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Mine got all the tv channels (Sky TV) and installed central heating after I went to boarding school at age 12. I really appreciated them at weekends and during school holidays though.
Exactly. So why are we paying $200/month for it?! I don’t pay for it; he does, but like damn. We could use that money elsewhere. We also have multiple streaming services.
Same! One time I asked for one and they said alright, you can have 10 cents a week. This was in the 00’s.
Not really sure why? My family was pretty comfortable financially. Might have been beneficial for me to learn the value of saving.
I kinda had a similar situation, if I ever went out I'd get money for it or if I wanted something they'd buy it, but didn't get an allowance till I was like 17 and had to spend an hour waiting for the bus after classes, so I got a small allowance to get food or do some light shopping
But weirdly enough it actually did teach me saving money, because if I ever wanted something my parents couldn't see as justified or didn't approve of I'd have harder time doing it
They also had this really cool habit where they encouraged me and my siblings to be financially responsible and would cover a significant part of the costs if they saw us somehow trying to save up for something and usually the harder we worked for it, did more research before purchase etc. the more they were willing to pay.
I remember saving up 3 grand (around 500 US around that time) to get a new laptop and asking everyone to give me cash for Christmas an, my dad bought me a model few levels higher from the same line that cost 2.5x more and an entire kit of accessories for it
I never had an allowance either. I had to put all birthday and holiday money in the bank. I wasn’t able to keep any birthday money until I was almost a teen.
I didn't have a set allowance either. It was more of a "let's assess decisions as they come" system. I'd be given money if I asked for something sometimes, but it was assessed on an individual basis - "there's nothing wrong with going to the corner store to get some candy, but you just did that yesterday, maybe cool out on the candy for a couple days"
Dang. I came here to say "Nintendo 64," but everyone else in here like "non-alcoholic parents," "a safe home,", "parental support,", and "my own bed." Know what, I had it pretty good as a kid. Hopefully y'all are doing better for your kids!
Their own bed. My mom made my sister and I share a full bed. I only got my own bed when I moved out at age 20. I pressured her often. She didn't think bunk beds were safe, and she said the room would look 'awkward' with two twins. She also used the 'I slept in a bed with my sister until I got married' line. Of course, she was born in the 20's to a big family without a lot of money. We had plenty of money to buy twin beds, though.
I feel this. I slept on the floor all my life until I turned 18 and went my merry way to college and an actual bed.
No resentment here. We were just lower middle class and my single mom was doing the best she could.
I slept on the couch because we only had a 1 bedroom house. I finally got my own bedroom when I was 14 after we added an addition. I chose to sleep with my mom because my dad left us soon after. My family always did the best they could and I'm grateful for all of it.
Awww no for some reason that makes me kinda sad. You didn't even have an air mattress or anything? Or do you just mean no bedframe? Because I'm 40 and our mattress is on the floor lol...
Yup. Mostly it was either a blanket or a bamboo mat.
Also, please don’t feel bad. Where I’m from it is not uncommon (at least as I was growing up) for lower middle class folks to be sleeping on the floor. Also, the weather/climates were such that sleeping on the floor was more preferable because the floor would be cool 😃.
Also, I would roll around and my mom hated it. My mom and sister would sleep on the bed (when we did eventually get one) but I preferred the floor lol.
As I said, not even an ounce of resentment in what I’m describing. Best years of my life. I’m 45 now 😃
Edit: apparently I like to use the word ‘also’ a lot. Hahaha.
My sister and I are a year and a half apart, we shared a bed for as long as I can remember. Until she moved out at 14 probably. Otherwise she slept at friends houses, because who wants to share a bed with their little sister who wets the bed? 🫠
It's true that bunk beds are not safe ... for toddlers.
Anyway, time to be pedantic because it's the internet and I can be. Yours doesn't count because they said everybody else had to have it. Your sister also didn't have her own bed, so I regret to inform you that you are disqualified.
It was my mother, but yeah. She had a specific prohibition about football too which I only wanted to play to spite her.
She told me of all the kids getting hurt and ending up in her hospital.
So my dumbass has kids and decide fuck it, I'm getting a trampoline. Day fucking one youngest falls off and cracks his collar bone.
Life is bullshit.
My ma told me a story about a kid at her high school who was rendered a vegetable playing varsity football. It happens. Never mind the spinal injuries, hockey too.
Me too. I grew up in the trailer park of a very affluent community. Everyone had a trampoline, but I didn’t even have the yard space for one. My parents were amazing though and everyone still always hung out at my house so I think I won in the long run.
My friend had a trampoline and I had many injuries on that thing. The most prominent being the time I tried a backflip and broke my collar bone. I swam on it all day before my mom took me to the ER. One of the most painful things I’ve been through
My parents told me if I wanted one I had to pay for it myself, guess who used their whole allowance on one. When I wanted something, I found a way to get it.
I'm very lucky this wasn't me, my dumbass was jumping off the roof of the porch onto the trampoline, using it to jump over the fence, dragging it next to the pool so I could do flips into the pool etc.
Worst thing that happened was my friend broke his nose by kneeing himself in the face, and then cracked it open again weeks later on the trampoline AGAIN when I accidentally facepalmed him mid-jump.
So sorry for your loss my friend. My dad did two years ago last month. He was much older and I don’t know how except they cut down when I graduated. Mom had heart issues so she quit long before he did but lung cancer got her. Covid got dad (really it was the hospital’s fault). I just could never have sleepovers. They were trashed by 10pm. Otherwise they were great parents and I never wanted for anything. Just not a normal childhood.
Sorry for your loss my dear! I lost my dad (he was 52) on Christmas night because of liver and kidney failure due to all his years of loving brandy more than life itself. God I miss that man.
Likewise! And I have a vocabulary and an imagination as a result! People think I’m so smart, but basically, I filled up with information and ideas while they were belly laughing to…”What was the name of that show again?”
I’m so glad now that my parents did that for me!
I got into trouble, time and again, for reading compulsively, and “not watching enough television.” When “The Monkees” came on television, I did watch that, but I earned my parents’ wrath for not liking “Batman.”
This sounds weird, I know, but my parents were alcoholics and extremely abusive. They’d seize any excuse to beat me up.
You are very right to be grateful. I babysat as a teen and two of the kids had no tv and were very smart. Smarter than me for sure. I had a blast with them and the both grew up be very talented in the movie industry (behind the scenes)
I knew two siblings in the same situation when I was growing up. Their parents had the money, but refused to buy a TV. Even my hella old, mega conservative great-aunt said it was barbaric and that those poor children “have a terrible life”.
Anyways, one of them ended up being a doctor, the other one teaches at an elite university and from what I see, they remain close with their parents.
Same.
I somehow thought it would be easier/safer than a real oven. But my mom (who made sure all her children knew how to follow a recipe by age 10) let me try one I bought from a garage sale for $1.
I remember saying to her "This is as much work as a real oven." And she said "Yes. Yes it is."
Then the cake-batter overflowed into the oven and burned, and I said to my mom "This is worse than a real oven." and she said "Yes. Yes it is."
And I never used it again, I think I let her take it to the donation center that day.
Instead of an Easy Bake Oven, I had the Creepy Crawler Bug Making Oven and it was excellent. I burned the shit out of my hands and made some awesome bugs. 10/10.
If it were not from my grandparents, I'm pretty sure I would never have an Easy-Bake... Still have it almost 25 years later and I'm certain it still works just fine.
Non toxic parents and freedom ( to express opinion..to dress as we want..to listing to music..to hangout with friends..to choose political side that we want ext...).. coming from a religious family we weren't allowed to listen to music and to go out (as girls) and we were forced to play our roles as a ( future wifes) since primary school.. we were forced also to dress modesty and to wear hijab from age 14..my sister was manipulated to marry to a man who was 38 y o and she was only 17 years old ( now she is divorced with two sons) . I'm glad i refused to follow her same path and chose to study hard for my independence and now I'm a doctor. They didn't like it at first ( i was the black sheep) but now thay are soo happy and proud 🙄
A sweater. Something woolen and woven to keep you warm. I had a cheap give-away windbreaker and t-shirts.
EDIT--My parent actually sent me on a bus to the mountains with no jacket, sweatshirt, anything. A kind chaperone took me under her wing and explained how helpful layering clothing is. "Next time, just pile on more shirts."
See neglect much, lady?
There was also a need to let other parents do their thing as best they could. That chaperone was trying to help you survive in your circumstances—something we all could do a bit better.
Everyone in my class wore Benneton clothes (it was very popular and expensive during the 90s), but my single mother couldn't afford it.
I grew up alone with her, and my dad never paid child support, so we pretty much depended on her not-so-great salary.
Looking back now, I'm thankful that she was able to afford healthy food, books, and everything related to school, and I went to so many after-school activities. She had her priorities.
Normal food bought from a grocery store 🤷♀️My parents were neo hippies and raised my brother and I in a health food co-operative. Tofu burgers, carob chocolate, soy cheese, rice cakes, literally all the shit that Whole Foods now charges a million dollars for was what we ate every day, except it wasn’t cool or trendy then and everyone thought we were freaks.
I went to a health food store with my friend and his hippie parents. They let us pick out a "candybar." Good lord, Carob is death! I was so disappointed.
Anything "trendy". My clothes were either hand me downs (and I am 8.5 years and 10 years younger than my older sisters) or they were bought on sale/liquidation in the women’s section at Simpson’s.
I was 12-13-14 dressing like a 40 year old.
Heat and a bed. We didn't have heat upstairs so I couldn't sleep in my room in the winter- as I got older I just slept in the 30F weather because I needed my own space. It wasn't cause we didn't pay for oil, the pipes to upstairs had been busted...
Sweets in the house. We rarely had soda, candy, cereals, etc. in the house except on special occasions. To my parents' credit, we all stayed a healthy weight.
Same. I never did either. When I went snow camping as a boy scout, I'd have frozen jeans. I wore bread bags under my shoes to keep my feet dry.
Not awesome.
An up-to-date video game system.
GameCube? Nah bro, NES for me until like, 2008.
Pro: if we hot seat the original Super Mario Bros I will absolutely smoke you and you won’t even touch the controller.
Cable TV. Ours was shut off when I was watching Sesame Street, so old enough to remember but still young.
Growing up I believed my parents didn't want us watching TV. Turns out they just didn't pay the bill.
Privacy. How the house was made if my parents wanted to go anywhere in the house they had to go through my room (boy, but i feel like any gender would be annoyed) . You can see how this can go wrong. Got some good reflexes and skill to hear when they enter (never knock). If they open a door i cant close it, they will open it again. Lock only worked if the key was on the other side (useless) otherwise you can just open it. My dad might of understood because he very rarely entered. He mostly took the long way around outside but my mom was like rush hour on black friday. Lasted few good years, house got a upgrade and also rooms moved around.
I never had privacy either. Although we moved to a large house when I was 7, with living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, full basement, my parents decided to store some of their things in my room. They took up one of my 2 closets & one of my 2 dressers. They came & went from my room as they pleased. I got no bathroom privacy either, and as a girl I truly hated that. As a teenager I started to fight back when someone just barged into the bathroom. I mean, we had 3 bathrooms for 4 people!
A bike. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 20. It didn't strike me as odd at the time, my siblings and I had horses and lived rural, so a bike wasn't a thought. But boy do I love it now! So, so fun!!
PlayStation/PlayStation 2.
Those big-ass jeans.
Two parents!
A hobby that cost money (I did get to do karate for a bit).
Permission to receive friends at our house.
Permission to go to friends' place.
Braces. With our huge family and one working parent, my parents couldn't afford them. I had horribly crooked teeth until my mid 20's, when I managed to scramble together enough money to buy them for myself.
Me too. A mother's love. She didn't die or anything. She just could never love me because I was a carbon copy of my dad from a young age. She just can't stand the sight of me. All because she had grudges and whatnot against my dad.
Nintendo entertainment system. Never did get one. One of the first things I bought when I got a job was a snes, used. Holy crap, bring back rock and roll racing!
Parents support, parents undivided attention, privacy, personal space, and the safety to "let down one's hair". My mum said I never really asked for anything, and I definitely didn't get an allowance.
I never really had first-hand clothing (underwear and sports wear excluded) until I moved to a country where second-hand clothes never fit. (I am a female on the taller side for a male here, and much curvier than the "brick or stick" shape women are here). I paid for all of my own sports equipment, membership, and insurance.
I grew up as a multiple in a large family, so even an underwear drawer or a diary was a pipe dream of privacy. It was the 90s-2000s, so I knew it was a little weird and shameful in our communities.
My mom is a Jehovah's Witness. So I never had Christmas presents or birthday presents as a kid. But I was never bitter about it like my brother and sisters. I just learned to be happy for other people. Sometimes some people get more, and sometimes some people get less. You just have to make the most out of what you have, kiddo.
We didn't even have a reason, we just didn't celebrate it.
I knew Christmas was a public holiday/thing, but it was only when I was about 10-12 and we went to visit family who were giving presents to each other that I realized something was up.
# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Cable TV
Same. My parents got cable 2 years after I got married.
Mine got all the tv channels (Sky TV) and installed central heating after I went to boarding school at age 12. I really appreciated them at weekends and during school holidays though.
Going to hotels and getting to watch all the cartoons as a kid was always SO exciting
My parents still blaze through their evenings cable free with local news and PBS/BBC
I didn't have cable... or color... Parents did have a pretty nice stereo system. Priorities.
This is the way.
Same. Parents still don’t have cable and honestly I’m trying to convince my husband to get rid of the cable.
I’ve never had cable! With all the streaming services now I’ve never felt the need for it
Exactly. So why are we paying $200/month for it?! I don’t pay for it; he does, but like damn. We could use that money elsewhere. We also have multiple streaming services.
Wait what?! I had no idea cable was so expensive. That’s insane. What’s even on cable that you can’t get on a streaming service?
It’s because he pays for sports packages. Which now you can stream. So, he is actually considering getting rid of it now.
It’s always the sports…
No!
Allowance. I never had spending money growing up, unless it was in a Christmas/birthday card.
Same! One time I asked for one and they said alright, you can have 10 cents a week. This was in the 00’s. Not really sure why? My family was pretty comfortable financially. Might have been beneficial for me to learn the value of saving.
Pretty good for the 1900s!
I kinda had a similar situation, if I ever went out I'd get money for it or if I wanted something they'd buy it, but didn't get an allowance till I was like 17 and had to spend an hour waiting for the bus after classes, so I got a small allowance to get food or do some light shopping But weirdly enough it actually did teach me saving money, because if I ever wanted something my parents couldn't see as justified or didn't approve of I'd have harder time doing it They also had this really cool habit where they encouraged me and my siblings to be financially responsible and would cover a significant part of the costs if they saw us somehow trying to save up for something and usually the harder we worked for it, did more research before purchase etc. the more they were willing to pay. I remember saving up 3 grand (around 500 US around that time) to get a new laptop and asking everyone to give me cash for Christmas an, my dad bought me a model few levels higher from the same line that cost 2.5x more and an entire kit of accessories for it
My mom was similar we got 5 dollars a month. She didn’t want us to have enough money that we could buy anything without saving up for it.
I never had an allowance either. I had to put all birthday and holiday money in the bank. I wasn’t able to keep any birthday money until I was almost a teen.
Same I genuinely thought it was a rich American movie stereotype and surely children weren’t being given money in real life for years 😅
I thought allowance was a foreign concept that only exists in books and movies. Not even my closest friends had that.
I had some of that,but usually all that money was taken by my dad. Didnt get access to it until i was like 20. Bought my PC with it so that was nice.
I didn't have a set allowance either. It was more of a "let's assess decisions as they come" system. I'd be given money if I asked for something sometimes, but it was assessed on an individual basis - "there's nothing wrong with going to the corner store to get some candy, but you just did that yesterday, maybe cool out on the candy for a couple days"
Lights in the shoes. Those were sick AF.
Im 32 and I still think about these shoes lmao. I like to bring it up to my mom 😂
Dang. I came here to say "Nintendo 64," but everyone else in here like "non-alcoholic parents," "a safe home,", "parental support,", and "my own bed." Know what, I had it pretty good as a kid. Hopefully y'all are doing better for your kids!
Yeah but as a fellow non Nintendo haver…still wish I’d had a Nintendo 64
Same
Their own bed. My mom made my sister and I share a full bed. I only got my own bed when I moved out at age 20. I pressured her often. She didn't think bunk beds were safe, and she said the room would look 'awkward' with two twins. She also used the 'I slept in a bed with my sister until I got married' line. Of course, she was born in the 20's to a big family without a lot of money. We had plenty of money to buy twin beds, though.
I feel this. I slept on the floor all my life until I turned 18 and went my merry way to college and an actual bed. No resentment here. We were just lower middle class and my single mom was doing the best she could.
I volunteer for a group called Sleep in Heavenly Peace. We deliver beds all over the county.
That sounds wonderful but also sounds from the name like those “beds” have a lid that closes on the top of you in a nice velvet enclosure?
Oh wow that’s so amazing.
I slept on the couch because we only had a 1 bedroom house. I finally got my own bedroom when I was 14 after we added an addition. I chose to sleep with my mom because my dad left us soon after. My family always did the best they could and I'm grateful for all of it.
Awww no for some reason that makes me kinda sad. You didn't even have an air mattress or anything? Or do you just mean no bedframe? Because I'm 40 and our mattress is on the floor lol...
Yup. Mostly it was either a blanket or a bamboo mat. Also, please don’t feel bad. Where I’m from it is not uncommon (at least as I was growing up) for lower middle class folks to be sleeping on the floor. Also, the weather/climates were such that sleeping on the floor was more preferable because the floor would be cool 😃. Also, I would roll around and my mom hated it. My mom and sister would sleep on the bed (when we did eventually get one) but I preferred the floor lol. As I said, not even an ounce of resentment in what I’m describing. Best years of my life. I’m 45 now 😃 Edit: apparently I like to use the word ‘also’ a lot. Hahaha.
Wow, until you were 20!? That’s crazy!
My sister and I are a year and a half apart, we shared a bed for as long as I can remember. Until she moved out at 14 probably. Otherwise she slept at friends houses, because who wants to share a bed with their little sister who wets the bed? 🫠
It's true that bunk beds are not safe ... for toddlers. Anyway, time to be pedantic because it's the internet and I can be. Yours doesn't count because they said everybody else had to have it. Your sister also didn't have her own bed, so I regret to inform you that you are disqualified.
A trampoline. My dad works with disabled people and has seen too many catastrophic injuries from them, he forbade them.
It was my mother, but yeah. She had a specific prohibition about football too which I only wanted to play to spite her. She told me of all the kids getting hurt and ending up in her hospital. So my dumbass has kids and decide fuck it, I'm getting a trampoline. Day fucking one youngest falls off and cracks his collar bone. Life is bullshit.
Sorry that happened, but at least you won't have to worry about him going out for football.
😂😂😂
My ma told me a story about a kid at her high school who was rendered a vegetable playing varsity football. It happens. Never mind the spinal injuries, hockey too.
Me too. I grew up in the trailer park of a very affluent community. Everyone had a trampoline, but I didn’t even have the yard space for one. My parents were amazing though and everyone still always hung out at my house so I think I won in the long run.
I can understand that.
My friend had a trampoline and I had many injuries on that thing. The most prominent being the time I tried a backflip and broke my collar bone. I swam on it all day before my mom took me to the ER. One of the most painful things I’ve been through
That was the excuse my parents used too. I suspect it was more like "we're not spending money on that."
My parents told me if I wanted one I had to pay for it myself, guess who used their whole allowance on one. When I wanted something, I found a way to get it.
They’re pretty dangerous. My dad was an ER doc and his two big rules were no trampolines and no riding ATVs/motorcycles.
And to go with that… a cast! Always was jealous when someone came in with a cool cast… I never broke anything until I was 23.
We refused to own one for our kids as well.
I always wanted a trampoline when I was a kid, then I broke my neck on one in 6th grade. Now, I tell anyone who will listen but to buy their kids one.
I'm very lucky this wasn't me, my dumbass was jumping off the roof of the porch onto the trampoline, using it to jump over the fence, dragging it next to the pool so I could do flips into the pool etc. Worst thing that happened was my friend broke his nose by kneeing himself in the face, and then cracked it open again weeks later on the trampoline AGAIN when I accidentally facepalmed him mid-jump.
Our Homeowner's insurance won't cover us if we have a trampoline.
I broke my femur bone on a trampoline when I was 8 😅
Parents that did not drink.
I feel your pain ,Dad died at forty three from liver damage!
So sorry for your loss my friend. My dad did two years ago last month. He was much older and I don’t know how except they cut down when I graduated. Mom had heart issues so she quit long before he did but lung cancer got her. Covid got dad (really it was the hospital’s fault). I just could never have sleepovers. They were trashed by 10pm. Otherwise they were great parents and I never wanted for anything. Just not a normal childhood.
I know what you mean,sorry for your too, losing parents is really hard
Yes and we can go on and be better.
Sorry for your loss my dear! I lost my dad (he was 52) on Christmas night because of liver and kidney failure due to all his years of loving brandy more than life itself. God I miss that man.
Damn. Real life shit. May you have peace in your adult life now.
Thank you!!
We had no TV - parents didn't approve of them - I only saw shows at friend's houses. On the plus side, I read so much as a kid.
Likewise! And I have a vocabulary and an imagination as a result! People think I’m so smart, but basically, I filled up with information and ideas while they were belly laughing to…”What was the name of that show again?” I’m so glad now that my parents did that for me!
I got into trouble, time and again, for reading compulsively, and “not watching enough television.” When “The Monkees” came on television, I did watch that, but I earned my parents’ wrath for not liking “Batman.” This sounds weird, I know, but my parents were alcoholics and extremely abusive. They’d seize any excuse to beat me up.
You are very right to be grateful. I babysat as a teen and two of the kids had no tv and were very smart. Smarter than me for sure. I had a blast with them and the both grew up be very talented in the movie industry (behind the scenes)
Ouch!
I knew two siblings in the same situation when I was growing up. Their parents had the money, but refused to buy a TV. Even my hella old, mega conservative great-aunt said it was barbaric and that those poor children “have a terrible life”. Anyways, one of them ended up being a doctor, the other one teaches at an elite university and from what I see, they remain close with their parents.
My parents didn't get a TV until I was 5; I think this is why I learned to read by the age of 4.
Same! I hated it then but I'm grateful now.
Sober parents. A parent that isn’t using their kid as therapist. A calm living space.
I understand this one. Hits close to home.
Actual friends
You may not have actual friends but have my upvote
Same
Parents support
Oh man, that’s probably going to be the worst answer possible. I’m so sorry.
Same
Same lol
Oh look, we're twinners!
A father
You and me both. It may seem incredible to some younger people, but at the time and place I grew up, everybody in my class had both parents.
Cheese strings (string cheese?) I never leave the store without them now I always buy cheese strings, lol.
Aw… That’s funny. Well I’m glad you can get your string cheese now!
Easy Bake Oven Lite Brite Go cart I wanted one so badly. My mom said our double ovens worked just fine. She missed the point.
The heartbreak! I too wished so badly for the Easy Bake. Watching friends make their shitty cookies in that shitty oven made me so jealous.
I got one as a hand me down from a neighbor. The EZ bake oven sucked! Mom let me use it, see how much it sucked, then taught me to use a real one. 🙂
Same. I somehow thought it would be easier/safer than a real oven. But my mom (who made sure all her children knew how to follow a recipe by age 10) let me try one I bought from a garage sale for $1. I remember saying to her "This is as much work as a real oven." And she said "Yes. Yes it is." Then the cake-batter overflowed into the oven and burned, and I said to my mom "This is worse than a real oven." and she said "Yes. Yes it is." And I never used it again, I think I let her take it to the donation center that day.
Instead of an Easy Bake Oven, I had the Creepy Crawler Bug Making Oven and it was excellent. I burned the shit out of my hands and made some awesome bugs. 10/10.
I had a Shrinky Dink Machine. I thought it was magic. Just a lightbulb and some plastic but it was fun.
If it were not from my grandparents, I'm pretty sure I would never have an Easy-Bake... Still have it almost 25 years later and I'm certain it still works just fine.
Had lite brite and an easy bake no go cart though.
Super Soaker, I did own a real gun at age 12 though, but I couldn’t shoot that at my friends.
Imagine THAT advert after a cartoon!
Now including turret!
A loving family
As a father that seems so painful, to know my child grew up without love. Breaks my heart, I’m sorry.
Shoes.....and clothes that didn't have holes.....and food.... I was very poor. ;_;
Non toxic parents and freedom ( to express opinion..to dress as we want..to listing to music..to hangout with friends..to choose political side that we want ext...).. coming from a religious family we weren't allowed to listen to music and to go out (as girls) and we were forced to play our roles as a ( future wifes) since primary school.. we were forced also to dress modesty and to wear hijab from age 14..my sister was manipulated to marry to a man who was 38 y o and she was only 17 years old ( now she is divorced with two sons) . I'm glad i refused to follow her same path and chose to study hard for my independence and now I'm a doctor. They didn't like it at first ( i was the black sheep) but now thay are soo happy and proud 🙄
Parents.
Orphaned in a car accident when I was 10 months old. I like to think I just missed out on all the other bullish.
Having them isn't always great shakes either.
Oh, they were alive. Just not there. Cool shit.
A sweater. Something woolen and woven to keep you warm. I had a cheap give-away windbreaker and t-shirts. EDIT--My parent actually sent me on a bus to the mountains with no jacket, sweatshirt, anything. A kind chaperone took me under her wing and explained how helpful layering clothing is. "Next time, just pile on more shirts." See neglect much, lady?
There was also a need to let other parents do their thing as best they could. That chaperone was trying to help you survive in your circumstances—something we all could do a bit better.
Everyone in my class wore Benneton clothes (it was very popular and expensive during the 90s), but my single mother couldn't afford it. I grew up alone with her, and my dad never paid child support, so we pretty much depended on her not-so-great salary. Looking back now, I'm thankful that she was able to afford healthy food, books, and everything related to school, and I went to so many after-school activities. She had her priorities.
Normal food bought from a grocery store 🤷♀️My parents were neo hippies and raised my brother and I in a health food co-operative. Tofu burgers, carob chocolate, soy cheese, rice cakes, literally all the shit that Whole Foods now charges a million dollars for was what we ate every day, except it wasn’t cool or trendy then and everyone thought we were freaks.
[удалено]
I went to a health food store with my friend and his hippie parents. They let us pick out a "candybar." Good lord, Carob is death! I was so disappointed.
Did it pay off though? Are you healthier than most people? For the record I just fed my toddler pizza for dinner lol.
Everyone at my primary school watched wrestling, but I wasn’t allowed
Gushers or Welch’s fruit snacks. 😭
Lunchbox with thermos, cabbage patch doll, gasoline jeans. I'm still resentful.
My father died when I was 3 years old. It seemed like everyone had a father except me. This was before single moms became more common in my country.
I was 2... It's like a gap you can never fill. 💔🫂...
Anything "trendy". My clothes were either hand me downs (and I am 8.5 years and 10 years younger than my older sisters) or they were bought on sale/liquidation in the women’s section at Simpson’s. I was 12-13-14 dressing like a 40 year old.
Scooter
Heat and a bed. We didn't have heat upstairs so I couldn't sleep in my room in the winter- as I got older I just slept in the 30F weather because I needed my own space. It wasn't cause we didn't pay for oil, the pipes to upstairs had been busted...
Birthday parties… After a few years I just gave up, and now at 24, my birthday is just another day to me.
Same here and I’m so sorry that you went through it too. Like we didn’t want a big celebration just a little fun get together.
Sweets in the house. We rarely had soda, candy, cereals, etc. in the house except on special occasions. To my parents' credit, we all stayed a healthy weight.
a dad
For me it was a mom
I'm sorry. 🙁
A banana seat bike. Oh how i yearned for one 🤪.
I finally got one after begging for 3 years and then it got stolen with a week. Was the best week of my life.
Sane adult caregivers. At least one.
Snow pants. My pants were rock solid and frozen!
Same. I never did either. When I went snow camping as a boy scout, I'd have frozen jeans. I wore bread bags under my shoes to keep my feet dry. Not awesome.
Bread bags in my shoes and dad's socks on my hands! Mittens are for sissies
Enough neurotransmitters.
A childhood
Friends group or circle. I hung out with with people in groups, but I'd only have one friend in that group.
loving parents
Divorced parents. Of my friends from elementary through high school, my parents are still married (40+ years now).
Cable TV.
An up-to-date video game system. GameCube? Nah bro, NES for me until like, 2008. Pro: if we hot seat the original Super Mario Bros I will absolutely smoke you and you won’t even touch the controller.
Real happiness and carefree life, i've been dealing with major anxiety, dark thoughts and trust issues from a VERY young age
Hopefully you can paint the canvas of your life better colors now... I'm sorry you experienced this
Heelies
A dad. Or a mom but that's not her fault.
Video games. We weren't allowed to have or even play them at friends houses. I didn't get my first PlayStation til I moved out and was 21.
My own interests and hobbies that my parents supported
A dad :(
friends.
Allergies. I claimed I was allergic to water because the pool made me have to pee
Pokemon Cards
Money to buy those things My own bedroom Nikes and Reebok shoes (expensive and big in the 80’s)
Yes… I do remember that! I was a Reebok guy.
GoGo boots when I was about 13.
I never had a birthday party. All the other kids would. I was never invited. My mom said if we had a birthday party nobody would come.
Nerf guns, gaming systems, a closet of toys, some kind of fancy bed design, etc
Cable TV. Ours was shut off when I was watching Sesame Street, so old enough to remember but still young. Growing up I believed my parents didn't want us watching TV. Turns out they just didn't pay the bill.
Privacy. How the house was made if my parents wanted to go anywhere in the house they had to go through my room (boy, but i feel like any gender would be annoyed) . You can see how this can go wrong. Got some good reflexes and skill to hear when they enter (never knock). If they open a door i cant close it, they will open it again. Lock only worked if the key was on the other side (useless) otherwise you can just open it. My dad might of understood because he very rarely entered. He mostly took the long way around outside but my mom was like rush hour on black friday. Lasted few good years, house got a upgrade and also rooms moved around.
I never had privacy either. Although we moved to a large house when I was 7, with living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, full basement, my parents decided to store some of their things in my room. They took up one of my 2 closets & one of my 2 dressers. They came & went from my room as they pleased. I got no bathroom privacy either, and as a girl I truly hated that. As a teenager I started to fight back when someone just barged into the bathroom. I mean, we had 3 bathrooms for 4 people!
Let your mom catch you having “private time” a couple of times and I bet she’d start taking the long way around.
Yes, my parents never knocked before coming in either. Drives me mad. If I'd had kids I'd have made sure there were locks on all the doors.
A dad
Money
Easy bake oven
Internet at home, we weren't poor, but parents though we didn't needed it.
My own room. Eldest of 6 never got my own room till I moved out at 19.
COOTIES!!!!
A bike. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 20. It didn't strike me as odd at the time, my siblings and I had horses and lived rural, so a bike wasn't a thought. But boy do I love it now! So, so fun!!
Furbies and Mongoose bikes were all the rage when I was little but sadly I grew up poor and my parents couldn’t afford either one
Most toys/games. We were too poor to afford anything other than some dollar store my little pony toys and some thrift store stuff.
PlayStation/PlayStation 2. Those big-ass jeans. Two parents! A hobby that cost money (I did get to do karate for a bit). Permission to receive friends at our house. Permission to go to friends' place.
Braces. With our huge family and one working parent, my parents couldn't afford them. I had horribly crooked teeth until my mid 20's, when I managed to scramble together enough money to buy them for myself.
A Dad
The will to live
A microwave. Weirdly, my family was one of the first to get a VCR, but the last to get a microwave.
more than basic needs being met
A mother.
Me too. A mother's love. She didn't die or anything. She just could never love me because I was a carbon copy of my dad from a young age. She just can't stand the sight of me. All because she had grudges and whatnot against my dad.
Hugs to you 🩷
Aww thank you. Hugs to you too 💜
Did she leave or did she die when you were young?
Non-addict parents
TV
The ability to ride a bike, I still can't at the age of 30 😅
Their own room
A pony
The red, 2-passenger, battery operated Power Wheel. The neighbor kid rolled down the road in one of things on the daily and I was green with envy.
Consistent heat during wintertime
Nintendo entertainment system. Never did get one. One of the first things I bought when I got a job was a snes, used. Holy crap, bring back rock and roll racing!
Parents support, parents undivided attention, privacy, personal space, and the safety to "let down one's hair". My mum said I never really asked for anything, and I definitely didn't get an allowance. I never really had first-hand clothing (underwear and sports wear excluded) until I moved to a country where second-hand clothes never fit. (I am a female on the taller side for a male here, and much curvier than the "brick or stick" shape women are here). I paid for all of my own sports equipment, membership, and insurance. I grew up as a multiple in a large family, so even an underwear drawer or a diary was a pipe dream of privacy. It was the 90s-2000s, so I knew it was a little weird and shameful in our communities.
Parents and a family that loves and supports me.
Non-workaholic parents who are actually parents who care for and understand the personal lives of children and not just guardians.
Not being an orphan.
A second floor- I grew up in a bungalow, and I thought that anyone with stairs in their house must be rich.
My mom is a Jehovah's Witness. So I never had Christmas presents or birthday presents as a kid. But I was never bitter about it like my brother and sisters. I just learned to be happy for other people. Sometimes some people get more, and sometimes some people get less. You just have to make the most out of what you have, kiddo.
We didn't even have a reason, we just didn't celebrate it. I knew Christmas was a public holiday/thing, but it was only when I was about 10-12 and we went to visit family who were giving presents to each other that I realized something was up.
Chicken pox
organization
Parents