Everyone has those things that remind them of their childhood, and while not everyone is going to remember the same things, there are a handful of memories that everyone can agree immediately reminds them of some simpler times.
The Scholastic book fair, those aluminum slides that were on every playground that was burning hot on a sunny day, and the sound you heard when someone messaged you on MSN. Precious memories.
The Cool Parents Let You Have A Wine Glass
You thought you were so cool if your parents gave you any sort of drink in a fancy glass. It probably only happened on holidays, which made your sprite in a beer glass all the more special.
You're Stronger Than Science
You knew that it wasn't going to work because it hadn't worked the last ten times you tried, but you kept trying because what if that day was the day it finally worked?
You're Not My Real Mom
Nothing was more uncomfortable than walking up to a woman in the grocery store and following her down the aisle only to discover she was not, in fact, your mom and that you were panicked.
Will Your Rain Drop Win?
If it was raining while you were in the car, chances are you were either watching the rain drops race down the window or you were reenacting your own sad music video.
This Is Why You Should Always Use A Fork For Mac And Cheese
It takes time and patience to line up the noodles on the fork prongs, but once you succeeded it was all worth it. The extra effort practically makes it taste better than a regular forkful.
How Long Can You Stay In The Groove?
There was no reason for you to trace your finger along the ridge whenever you were walking down the hall between classes or going to drop something off at the office for your teacher, but you probably did it at least once.
There Was Literally No Reason For This One
And then would get yelled at by their mom for wasting the paper and pulling out a bunch of coupons you absolutely did not need. In hindsight, we deserved to be yelled at for this one.
Hot Lunches Hit Different
A hot lunch day was already exciting, whether it was pizza, hot dogs, or hamburgers, and it didn't matter that you were eating a lukewarm hamburger at 11 am along with a carton of milk and a bag of Doritos.
Who Picked This Hairstyle
You don't expect your kid's drawing to be amazing, but could we not have done better than that weird curly line for a girl's hair? Who made the decision that girls would have that hair and boys would be bald like Caillou?
You Never Know What Was Lurking Down There
Let's be honest, you probably still do this sometimes don't you? You go back to visit your parents in the house you grew up in, they ask you to grab something out of the basement and as you come upstairs, despite being an adult, you find yourself going just a little faster than normal.
Let That Sink In
This is also how we all looked after someone told us that if you swallowed your gum it would stay inside you for at least 7 years, and then you'd dwell on all the pieces of Hubba Bubba that were inevitably stuck inside you.
The Pain Was Worth It
Chances are you didn't have access to scissors the moment you were handed a freezie, and then you'd be too excited to wait until someone went to get some, so you'd rip it open with your teeth. You'd be left with jagged edges that cut your mouth, but you got a freezie so it's fine.
How Many Posters Can You Fit On Your Wall?
There was truly no joy like walking into the library or the gym to discover the Scholastic Book Fair had been set up. You rolled up with your $10 and you could buy enough scented erasers to last you until next year.
Testing Your Friendships
That inner preteen angst would always hit during a swimming field trip or a pool party and you'd have to test to see which one of your friends and family truly cared about you.
Are You Sure We've Met Before?
Your mom's friend who met you once as a child must realize you don't have any clue who Janet from her book club is right? She can't possibly think you remember every woman you met between the ages of zero and 10.
You Remember The Log In Sound
Coming home after school to sit down at the family computer in the living room and log in to your MSN Messenger account was the only thing that mattered. You had just spent all day with your friends, but now you could spend time with them online and post angsty statuses.
You Had To Pick The Perfect Spot
Creating a masterpiece in art class and then having to take it over to this bad boy was stressful. You had to make sure you don't mess up your art while walking, plus you had to pick the perfect drying rack and remember which one you were placing your painting on.
My Mom Did This To Me When I Talked Too Much
I don't know who first discovered that you could take one of those giant hair clips and put it around your mouth but once you learned it, it was a whole different ball game.
Say Thank You, Or Else
Were you ever told "children who say thank you get more presents?" as a way of guilting you into calling the aunt you haven't seen in 8 years to say thank you for the socks she sent you for Christmas? Yeah, so were we.
It's Better Than A Nicotine Addiction
This was us at 5 years old, 8 years old, even 15 years old. The thrill of pretend smoking never goes away, and it's far better for our lungs than the alternative.
Peel Away
You know from one look at this photo that this person doesn't have some sort of weird condition, they're just in the process of peeling white Elmer's glue off of their hand after letting it dry while they were bored in class.
You Needed A Laser To Open These
Why did they make CDs so hard to open? I mean, we know it was for theft purposes but it also made it hard for the rest of us who just wanted to listen to the new Britney Spears CD on the car ride home.
Don't Even Blink
You knew that no one else was in the bathroom while you were in there, but at the same time, you could just never be absolutely positive unless your eyes stayed open the whole time.
Here Comes The Sun
Even as an adult, if a child ever asks you to draw a sun you probably still do it this way right? It just makes sense. The sun goes in the corner of the page.
You Could Even Turn It Into A Weapon
There was no reason for all of us to destroy our erasers and our pencils by stabbing our led into the eraser, but we all did it anyway. What kind of pattern you made said a lot about you too.
This Carpet Brings Us All Back
If you had one of these in your house you were probably rich and all your poor friends wanted to play with it because the rest of us only had access to one at our school.
You're The Next Pop Sensation
The first time you discovered that speaking into a rotating fan would make you sound like t-Pain was a great day for you, and a terrible day for your parents or whoever else was in the room where the fan was.
You Are The Hiding Master
Having your hide and seek skills validated by someone walking past you was such an ego boost. You knew your spot was a good one, but you needed someone else to reinforce that.
Play At Your Own Risk
Everyone had their favorite piece of equipment on the playground, and each one came with certain risks. If you had a metal slide in your schoolyard, you had to be prepared to have your skin seared off on a hot day. But if you had a plastic one, then you had to prep for the static shock you'd inevitably get.
It Was Worth Getting Scolded
There was no reason for you to go racing around the corner of every aisle and nearly skid into that display of soup, but you did it anyway because something in you said you had to.
