Stuff from a 90's childhood your kids don't understand:

[TheGhostsOfMeAndYou]

After reading CandidFruit's amazing thread about weird stuff from a 80's childhood, it got me thinking about things from my childhood and when telling my 10 year old DD about them she didn't get at all.

I was born mid 80's so although a lot of the 80's thread rang a bell I definitely remember kore 90's stuff.

My daughter couldn't grasp children's TV only being on for a set amount of time each day and if you weren't home to watch a programme when it was aired you missed it!

I was also explaining 10p mix ups to her and it blew her mind!

I can remember doing the reverse call thing in a phone box (had permission from mum to use in emergencies).
I was explaining to teen DD about picking the phone up and thinking hmmmm what could be on it, feeling like it was contaminated. Phone boxes were strange places and always attracted lone males who hung about outside 🤢
Recording on the cassette tape by pressing down two buttons I wouldn't be able to do it now. Even now I'm not sure if that's a false memory.
Those chunky platform shoes, DD just wouldn't get how popular they were.
Someone mentioned pedal pushers, omg I forgot about my obsession with them.
Bewitched being popular and trying to dress like them and thinking I was really cool. Double denim and cropped denim jeans with a bright coloured shirt. What the hell was I thinking?
When you met a friend you tended to choose doorways of record shops (or at least we did) and someone was always late. You'd be standing there like a complete lemon, though lots of people were doing the same 🤣

Having to speak to your friends parents first on the landline and exchanging pleasantries before being able to speak to your friend.

Rewinding and fast forwarding cassettes and VHS.

Long play videos were a revelation.

The excitement of Christmas TV!

Using a film camera and waiting a week to have the photos processed. I LOVED taking photos and the anticipation of seeing the pictures a week later was so exciting. Also being so mindful of using your 24 or 36 options well and the devastation of an unintentional blurry shot.

Using encyclopedias for research. In my case being jealous of people who had the full collection.

Loving the weekly visit to the library and choosing books to bring home. The fear of late returns!

Gladiators and Blind Date. Neighbours and Home and Away. Sunday nights with no choice but to sit through Last of the Summer Wine and Songs of Praise.

Sharing the one family games console with 5 other siblings. Taking it in turns and somehow managing it.

Locally we had a late night radio chat show where people rung in with problems. Feeling so rebellious with your siblings for prank calling them with fake problems.

Pencil thin eyebrows.

I'm sure I'll think of many more to add later. It was the best time to be young. I wouldn't change my childhood and teenage years for the world.

I was in my 20s in the 90s but I remember my niece saving up for the Friends box set when she was 13. Now it’s on tv every day !

Noel’s House Party- precursor for Ant and Dec Saturday Night Takeaway.

Tamagotchi being left with my sister while niece at school and my sister phoning me up at work because it had ‘died’ and wanting to revive it before niece got home from school.

dial up internet was in 9% of homes in 1999 so not sure the internet was really a 90s thing

by 2019, 93% of homes in uk had internet

Rimmel nude colour lipsticks. My friend made me laugh when she said that her daughter had 'skipped all that' and gone straight to Anastasia Beverley Hills.

Also, we all had those Body Shop body sprays. White musk? Was that one?

Looking up a holiday in a brochure or on Teletext and then having to dial a number to book it.

Ceefax and teletext holidays.
Smoking on planes and top deck of buses.
Factor 2 sunscreen 🤣

My then boyfriend, in 1997 had internet and yes, it was a novel thing then. You would have to do all your work at uni before travelling home. It was a long time before WiFi was a thing.

Bf's dad was clearly not very discreet about his own sexuality - he left this long list of porn websites, written on a piece of paper right next to the computer.

Sorry I think you are me.
I think it's clear I now have skin like a leather handbag from all the sun, fun, holidays and fags.

sigh good times.

Having a pen pal. Actually hand writing a letter to someone and posting it at the post office and waiting weeks for a response, instead of communicating instantly on social media and losing interest in them after a while.

I left home at 17 in 1989. I think of the 90s as the beginning of new tech. I was an adult in the 90s so I suppose have less 'childhood nostalgia' around then.
Cds were a thing...blew my mind as I'd brought all my records and tapes with me from home
A boyfriend who was self employed had a mobile phone in 1993. By 1998 loads of friends had mobiles
I think dvds came out late 90s?

Playing out

phone boxes

teletext

video shops

Fax machines

Going to blockbuster and picking the latest VHS

Hypercolour tops

Magic eye books

The tv programme "The Word"- we all used to talk about it at school- remember "I'll do anything to be on tv" segment?

LOLOL

Oh, also fresh prince of bel air and the big breakfast (more tea vicar!)

Being able to buy a chocolate bar for 25p.
My ward has a very old pay phone. Had to explain that a few times!

I went to University in the early 90s and was discussing the experience with my DD who has recently gone. Some of the things that horrified her were:

1. Having to do University applications by post. On arrival, having to remember to take all the paperwork and read it/check it so you knew where you had to be and when.
2. Having to look at physical posters on walls to find out about events etc
3. Hand written assignments and finding out exam results by checking a list posted on a notice board
4. Queuing to use a shared pay phone to call home
5. No mobiles- arrangements to meet had to be made in advance and stuck to
6. Having to do research etc using books and paper journals in the library (with no internet search function, so often having to skim read lots to find the sections that were relevant)
7. It being seen as a big deal when friends came out as gay, and having serious conversations with them about the implications of being out (eg. would flatmates be OK with it, would it be safe to kiss/hold hands with a partner in public, how might it be viewed by prospective employers etc).
8. Renting a TV for the living room when we got our first shared house
9. Copying music for friends using a stereo with a CD and cassette function (or the even more old school tape to tape)
10. Finding your way around a new city using an A-Z map book

Arranging to meet your friends by the bandstand in town on Saturday. And them turning up on time. No texts saying they're running late or faffing around in a whatsapp group trying to change the meeting location.

If your friends were late, you'd find a phone box, call their home and ask they're mum if they were on they way.

I had totally forgotten about having to do that!

Internet cafes

1471

getting excited if the album you brought had the lyrics in it

ringtone codes

waiting up all night watching MTV2 hoping to see the video of your favourite band

My daughter asked me the other day why we say HANG UP the phone. Oh and why I say 'tape' to mean record a programme.

Fixing an unravelled cassette tape with a pencil.

Hypercolour tshirts.

I had to explain reverse calls from a phone box to my kids, they were very confused.

Yes! Crucial crew, we went too. Failed at every exercise and came home with a plastic firemans hat and trauma! It was held at a local holiday park and a man asked if I wanted to go and see his owl, of course I obliged!

My DD had her Crucial Crew day recently, it definitely didn't include actual fire 😂

Although we went to a fire station open day in Germany when they were 5&7, and they did get to put out small fires there while DH and I had a beer

Being able to recall numerous landline phone numbers from memory. I can barely remember my own number these days.