My name is Diana and I grew up in the 80's

You know, I kind of miss my days in the 80’s. I was only a kid but I remember it was kind of a simple way of living. I think kids today have way too many things to do and play with, it makes it stressful. I grew up in a time where “hide and go seek” was a game we played OUTSIDE with the neighbours. I grew up in a time where we had 1 pair of boots that our mothers chose, not us. I grew up in a time when “Toys R Us” was a place we just drove by but never went it.

I was sitting here remembering how much fun I had at home with my sisters. We had a few things to play with and we were happy at that. Our basement only got fixed when we were teenagers but it didn’t stop us from going downstairs to play and run on the grey concrete floors. Cougar boots were the hottest thing to have and do you remember the shoes “big foot”? I had a pair and I absolutely loved them. Do you guys remember Beta and VHS? I certainly do. That was the difference of what movies would be in at the local video store.

There are many jokes and emails regarding the 80’s and the differences of then and now. Unless you really sit and remember it, you don’t really remember it. I remember my trips with my mother to Miracle Mart and Kmart. Do you remember the restaurant at Kmart in Yorkdale mall??? How about the purple, orange and red juices that would fountain in that glass box? How about the Sheraton Mall? I know it still exists, but I do not know anyone that actually still “shops” there.

I am not sure if I think they were better times because that was my childhood, or if it really was better. Our Christmas lights were big, fat and colourful. They were not LED or snowflake shaped; just plain old bulbs that you can change 1 if 1 burnt..not the whole string! We didn’t receive any emails from Santa or dancing elves, we just wrote a plain old letter to Santa to 1 Ho Ho Ho, North Pole and that was it. If we didn’t like a song on our cassette player we had to fast forward it and WAIT to get to the song we liked. We did not have an MP3 or IPOD digital player.

Times were not tough; times in the 80’s were fun. We enjoyed playing Trivial Pursuit with our siblings and a friendly game of charades. I liked Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl” and Quiet Riot’s “We’re not going to take it”. Those were the days. The days when saying bitch would never happen on TV. The days that kids greeted their elders with “Good morning sir or Madame.” The 80’s were days of fluorescents, the “20 minute workout” and 33 inch albums. We loved it, we didn’t care that we couldn’t text our friends because we were happy running to their houses. We didn’t care we couldn’t Google information because that meant we were going to the Library to meet our friends. We didn’t care that there wasn’t 24 hour cartoons on TV that meant we were able to do jigsaw puzzles that we would eventually tape the back so we can hang on the wall.

I was born in 1974 and I grew up in the 80’s. I don’t feel that our lives were boring or simple. Our lives were what we wanted, and what we knew. We wore pins on our jackets with pictures of our heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and Jon Bon Jovi. We loved guys with long rocker hair, Levi’s and white t-shirts. Our guys didn’t wear diamonds on their t-shirts or designer jeans, and we still thought they were hot. So if all you kids of today think we were uncool, or deprived of the finer things in life, here is my response to you...”My name is Diana, and I grew up in the 80’s and I loved every hair sprayed, fish nets, cabbage patch dolls, smurfs and WHAM part of it!
That’s my peace today!

Home made fish sticks
6 fillets of sole or haddock
1 egg
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup oil for frying

Cut fish in long pieces. Flour and dip in beat egg. Bread each piece and fry in pan with oil.