Millennials/the 90s

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I know every generation probably remembers their childhoods and teen years fondly, and I know as each generation gets into their 30s and 40s the decade they were born in seems to make a reappearance, but for some reason I feel like the millennials have been clinging to their childhoods harder than any generation before. I think it's probably because we are the first generation where our childhoods were the last time many of us consistently saw genuine good in the world. I'm not saying good doesn't still exist out there, but when we were kids, everything seemed easier for a lot of us. We are now in a world where the cost of living is soaring while most of us are struggling financially in a way a lot of those who came before us didn't struggle. I'm not saying the previous generations didn't struggle financially or otherwise, because I know they did, but it almost feels like for millennials they don't see an end in sight. Our childhoods were the last time most of us got to genuinely enjoy life. We were also the last generation who got to enjoy a life that didn't rely on technology in our childhoods. We were introduced to some technology, but it didn't completely take over. The newer generations don't know a life where technology wasn't around. They had the internet straight from the womb. We tend to romanticize our childhoods more than most generations, and I think it is because we did have the best of both worlds. We had a life that didn't revolve around social media; we went to the library to do our research for school; we played with toys instead of being handed an electronic device, and when we did play video games, we learned patience because games didn't automatically save. If you played Mario on Nintendo or Super Nintendo, I'm sure you remember a time when your parents decided you'd had enough for the day and turned it off on you and sent you out to play while you were almost in tears from frustration because you spent so long beating a level only to have to start from the very beginning, and your parents didn't care. You probably remember the joy and innocence of playing with the neighborhood kids. You remember the giant televisions where, if someone wanted to steal it they had to put effort into lifting it. I have to say I'm willing to bet TVs were stolen a lot less prior to flat-panel televisions. It's not that millennials have it harder today necessarily, but we only really remember one time in our lives when things genuinely seemed easier. We are more aware of everything happening around us than previous generations. We are constantly reminded by social media and television about everything happening in the world. The media is constantly pushing its narrative on us, and we remember a time when things were simpler. The newer generation doesn't really remember a time without the media being crammed down their throats. Sometimes I feel bad for the things they have missed, and it isn't their fault. I'm sure they have things they love and miss about their childhoods, but most of them don't know the innocence of childhood quite the same way as most millennials and previous generations. They were born into technology. Millennials got the best of both worlds, so they know what life was like prior to technology while also knowing how to use it. I have sat here for a long time wondering why millennials in particular seem to crave the things from their childhoods in a way previous generations didn't seem to. I know in the early 2000s the 60s and 70s came back for a bit, but I don't remember hitting as hard as the 90s have hit. I know so many younger kids telling me they wish they had been born in the 90s. They miss something they never got to personally experience. I used to kind of feel that way about the 50s. I think each generation probably does long for their childhoods, but I feel like it's the millennials that actively seek it out whenever and wherever they can. I find myself going to retro stores looking for pieces of my childhood. I think I long to feel the way I felt during childhood when things seemed easier. I remember the way things felt back then. I remember not having to make dinner; I remember the freedom of not being controlled by a phone; I remember playing outside almost all day and then coming in and watching my favorite shows on TV; I remember the way the rain felt and sounded in my neighborhood and how quiet the street got because every kid that was outside in their yards or at the park playing suddenly went inside and longingly looked outside waiting for the rain to stop so they could be outside again on their bikes and playing with friends. I think my favorite memories from the 90s were in the fall. I remember the feel of the chill in the air, I loved the way the rain smelled as it hit the leaves, bringing out an earthier smell, and I remember how fun it was to go out trick-or-treating with friends and how most of us had to make our own costumes, because only the wealthier kids typically got to wear those cheap plastic masks with those hot vinyl suits. I only remember one year when I got to wear one of those, and I was Tweety Bird. It's one of the only store-bought costumes I remember owning. One year my mom's friend loaned me a Witch's costume. My school used to do these Halloween parties and parades where we got to wear costumes, and my sister used to loan me a clown costume I wore for years, and then we gave it back afterward, but I never got to wear it for actual Halloween. Now most schools don't even allow Halloween costumes to be worn at school. It was the end of such a great era. 90s classroom parties were always the best. I miss the way those days felt as a child. I miss waking up on Saturday mornings and racing to the TV to watch cartoons with a big bowl of cereal. The TGIF lineup on ABC was my favorite thing to watch on Friday nights. ABC also had a great One Saturday Morning lineup I miss. I can't lie; there are days I want to bring parts of the 90s back to my life, and I'm actively trying to find ways to do that. The simplicity of being a kid is what I miss most. Car trips on Fridays and Saturdays (something we sometimes still do), every Friday meant we got to go out to eat and do grocery shopping. Dinners were eaten around the table after my brother and I raced the street lights on our bikes to get home in time for dinner; we then got to spend an hour watching TV before showers and bedtime. It doesn't sound like much but back then it was everything. I miss it. There is part of me that appreciates modern conveniences but I also miss a time when everything was simpler. You were taught patience. You were taught life lessons that often seem to be skimmed over today. Parents spoil their children in a way 90s kids didn't get spoiled, maybe because they feel like they have to give their children everything they didn't have instead of giving them some things from their childhood they did have. I know it's not the same for everyone, and I know some kids even today live a simpler life. I remember being in a checkout line, and there was a young 19- or 20-something telling me about how he grew up old school watching 90s television, and I laughed, remembering how when I was a kid old school was watching I Love Lucy and The Brady Bunch, and thinking, man, times have changed. I am sure I am biased, but I think millennials probably had one of the best childhoods to grow up in, I still think the 50s probably had some of the best teen years, though, but the 90s and 2000s weren't bad for teenagers. I wish my son got a chance to fully experience some of the things I got to experience, but the best I can do is share what I can with him. As a side note, does anyone remember Keebler's pizzaria chips? I loved those things, and I am so sad they don't make them anymore. I often wonder if they would taste as good as I remember them. I also am on a mission to single-handedly bring back pogs, because I guess even as I approach 40, I'll always be a 90s kid at heart. Even though I am weirdly obsessed with the early to mid 1900s and have always loved the decades that came before, I still have a special appreciation for the generation I grew up in.