We tend to think that childhood sucks when we’re little. We can’t wait to grow up and be like adults. Then we’ll be able to watch whatever we want on TV, buy whatever snacks we want, and go out without telling anyone and without a curfew. That’s why they say that youth is wasted on the young – because we don’t yet know how good we actually have it.
A couple of years ago, one Redditor was curious to know what cool things people experienced in their childhood but didn’t appreciate until they became adults. They went on r/AskReddit and posed this question to the community. People shared all sorts of wholesome and sweet things and even some impressive stories.
#2
I've shared this before, but it is a very important thing I realized I did not appreciate until I was an adult.
When I was a kid my dad and I had a tradition every week of going to the video store and renting a movie or two to watch together. I remember I used to get really upset at him because every single time we'd actually start to watch the movie he would fall asleep.
It wasn't until I was older that I realized that the reason he would fall asleep was because he was exhausted from working two very physically demanding jobs to try and give me the best life he possibly could. On top of that, even though he was tired he still made an effort to try and start a little tradition with me and spend time with me.
Those memories of me having to nudge my dad awake are so great in my eyes, because they made me realize what a caring and hard working man he was and still is to this day.
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129points
#3
3 months of summer vacation
Growing up without a cell phone or social media.
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124points
Sometimes we tend to remember things more fondly just because they happened in the past. That way, our childhood might seem better than it actually is. This is called 'rosy retrospection.' Experts say that the phenomenon is a "cognitive bias that runs parallel with the concept of nostalgia, though the latter does not always directly imply a biased recollection."
But it's nothing to be scared of, it happens to most of us. It's just how our brains process memories over time. Young adults tend to remember their childhood as their 'golden age.' For older adults, it's their young adult years that seem to be the best.
#4
Falling asleep somewhere, like in the car, and waking up in my bed.
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103points
#5
This might sound stupid or boomerish.
When I was a kid -1960s- every town had its own stores for everything. Local shoe shop, local sporting goods store, local five and dime, non franchise gas stations, local one-screen movie theater. Every town was a little, local economy.
Then the malls killed it all. Now the big box stores are killing them.
Progress?
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95points
#6
Remember how you use to feel waking up on Christmas day? And now Christmas is just a holiday we save up for and worry about what to get people and hope we didn't forget anyone. I miss the stress free Christmas.
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94points
Apparently, our most vivid long-term memories happen between the ages of 10 and 30, and those are the years that our brains remember the best. We also tend to concentrate on our 20s, because many significant life events occur during those years: college graduation, marriage, having children, etc. This age period is also called 'the reminiscence bump.'
But it's not simply about the things and events that we remember. The more important factor is how we felt during them. That's what we register the best, and that's what triggers us to remember these events in a positive light. Also, because younger people tend to be more optimistic about the world and the future, our memories are made even better by the dopamine we had when we lived them.
#7
Having loving & kind parents, and a happy family unit who genuinely enjoyed each other and had great holidays together.
Seemed normal to me but reading reddit makes it seem so unusual.
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80points
#8
When I was a little kid (probably around ~5-6 years old), there were a few times when I was riding my bike around the neighborhood in the afternoon and my dad happened to see me while on his way home from work. We would always "race" back to the house, and I thought I was the fastest biker ever because I would always win even though my dad was in his car.
After a while, I completely forgot about this. Then, when I was 18, my dad was teaching me how to drive stick in the exact same car he had when that happened, and I happened to drive past a kid about that age on a bike. Suddenly I remembered those "races" again, and at the same time I realized that my dad had been revving the engine in neutral.
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78points
#9
Having a functional body.
Having free fun time.
Making friends easily.
Having free fun time.
Making friends easily.
All of these were a given for me, until it becomes no more a given.
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74points
#10
Walking around town without adult supervision and no one bothers you or calls the authorities.
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71points
#11
Growing up on a farm and participating in 4H. So many kids today completely lack any sense of where their food comes from, why we need to be humane ro animals or why it's so good for the mind to be outdoors! Not to mention the built in work ethic and sense of responsibility and accomplishment that comes with raising animals and doing physical tasks.
68points
#12
Waking up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday to play video games for a few hours before watching cartoons.
I mean, I can do that now. But it just lacks a certain charm as an adult.
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68points
#14
Just being a kid in general. All I ever wanted to do was grow up.
64points
#15
I'm from europe and in the middle of the woods near my village there is an abadon monestary from the XV century, it's a huge place. We would play hid and seek there. It's an amazing place but for us was just a good place to play.
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63points
#16
Showing livestock. I was embarrassed about it as a kid and especially as a teen. Looking back, it's pretty badass that I was able to halter-break, groom, and show 1,200 pound steers as a kid.
63points
#17
The early stages of the internet. It felt like I was part of a secret club. The vibe of it felt much more underground and it had a ton of variety.
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56points
#18
Coming home after school and having almost no responsibilities. In fact, we were not even allowed in the house until dark because we got in the way! Now I get home after work, and I still have so much to do. I would love that feeling again.
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52points
#19
My dad had an airplane and I lived on a farm and he would buy a bag of candy and rain it down in the field for me and my cousin to find.
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50points
#20
Eating meals at the table with the whole family, using food grown in our garden. Majority of my childhood friends were raised this way so i didn't see the value in it until i left my small town for college and realized that it wasn't the norm in a lot of households. Now I really appreciate the time and conversations my family had during meals.
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49points