We’ve all seen those blog posts, the ones about knowing you were a child of the 80s (or the 70s…ahem…). They wax poetic about cartoons only being on TV a few hours on Saturday morning, leaving the house to play outside at dawn and returning at dusk, computers mostly being used only for typing papers or making banners on Print Shop. The list is endless, and I love the little trip down memory lane these posts provide.
And then there are the blog posts about how to give your child(ren) a childhood like you had in the 80s – tossing them in the backyard to play, restricting their use of TV and video games, giving them a can of Play-doh and telling them to “have fun.” And I do that stuff from time to time with my kids now, especially in the summer and during these never-ending snow days. But it just doesn’t seem to be the same, because, well, there’s no way it can be the same. There are too many distractions…which is why I sometimes wish I could be a PARENT of the 80s.
Think about it! From the time we woke up until the time we went to bed, my brother and I entertained ourselves. Our TV had the basic cable channels (about 15 channels, no HBO – gasp!), which only seemed to show the news (bor-ring), except for Sesame Street at 8 a.m and the Price Is Right at 10 a.m. So, there was little entertainment to be found there. We played together until we fought, then we played alone until we got lonely, then we played together again… the cycle continued. We had just enough toys – I loved playing school or playing with my Barbies, my brother played with his Legos and Hot Wheels cars.
When it was nice outside (i.e. not raining), we were in the backyard on the swings or riding our bikes in the cul-de-sac. Snow never kept us inside – our house had a sloped driveway and was on a hill that dead-ended. Sledding options for days! We had board games and card games. We roller skated in the unfinished basement. We blew up balloons and tried to see how long we could keep it from hitting the ground. I don’t remember being bored. We made our own fun.
Since we were always making our own fun, I mean, how hard could it have been to be a parent in the 80s? No battles over limiting screen time. No whining about needing the latest app/video game/toy because they weren’t really out there. No worrying about your child playing outside, down the street, out of sight. Can you imagine how much I could accomplish in my day? I would never be behind on the laundry and every dinner would be homemade, with side dishes and everything!
Now, I can totally hear my mom (and every other mom of the 80s) groan and roll their eyes. Even I’m giving myself the side-eye. My mom would argue that yes, we begged daily for Atari, HBO, and more time to watch Scooby Doo. Yes, we got bored. Yes, we complained about it. Yes, my mom suggested all of the above activities unless we wanted to help her clean, do laundry, make meals, etc. (wait…I say that to my kids on the daily…).
My mom made us fend for ourselves sometimes, but she also did LOTS of things with us. She helped us build forts, she taught us how to cook, she played games and colored with us. She took us to the library and museums. All while she kept the house running like a well-oiled machine.
So maybe being a parent in the 80s isn’t that much different than today? Kids are kids – we always wanted what we didn’t have, always claimed to be bored, always wanted mom to play with us. My kids say the exact same things today. Sure, the distractions and wants are different and absolutely more plentiful today. We just have to navigate them differently, and be more aware of what’s out there. Worrying what my kids may find on the internet seems so scary to me, just as my mom worried about what we may find on HBO.
I guess I am a parent of the 80s. I just do what my mom did back then – play games with my kids, encourage independent play time, send them outside, and limit technology. But man, what I wouldn’t give for a box of Colorforms and some Smurf figurines to beat the winter boredom.
