Something from Childhood (W/out Your Age) That Youngsters Wouldn't Understand
Ask a Question
Without revealing your age, name something from your childhood that youngsters today would not understand....
Foe me : Taping the charts trying to cut out the talking on a Sunday night.
My father rented a 24 inch colour tv from Radio Rentals to watch the Olympics. I was at Brownie camp and oh so excited to come home.
I remember being the child that had to adjust the tv top aerial and once you had a good picture tip toeing away in case it moved. Also the dial on the telephone, it took ages to dial anybody's number, but you had to dial it in full . I can still remember loads of numbers from then, now, once it's in your phone you don't need to remember any of them.
Yes I still remember my mums phone no from 40 years ago.Can just about remember my own mobile no now!
I remember that you sometimes had to slap the top of the set to kickstart the TV when the valves were on there way out
MelissaLee1963 I remember as I child we used to answer the phone by reciting our own phone number - it was only a few digits back then so didn’t take long, but that’s not the case now!
half penny sweets 
no central heating 
MelissaLee1963 Aye, but if you didn't eat them pretty quickly, they used to turn into one big sticky sherbert pip
Getting milk from the milkman.
My gran used to get me to take the empty pop bottles back to the shop on a saturday for a partial refund. I loved doing that as I got to keep some money for sweets.
Glitterandgold I used to see milkmens during the early 2000s, and breadmen too. I guess they're still around for rural areas?
Everything's getting more expensive so I bought a decent amount of milk and bread from Sainsbury's and tucked it away (well, I froze the bread).
PhilipMarc Probably still some about. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a milkman tho. Been years.
Having to get up and switch over TV Channel, there was no such thing as a TV remote and TV not being 24 hours. All channels used to stop broadcasting after midnight & the BBC closedown played us the national anthem. You would just get the test card
The test card - I never knew what it was called at the time, but now I can google it
Actual physical games - anyone else remember playing elastics ? Long piece of elastic around two kids legs and the third had to do all sorts of jumps. Hide and seek. Water fights. Chalk on the pavement to play hopscotch. Skipping ropes etc etc
I remember elastics and some weird game with a ball in a stocking and banging it up against the wall. We lived dangerously lol.
I remember the first episodes of Eastenders and Brookside and taping on our first blank VHS tape. I also loved shows like Dynasty, Only Fools, TJ Hooker, Knightrider and The Equilizer 
Having to come home when the street lights came on, and not having to worry about being careful etc (like they do now with all the nasty things kids are doing/doing to others), cds, Walkman, dial up internet, penny sweets, walking everywhere,
3 tv chanels. no internet, no mobiles, playing kerbie, knicky knocky nide door, british bulldogs. spectrum 48k. taping the top 40.
the world was smaller but better without social media and you had to remember your friends phone numbers.
Antiwoke Three channels were probably better than a thousand. I could go through an endless amount of channels these days and still not find anything interesting to watch.
I stopped watching Live TV because of it, and the TV License is just a damn ripoff (£13.25p/m or £159p/y).
No remote controls for anything. Paraffin/calor gas heaters, plastic curlers you wound hair around. I even remember mother getting me stockings after promising me a pair if I passed my 11 plus, no tights back then just knee length socks!
Bleeding car brakes. I remember sitting in my dads car and pressing with my foot when told to it.
No remote controls- amusing ourselves all day outside normally on our bikes. Phone boxes that you had to push the 2p into really hard. Gas and electric meters that you had to put coins in then turn the dial. Renting videotapes, renting TV’s with a coin box on the back. Black jacks and fruit salad sweets 2 for a penny !
As child I would go through catalogues including Green Shield ones to make my Christmas list. I doubt anyone under 50 remembers Green Shield stamps 
Gen Z who'd watch Married with Children wouldn't get the jokes about VHS, Betamax, etc. Unless he/she did some research or already knew about it.
That's such a great show although many probably find it offensive nowadays. 
PhilipMarc that’s a snap shot, but just not about that issue.
I don’t think social media helps them.
Pressing play and record and then stop at precisely the right time to avoid the DJ talking over the end of the song.
a special table / cabinet / seat in the hallway. for the fixed telephone. complete with a shelf for the massive sets of Yellow Pages and the phone book.
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter
