15 Reasons Why Growing up in the 1980s was the Best

15 Reasons Why Growing Up in the 1980s was the Best. A photograph of a cluster of cassette tapes all labeled Hits.

I love shows like Stranger Things and seeing the 1980s represented {minus the demogordens}. I’ve always talked to my kids about how it was like growing up in that decade but this show brings my childhood to life. I spent my days riding my bike around the neighborhood being carefree and coming home before dark. I would rush home from school to throw my backpack on the floor and put my Madonna record onto the record player. Hours of belting out tunes to my Madonna poster hanging on my wall and daydreaming of performing it in the school talent show would follow. {True Story}. I love the ’80s.

The popularity of the show has brought back a resurgence of 1980s fashion style, movies and memorabilia. The ’80s was a laid back era enrobed in loud fashion senses.  Who would’ve thought hair scrunchies would make a comeback? I was so excited when I saw that Doritos brought back their original packaging at the grocery store. Dusty’s scene with Suzy-poo singing The Never Ending Story had my own children memorizing the lines and asking me to watch the movie. Watching Stranger Things definitely made me reminiscence of what the ’80s was like for me growing up.

  1. Michael Jackson’s Thriller used to scare me as a child. The music video seriously gave me nightmares but the song was so dang good. Loving Thriller also meant that you know the dance moves by heart.
  2. The movie E.T. the Extra Terrestrial made you want to eat Reeses Pieces regardless if you like them or not. The elementary school that I went to had this movie as one of the three movies on rotation for movie day.
  3. Who remembers Punky Brewster and The Wonder Years? I mentioned Punky Brewster to some of the millennials that work for me the other day and they looked at me with blank stares. I also had the biggest crush on Fred Savage when I was a kid.
  4. Nintendo took over the gaming world and made Atari a thing of the past. Countless hours were spent playing Mario Bros and saving Princess Peach.
  5. Having big hair was the thing and a perm. I hated the smell of the perm chemicals and remember regretting it when the first roller was pulled off. The sight of how curly it made my bangs still makes me cringe to this day.  It was awful!
  6. The mall and the roller rink were the cool places to hang out.
  7. Fanny packs were the best way to tote around your Walkman! I see that the fanny pack has made a comeback recently and being worn across the body in a weird way {I don’t like it}.
  8. Mix Tapes were the best way to tell someone how you felt about them.
  9. Lisa Frank made the coolest Trapper Keepers and folders.
  10. Beetlejuice was one of my favorite movies and I watched it countless times. My kids thought it was corny. Movies had a different style back then and they just don’t get it.
  11. Mr. T had his own breakfast cereal and it tasted just like Captain Crunch.
  12. I loved my plastic charm necklace! There would be a ridiculous amount of charms on them and it made tons of noise as it clinked together when you moved.
  13. Back to the Future made you think that is exactly how the future would be like. I’m still waiting on the flying cars.
  14. Getting chicken pox was a rite of passage in elementary school. You would get covered in dots of Caladryl and quarantined with an abundance of ice-cream to eat. If you had a sibling or a friend that hadn’t gotten their chicken pox yet they would be quarantined with you.
  15. Computers used floppy disks and you had to type in commands for it to work the way you wanted it to. Remember The Oregon Trail and how you had to load the next floppy disk to continue playing?

My kids are still baffled that people survived the 1980s without the technology that they are accustomed to now. I purchased Dungeons and Dragons for them a couple of Christmases ago hoping that they would enjoy a role-playing game that didn’t require a tech device of some sort. They were not interested in it at all until early this summer. They stayed up late to play their game, laughed about the different characters and scenarios that they came up with and it was exactly why I wanted to get them the game board in the first place. When the weather is nice, I force my kids to go outside to play or we ride our bikes together as a family in the evenings. We have a ridiculous amount of board games so that they can play with when I turn off the WiFi at the home. My eldest daughter is really into 1980s fashion right now and we enjoy shopping for it together. The 80s may not have been a favorite era for many people, but it reminds me of my good childhood memories. It brings me joy to be able to share this time period with my kids and give them a glimpse of what growing up ’80s was like for me. I love the 80s. 

What reminds you of the 1980s? I would love to hear your thoughts!


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15 Reasons Why Growing Up in the 1980s was the Best. A photograph of a cluster of cassette tapes all labeled Hits. Logo: Houston Moms Blog.

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Christine N
Christine was raised in Houston almost all her life, but currently resides in Sugar Land with her family. She graduated with a teaching degree from the University of Houston and taught elementary school for eight wonderful years.  She met her husband Martin while they both were teaching CCE at a local parish.  Together they have five beautiful children Madison {September 2005}, Caden {April 2007}, Cohen {April 2008}, Mason {August 2009}, and Anna-Marie {November 2016}.  Christine is also a self-taught baker, cake designer, and owner of The Sweet Boutique Bakery.  In 2016, her family felt a huge calling to open up their hearts and home to fostering babies.  When Christine isn’t juggling work, being an active school mom, or caring for her foster baby, you will find her creating DIY home projects, crafting, party planning, baking with her kids, and traveling with her family.  You can read more of her family shenanigans on The Sweet Boutique's Blog.

2 COMMENTS

  1. For me, only having certain shows once a year and being able to watch cartoons at certain times, most notably on stayed morning from 6-10:30. Then watching New Kids on the Block before sports came on. I loved the anticipation of delayed gratification. That is the biggest difference between us and our kids. Thanks for the article.

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