Growing Up Before Smartphones: A Childhood Today’s Kids Will Never Know

When childhood meant bikes, streetlights, and no screens.

Ann Walters

10 hours ago

Two vintage bicycles and a garden hose on a suburban lawn at golden hour, evoking childhood nostalgia.

There was a time when back-to-school shopping meant a trip to Kmart—and the clothes you picked out didn’t come home with you right away. They stayed on layaway until just before school started. Eating out at a restaurant? That was for special occasions. “Fast food” wasn’t McDonald’s—it was whatever leftovers were in the fridge. And on a sweltering summer day, popsicles were a rare treat that felt like gold.

Vintage Kmart back-to-school clothing aisle with layaway sign. — Back-to-school shopping meant Kmart—and sometimes, your new clothes stayed on layaway until school started.

We had candy cigarettes that cost pocket change—usually less than a dollar. School was non-negotiable, and the moment you got home, you changed out of your school clothes into “play clothes.” If your parents weren’t home after school, you didn’t need daycare—you went to a neighbor’s house, or you simply used the house key you always carried.

Life Before Screens and Streaming

Dinner happened at the table, with no one scrolling or glued to a TV. The house phone was there, but it wasn’t in constant use. Afternoons and weekends were for Cops and Robbers, Red Light, Green Light, Hide & Seek, Kickball, Dodgeball, and endless bike rides.

Children playing in the street in the 1980s with bikes nearby. — Before smartphones, the street was our playground, and the streetlights were our curfew.

We played in the street—boys and girls together—without constant supervision. Our curfew was the streetlights. If they came on and you weren’t home yet, you knew you were in trouble.

Boredom Wasn’t an Option

Child holding colorful popsicle in the summer sun. — On a hot summer day, a popsicle was pure gold.

Back then, staying inside was punishment, not the norm. If you dared to say, “I’m bored,” you’d hear, “You better find something to do before I find it for you.” We ate what Mom cooked—or we didn’t eat at all. Bottled water didn’t exist; you drank from the tap or the garden hose, and nobody thought twice about it.

Phone numbers and addresses were memorized or scribbled on a folded scrap of paper you carried everywhere. “Cell phones” weren’t even in our vocabulary.

Kids in pajamas watching cartoons on an old television. — Saturday mornings were for cartoons—and nothing else.

Fearless, But Respectful

We rode bikes until dark, watched Saturday morning cartoons, and filled our days outside until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. We were afraid of nothing—but we also watched our mouths around adults.

If you crossed the line, discipline wasn’t a time-out. It could be a wooden paddle, a switch, or a belt—and you learned quick.

The Good Old Days

Looking back, it wasn’t about the games we played or the things we didn’t have—it was about how we grew up together. It was a real childhood. We learned independence, respect, and how to entertain ourselves without screens. We had real friendships, face-to-face conversations, and neighborhoods that felt like families.

Family having dinner at the kitchen table without devices. — Dinner time meant everyone at the table—no phones, no distractions.

Maybe kids today will make their own version of “the good old days,” but for those of us who lived it—nothing compares.

What about you? What’s one thing you remember from your childhood that kids today just wouldn’t understand? Share it below and pass this on to someone who grew up the same way.