90s nostalgia

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Tonight we had a little family game night. We played Mall madness and it took me back to my childhood. Most people see it as a "girl's game" but both my husband and son enjoy the game. My brother always enjoyed it too. I just see it as a game of strategy and luck. It doesn't require a lot of brain work but it does require a little. As we played it reminded me of the countless sleepovers I had a child. I miss the 90s. It was a simpler time. It was one of the last decades that really allowed some freedom. Parents still had the right to parent their children without everyone calling CPS (Child Protective Services) or constantly judging their every move. I mean it happened some but not like now. It wasn't a perfect time but it was still a little bit freer than it is now. We had the best of both worlds. We got to grow up with and without technology. We had computers and things but they didn't run our lives. We still rode our bikes around the neighborhood and met up with our friends. We still played outside. We had sleepovers where we ate junk food and played games and shared stories. They weren't these big theme parties like some parents make them now. Mostly we came up with our own fun and our parents checked in on us from time to time. The goal was always to see who could stay up the latest. Honestly, it was rare to get actual sleep at a sleepover. I feel sad for kids today. Every move they make is examined under a microscope. Parents today seldom get after their children and yell at anyone who dares to discipline them. It used to be if a teacher yelled at you, you would hear from your parents. Now parents yell at the teachers for doing their job. I remember back when I was a kid I lived in a tiny town and my parents relied on our neighbors to tell them what we were up to. I never dared act up because if I did I'd get in trouble twice. Once by whichever neighbor yelled at me and once by my parents. Life has changed so much in just a few decades. I miss growing up with both the freedom that existed offline but the ability to still use some technology. The highlight of the week for me was always when we got to go out on Friday nights after school. We went to eat, do our weekly grocery store run, and maybe rent a VHS tape from the video store. My son HATES grocery shopping. I loved it as a kid because my parents allowed me to pick out my own cereal and one snack food. My son gets the same opportunity but it doesn't do much for him. I just wish I could give him the childhood I had but I know that's not really possible in today's world. Not entirely anyway. Nothing beat a weekend sleepover with my friends. There were nights filled with giggling, UNO, and a Magic eight ball and of course Mall Madness. The game I played with my family tonight is the very same game I had as a child. I wish I still had friends close by to have a 90s party. I'd love to relive some of those times if only for a night. I guess most people get nostalgic over their childhoods. I find myself doing this more and more frequently. I hate that I'm often lumped in with the younger millennials because honestly those of us in our 30s had it different than those in their early 20s and even some in their middle 20s. Older millennials are very different from the younger ones. I'm not saying that some things aren't similar but there are a lot of differences. My Friday nights when we got home were often spent watching TGIF and hanging out with my friends. My Saturday mornings were spent watching One Saturday Morning. I watched Darkwing Duck, Pepper Ann, Duck Tales, Tailspin, and Bonkers to name a few. My favorite Nickelodeon shows were Rugrats, Doug, Are you afraid of the dark?, Clarissa explains it all, Salute your shorts, Hey Dude, and Hey Arnold a little later on. I remember Stick Stickly and SNICK. I also remember the original All That cast and the newer seasons of The Simpsons. It's just amazing to see how different things are from then to now. Any 90s kids out there? I'm mostly referring to those in the USA because I imagine based on where you lived things were probably different, but I'd still love to hear from all of the 90s kids and see how things were also similar in other countries. I was born in 1987 and often get lumped in with the younger millennials.