Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be a child again? No looming deadlines, no pressure to actually know what you want to do in life, and no financial worries. As students, many of us like to think that we are adults (even though a lot of the time that isn’t actually the case). However, there are many fond memories of being a child growing up in the nineties that will stay with us forever. Here are just a few…
1. When Freddos were like, 8p.
The Freddo – a chocolate bar that just satisfied that chocolaty craving, without making you feel like a pig for eating a standard 45g bar. Trips with mum to the newsagent were always a joyous occasion because you knew your 30p pick and mix budget meant you could also buy a freddo. Well… NOT ANYMORE! A Freddo will now set you back a whopping 20p, meaning you may as well go all out and buy the bigger bar!
2. Fancying Justin Timberlake, despite the fact his hair looked like super noodles.
Admit it! Everyone used to have their eyes on NSYNC’s Justin, although I now question why; when his hair was the spitting image of a bowl of super noodles. Hearts were broken when it was revealed that he was dating Britney Spears, but the couples street cred was slightly damaged when they made an appearance with a coordinated double denim look… not good.
3. Having turkey dinosaurs for tea.
If you never had the dinosaur shaped turkey dippers for tea, then it’s safe to say your childhood was incomplete, although it is questionable whether or not they did actually contain any real meat. Nonetheless, they made the perfect snack after a very tough and difficult day at primary school.
4. Coming home from school and watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Remember CITV? Believe it or not, it’s actually still around. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was just one of the weird and whacky programs shown on the channel, I even remember the 4 year old me being extremely confused as to why my cat wouldn’t talk to me like Salem spoke to Sabrina. I suppose you could argue that the show actually gave quite a false depiction of what our teenage years would be like.
5. Using Jacqueline Wilson’s books as a guide on how to live life.
Wilson’s children’s novels always addressed tough issues like divorce, adoption, mental illness, and falling out with friends. It seemed like no matter what was going on in your life there was always a book to turn to where a character would be going through the same thing.
6. Being incapable of keeping a Tamagotchi alive.
I remember I asked for a pet dog one day, and instead my Mum decided that a Tamagotchi would suffice. In all honesty, I wasn’t particularly bothered about the dog after a few hours of playing with my virtual pet. However, there was nothing more frustrating than losing your Tamagotchi for a few days, then finding it, only to be greeted by the little angel symbol on the screen. RIP.
7. Squeezit Drinks.
I feel incredibly sorry for all the parents who naively gave their children these E number infested drinks (especially on visits to the play area). The hours of hyperactivity that followed can’t have been all that pleasant (sorry Mum). Safe to say they were pretty nice though.
8. When happiness could be achieved by running around a play area for 2 hours.
Receiving an invitation to a play area party was the best. Although, there was always one child that ate too much from the buffet and decided to chunder in the ball pool before proceeding to play (that was maybe me, once). It’s amazing how much entertainment came from running around a room that was essentially just filled with spongy obstacles and just playing ‘catch’.
9. Recess.
Need I say more? Recess puts all of the modern children’s TV shows to shame. Ashley Spinelli was the epitome of cool, Gretchen Gudler was incredibly smart, and everyones favourite, Mikey, well – he was just adorable. Everybody wanted their school to be like the Third Street Kindergarten.
10. Using the ‘special trick’ to draw your S’s.
I have to be honest and admit that this was a trick I never personally mastered. Whenever the teacher assigned a task that involved using ‘bubble writing’ (e.g. making a poster) the walls of the classroom would suddenly be filled with these rather strange looking S’s, and everyone thought they were masters of graffiti.
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