lawsuits. A few months ago there was a story of schools banning fun competitive games because kids apparently can’t handle losing and they don’t want hurt feelings. More and more in schools there are handouts of participation certificates in sports, racing against personal best and not being competitive in an effort to try  to prevent hurt feelings and to make everything perfect. The problem with this is that children don’t learn basic and vital life skills. The need to wrap children up in cotton wool like this wasn’t as strong when I was in school—there were plenty of kids who hurt themselves on the playground and lost games, I did and I turned out just fine.

No “reality” shows

Although reality shows were around in the ‘90s, they weren’t as dominant on TV as they are now. Growing up, there were plenty of cartoons, dramas and Australian shows to watch, reality shows were in the minority. Now it’s all about the “reality” shows which are mainly unrealistic, voyeuristic and just plain crap.

Snap, crackle and pop (music)

When I was growing up, B*Witched, Britney Spears, NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were my favourite bands. Pop and teen pop was especially popular during the ‘90s and I can see why, aside from the fact that all of the singers were heart throbs their songs were mainly about love, happiness and acceptance and their music had a good beat. I remember their songs being a big hit during school dances and parties. The music scene is always different every decade and I still love music as an adult, however I’m not a big fan of the remixes, which have seen to emerge in popularity over recent years. I will always have ‘As Long As You Love Me’, ‘Oops! I did It Again’, ‘C’est la Vie’ and ‘It’s Tearing Up My Heart’ on my iPod.