Most of us can agree that we spent most of our childhoods waiting impatiently to grow up and experience all that adult life had to offer. Things such as participating in adult conversations and the most appealing thing of all, doing what we wanted, when we wanted. But as the saying goes, the grass is always greener and looking back now, most of us wish we could be as carefree as we were back in 1995. These are the things that were so much better when we were kids. Happy reminiscing.
16) Television
Back when we were just wee ones, the highlight of our young lives was coming home from school and watching the episode of Barney that had been taped by your oh so obliging father (just me?) Add Bosco, Seasame Street and everyone's favourite Dinosaur into the mix and we were taught all that we needed to learn in life and for that we are very grateful.
15) Music
So tell me what you want, what you really really want. I'll tell you what I want. I WANT TO GO BACK IN TIME AND SEE THE SPICE GIRLS LIVE. Also, please note, if you were a Boyzone kind of person instead, you may now bow your head in shame and think about what you've done. Shame on you. I wanna, I wanna......
Advertisement
14) Weekends
Weekends were every child's dream. You got up around ten, chilled around in your deadly looking pj's for a bit and then, because it was the weekend after all, brought your bowl full of snap, crackle and pops to the couch and watched cartoons for the next few, carefree hours. Ahhh. How times will change. Hello future weekend work, crushing our souls internally.
13) Mid-term
Mid term as an adult, (well student, unless you're a teacher, in which case....), spells overdue assignments, work and cramming. As a child it spells no smelly teachers for a whole week, lots of extra time to run around breaking branches off trees and most importantly of all, no homework.
Advertisement
12) The Summer
June the 26th is a day that will always be ingrained in my mind as one of sheer, unadulterated joy because it was usually around this date that we got our school summer holidays. Best.Day.Ever. (Actually the best day ever was the last day of Primary school, goodbye wankers, can't wait to never see you all again.) As was tradition in my school, on the last day everyone cycled in and then ruined the effect by shoving as many sweets into our faces as was humanly possible. Sugary joy.
11) The Great Outdoors
Now, if you were a townie child then you probably won't really relate to this, so let me elaborate. As a country child, if you did not spend 97% of your time outdoors, you would be subjected to severe ridiculing. SEVERE. A pasty child was a useless child. "What in the name of god do you think you're at, sitting inside and it only drizzling, get out to fuck and play in the muck." Never say we aren't tough.
Advertisement
10) Lack Of Fashion
Being a fashionable 90's child in rural Ireland was the equivalent of being a sound member of Al Queda. Not possible. You wore that striped tracksuit and scrunchie because you didn't have any other options. You were happy. It was a simple time.
9) Being Financially Carefree
When I was five I thought that being 24 would mean I'd have my own house, car and a wardrobe full of fabulous outfits. In reality, I'm currently wearing an outfit that all together comes to the total cost of thirty euro (shoes included), I have €6.74 in my bank account, my rented bathroom ceiling is growing more mould than a blue cheese factory and if someone would, at this point like to give me some money for sweets, I'd really be very grateful.
Advertisement
8) Boys/ Girls Were Just Stupid
As a child, boy or girl troubles were non existent. Completely non existent. Girls thought boys were smelly and picked their noses and boys thought girls were too pink and sparky. How simple things were when we all just hated one another.
7) Your Parents Were So Full Of Wisdom
As a child, your parents word was the biblical truth. They knew best. Or so we thought. Then we grew up and saw that they actually don't know everything. In fact, there's an awful lot that they don't know. The generation gap ensures that everything they believe in has dated considerably. The world in which we now live has different standards, rules and regulations and we can only impart these new facts upon them. How the tide has changed. We hold the power of knowledge now.
Advertisement
6) Your Birthday Was The Most Important Day Of Your Year
Waking up the morning of your Birthday was the most exciting feeling in the world, as a child. This was your day. Never mind Christmas, you had to share that. Your Birthday on the other hand, well, that was all yours. Cake, presents, balloons, cards, money, cake. A dream come true. Until we grew up and quickly came to realise that every Birthday is a shocking reminder of how old we're getting, how few people actually care enough to wish us a Happy Birthday and the shittest of all, working on your Birthday. Big time depression.
5) You Had Less Responsibilities Than The Pet Dog
When we were kids all we wanted more than anything else in the world, was more responsibility. The opportunity to choose when we got to go to bed, for example. Now with bills to pay and a life path to choose....Can we go back please?
Advertisement
4) Public Transport
Who else (city kids, you probably weren't as easily amused), remembers the thrill of going on a train or plane as a young 'un? So exciting. A thing that speed along AND that you could buy sweets on. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Just wait until you're being crammed into a bright yellow tube by some angry cabin crew at 6am and you won't be long forgetting those fond memories.
3)Happily Ever After
And they all lived happily ever after. Did they? DID THEY REALLY? Statistically, they couldn't have all lived happily ever after. Statistically, there were likely to be some divorces, deaths and affairs going on under the facade of glitter and glass slippers. Or perhaps all of the depressing biography's and fiction of today has turned us into cynical fuckers.
Advertisement
2) Eating Shitty Food Without Consequence
Our treat days were far more occasional than those of today's youths. We weren't complete muck savages. More that we ate a vast amount of Rice Krispie Buns and Banshee Bones at every Birthday party ever and because we were five and it's not 2014 whereby 10% of all children are now obese, we ran around outside and we were fine. There were no X-Boxes in those days.
1) Sports Days
Sports day was the only day when sports haters, like myself , actually enjoyed sports. Ironic really. Getting up on the Friday when sports day was scheduled and seeing the sun shining and the grass dry was one of the best feelings in the world. Spud and spoon, the three legged race with classmates four times your size and the best part of all, a bag of Tayto and some refreshers at the end of the day. Good times.
