18 Jan 24 Things From Our Childhoods That We Need To Bring Back
Our lovely Facebook community shares what they miss the most about their childhood and what they would like to bring back and experience all over again.
Oh! To be a child again! That feeling of freedom, wonder and the excitement of not knowing what adventures were ahead. With all the technology of today keeping our kids busy, it does make us wonder about what they could be missing out on. If you think back to your childhoods, perhaps you’ll recall long days playing outdoors and discovering the whole neighbourhood by bike, building cubby houses, buying a packet of mixed lollies from the local milkbar and communicating with the world via walkie talkie. We wanted you to reflect back on our own childhood like we did here in the CHILD Mags’ office, as we impart some of those experiences of nostalgic play on to our kids!
Here are some things that we wish (and need to bring back) for children again:
Free Rein
There once was a time when ‘helicopter parents’ didn’t exist and the local community helped look out for each other’s kids. It was also quite normal for parents not to see their children back at home until dinner time, because they were too busy exploring the great outdoors.
1. Freedom! Being able to run around the neighbourhood unsupervised and going home for tea as it starts to get dark. – Claire
2. Being the carefree, hippie child I used to be. We had Chickens and ducks in the backyard, it was such a happier time. – Julia
3. Getting to sit around playing with toys all day. – Candice
4. Having no responsibilities – sleep, play, eat, repeat! – Cat
Keeping the Wonder Alive
It is important for our kids to get bored sometimes, as it leads to imaginative play and creative thinking.
5. The ability to use your imagination in play. As adults we can lose our creative thinking and sense of fun, which children are masters at. – Rebecca
6. My belief in magic and all things wondrous! Santa, the Easter Bunny, even Hogwarts. These beliefs gave me hope, excitement and curiosity which have faded with age. – Lauren
7. The never ending quest for adventures in magical lands that could be created anywhere and out of anything. The boring ‘court around the corner’ was the pirates treasure cove; the house on the corner was the baddies hideout! It didn’t matter what we did or didn’t have, our imaginations were the power of endless hours of fun, excitement and adventure! – Paul
The Simple Things
Many of our fondest memories can sometimes derive from something so small; keep your eyes open to the little beauties of the world.
8. The carefree nature and the simple joys in things that are now commonplace. It was a special treat to be able to select a bottle of milk from the delivery milk mans truck or get a bag of lollies for just five cents from the local milk bar. It was a less complicated time when simple things were the best things we could imagine. – Debbie
9. School holidays were the best lying on the grass, having a rest! My favourite scent is cut grass as it reminds me of how long summers used to last. – Laura
10. The Ice Cream Van. When I heard the familiar jingle playing from the ice cream van, it was like heaven on earth was just around the corner. – Effie
11. Falling asleep on the couch and waking up in my bed….. I miss teleporting. – Paula
12. Sunny Boy ice blocks. – David
Empowerment
The great thing about being a kid is the constant will to give something a good go and not question ourselves as much as we do as adults.
13. My confidence in my artistic ability. I want to be creative again but am filled with self doubt. – Sarah
14. I would like to bring back the time kids could play safely outside their homes without having to fear strangers. – Stephen
15. Feeling fearless. Life was simpler when you weren’t scared of anything and you believed you could achieve everything and anything. – Teena
Good Morals
Cartoons and TV Shows were not only unique and fun, but they always had an underling moral for us to learn about life like the importance of being kind to others.
16. Cartoons and stop motion TV shows, as opposed to all the 3D animated kids programs they make now. There was something wonderful about the imperfections these programs had. – Sarah
17. The innocent elements. When gender, race, disability, etc. didn’t have any significance. When money and finances were seemingly endless. And when making friends was easy. – Melanie
Making Your Own Fun
We never needed to have the latest toys and gadgets to keep us entertained.
18. The lack of technology, because it made me be more creative in finding ways to entertain myself. I’m guilty of giving my kids an iPad and now they’re addicted! – Virgina
19. Playing with blankets and pillows with my sisters and pretending to be a mum and dad. – Nisreen
20. All the free time I had to play with my closest friends; who lived close enough for sleepovers, play dates and our favourite… the three-way phone call! – Zoe
The Great Outdoors
The opposite of today, kids rarely played indoors preferring to be outside instead. It was a sad day indeed if it rained and you were stuck inside!
21. Playing in nature and exploring the great outdoors. – Jacqui
22. Riding my BMX on the dirt bike tracks with my mates. – Yvonne
23. The rule that you only need to be home when the streetlights came on. – Kyle
24. Being able to be carefree and ride your bike anywhere with your friends, climb trees, make cubby houses, get messy in mud and catch tadpoles in streams and not having to worry about all the restrictions we have now. Kids can’t just be kids anymore; I wish so much for the carefree to come back. – Jolene
Any childhood memories of you own that you would like to share?
Find some more good childhood nostalgia over HERE.
Compiled by Jenna Templeton / Images by Jared Sluyter + Hannah Rodrigo
