10 People Reveal What Childhood Really Looked Like in the ’80s

Growing up in the 1980s was a totally different experience compared to now, even compared to the 1990s or 2000s. A lot of people remember those days with warmth, missing the calm and slower rhythm of life.

• I was super little in the 80s, but I have vague memories of my toys being really cool. Also, I remember being outside more, and using my imagination a lot. © Groundbreaking-Cow22 / Reddit

• One of my happiest memories was going out to catch fireflies in a jar as a kid. I grew up in the suburbs, but next to a wooded lot where it was always dark. As the area developed, more light came in.
  Today they’re nowhere to be found in my area, but they started to disappear from the wooded lot in the late 80s/early 90s. © KeepYrGlitterDry / Reddit

• I grew up in the late ’80s, on a sleepy street where everyone knew each other. Our neighbors had a big house, but we rarely saw them. I dared my friends to come with me to ring their doorbell. The neighbors looked terrified and slammed the door without a word.
  When I told my mom about this, she gasped in horror and revealed that they kept their daughter indoors due to a rare immune condition. She had been homeschooled and isolated.
  So I asked my mom if we could find a way to talk. She helped me write a letter. A week later, her parents dropped off a note from her in our mailbox. That started it.
  Every week, I wrote to her. I’d describe things we saw outside, and she’d reply with her own drawings of how she imagined them. One day, her parents placed a small lantern in her window. When it glowed, it meant she had a new letter.

• I grew up in the ’80s, back when prank calls were a thing. One day, we started getting these weird phone calls. No one would speak. Just breathing. Then a click.
  So my parents thought someone was pranking us. But after the fifth call, my dad lost his patience. He shouted into the phone, “Who are you?! What do you want?!” There was a long pause.
  Then a trembling voice replied, “It’s me. David.” I’d never seen my dad go so pale. David was my dad’s brother—the one who vanished when they were teenagers.
  Turns out, he’d watched us from afar for years, feeling too ashamed to reach out. And the calls? He was trying to work up the courage to say something.

• Looking back, the best part was probably no social media. I can’t imagine trying to grow up these days. I’m so incredibly glad that Facebook didn’t become a thing until I was halfway through college. © No_Glass9698 / Reddit

• No cell phones, no internet. Just having fun playing with action figures and going outside all day. Had to schedule everything around your favorite shows that were coming on. It was a way better childhood than kids have nowadays. © Unknown author / Reddit

• Born in ’83. Grew up on a farm. We were outside after breakfast and did not come in until dark or lunch.
  My grandparents lived across the pasture, and their garage fridge was stocked with drinks and candies or ice cream sandwiches. Put a million miles on a bicycle. © HayTX / Reddit

• I was born in ’71. The 80s were not unlike any other era for a typical child. I remember a lot of it being monotonous, just like today. Arcades were really fun, though. © Smart-Comb7108 / Reddit

• I had the experience of the kid that grew up independently and outdoors, but was young enough to grasp the technology shift. Feels like I got the best of both worlds. © Kukantiz / Reddit

• I grew up in the country climbing trees, running with boys, riding my pink bike, eating fruits straight from the trees, and coming home just before it got dark outside. © Elisa8th / Reddit

Every now and then, a wave of nostalgia can catch us off guard, and these 15+ Nostalgic Pics That Unlock Forgotten Childhood Memories might take you right back to your younger days.