People Break Down Things That Were Normal When They Were A Kid That You Don't See Anymore

Landline phone
Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

The world is ever-changing.

One need only look at the evolution of home entertainment.

First, we had to go to the video store to buy or rent video cassettes, then video cassettes were wiped out by DVDs until video stores became obsolete owing to streaming services.

Making the one-season failure of the Netflix series Blockbuster painfully ironic.

However, those of us who grew up rushing to Blockbuster, hoping the last copy of Jurassic Park will still be there, can't help but wish we could relive the experience.

On the other hand, we are glad to see other things from our childhood have become extinct.


Redditor AnalysisFrequent was curious to hear about things that people used to see all the time in their childhood which have all but vanished leading them to ask:
"What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?"

Honestly... Rude then, Rude Now!

"Showing up to someone’s house without a text or call."- lpkrew

Walking In Season 2 GIF by FriendsGiphy

Before There Was Bluetooth...

"Cassette tape innards strung out along the highway, glimmering in the sunlight."- bigolfurryhead

No More Second Hand Smoke!

"Parents smoking in a car with kids with the windows rolled up."- WonderfulEmergency77

"Everybody smoked everywhere. At restaurants, the office, airports, everywhere."

"There's a picture of my grandma holding me as a baby in one hand and a cigarette in the other."

"Nobody thought that was the least bit strange."- MeghanFI

mothers day smoking GIFGiphy

Now We Have Google!

"Using a set of 20 y/old encyclopedias as reference for my homework."

"JFK is president!"- ResplendentAmore

It Got Them Off Shelves...

"Toys in the cereal box"- NightDreamer73

How Sad...

"Fruit bats."

"There used to be a *ton* of them in my neighborhood as a kid and every evening you could look at the sunset as twilight set in and see flocks of bats flying around."

"Apparently, around the time I was in middle school, a fungal disease ravaged the local bat population and they never recovered."

"You never see them anymore."

"Funnily enough though, at the time, a local high school girl had this huge campaign to set up bat feeders to help bolster the local bat population and help them survive the fungal disease by giving them easy access to food."

"Said local girl has since become a federal Park Ranger as an adult and currently works for a state fish and wildlife service."- DoctorWatchamacallit

Now They'll Just Send Them A Text...

"Moms yelling from the front door to their kids to come home for dinner."- sflogicninja

Depending On Your Circle

"People talking about the Bermuda Triangle."- GarconMeansBoyGeorge

Best Not To Give Them Bad Ideas

"Candy Cigarettes."- Mechhammer

They're a dying breed indeed...

"Pay phones and answering machines."- Mondayslasagna

phone call mall GIF by South Park Giphy

Even Printers Are Uncommon, Thanks to PDFs...

"Computer paper filled with lightly printed numbers and it had tear-off sides."

"My dad used to bring lots of it home for us kids to draw on."- reverendgrebo

...what were you watching?...

"Quicksand in movies and TV shows."- kzab81

Well That's Poignant

"Fireflies."

'I swear I saw them every year, in our back yard or when we went camping etc."

"Now I never see them no matter where I am, except for a few nights in the summer of '21 after I moved to a new house."

"It was so nice to see them again."- ModernCivilWar

North America Lights GIF by BBC AmericaGiphy

Sadly, Not Because People Started Reading Maps...

"Printing out directions from Map Quest."- Keone_710

To think there was actually a time when we couldn't say "I'll text again when I'm close" and had to ask a friend to record a movie or tv show we wanted to watch.

Simpler times...

Two urinals
Tim Wildsmith/Unsplash

When it comes to certain behaviors, it's a gender thing.

Our different anatomy makes men specifically do things–like adjust their crotch area in public or just give up altogether and spread their legs while sitting on a subway train to make themselves comfortable.

But it's not just about moving a stuck testicle.

There are other peculiarities exclusively associated with men.

Keep reading...Show less
Man putting a sandwich in a to go box
Photo by Conor Brown on Unsplash

It is estimated that nearly 37.9 million people in the United States currently live in poverty.

A shameful statistic, to say the least.

Challenging as it is, however, growing up poor is nothing to necessarily be ashamed of, as many influential people in this world came from humble beginnings.

Even so, many people who grew up poor and found success and financial stability in adulthood still try to hide their childhood from others. But those in the know, or who had the same experience, tend to notice the subtle, tell-tale signs of those whose childhood was anything but luxurious.

Keep reading...Show less

When talking to a friend who brings up one of our favorite books, celebrities, or tv shows, we often find ourselves saying we're "obsessed".

Our excitement is often met with a sneer from our friend, but we don't give it much thought.

Owing to the fact that even if they're better at containing their excitement than we are, deep down everyone has an obsession of some sort.

Naturally, it's not particularly healthy to be "obsessed" with anything, as nothing should take up the majority of our time.

Even so, if one were to take a very close look at society as a whole, we might find that just about everyone has an unhealthy obsession they just can't break.

Keep reading...Show less

In this day and age, it's not uncommon for people to have a side gig -- an extra job as a way to make more money -- aside from their regular 9 to 5.

It's also not super uncommon for some of these people to find that their side gig can -- and sometimes does -- pay them more than their 9 to 5.

My best friend is a brilliant journalist by trade, but he makes way more money by freelance editing than he does as at the paper he writes for. Freelance editing is a side gig, however. He doesn't do it all the time, and yet makes enough to pay his monthly rent just by doing one freelance job!

Redditors have discovered other side gigs that pay them more than their regular 9 to 5, and are ready to share their experidnces.

Keep reading...Show less