Happy Childhood Memories: The Strong Bonds That Time Creates

There’s a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain
When I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same

Maroon 5 (Song: Memories)

I was with my cousins a few days ago, and we decided to play UNO. We started playing, and after every card I threw, they kept nagging me that each of my moves was against the rules. Basically, what I knew since I was a kid was ALL WRONG (laughing emojis). This was the moment when a lot of childhood memories flashed before me. Read till the end and tell me which ones you relate to the most!

I remember my dad having a black Nokia flip phone on which I first played Snake II. That was probably my first game on a phone. That triggered a not-so-naive kid in me to purchase games from the balance (money put in to call people, Gen-Z wouldn’t know) in the phone. I used to purchase songs and listen to them on repeat. One of my favorites at that time was Soul Sisters by Maroon 5. I used to use them as ringtones for months, not knowing they charged money.

You are either really rich or lying if you say you haven’t ever played this1

Oh, and do you remember the mobile pack we used to have back in the day—Rs. 150 as a balance and Rs. 75 for 300 SMS on the phone (texting wasn’t as easy back then, smirk emojis). The phones back then had buttons, and the QWERTY by Micromax was a crowd favorite.

I am a kid from 1999, and things have changed before my eyes. I don’t know how many of you eat gems now, but earlier, for 1 rupee, we would get 4 gems. I remember I used to get Rs. 5 daily, and I used to buy 5 of these. Then I would open them all, segregate them, and eat them according to the colors (least favorite to most favorite). And I don’t know if you have done this with your gems, but I have disassembled it and eaten the cover first, followed by the chocolate inside. It tastes different; take my word for it.

I also used to get Rs. 10 daily as a kid, and I got promoted to Rs. 20 daily when I reached class 9. All I bought with that money were the cold drinks in the glass bottles (which we had to return to the shop) and packets of chips. This was my afternoon snack after school for as long as I can remember (laughing emojis). You are an OG if you remember “banta”, the soda bottle in which we had to pop the marble. Honestly, those were the days!

The urge to pop this marble is tooo much (devil emojis)

Do you remember the fancy pens we used to flaunt at our schools? Call me a rich kid, because I haven’t used any pen other than Trimax (black shades emojis). Pilot and Octane were my backups. Jealous yet? No? Let me fix that. Did you own those Pokemon cards with scores and powers on them or the wrestling cards with a photo of the wrestler’s photo, their weight, height, etc.? If you didn’t, don’t call yourself a 90’s kid. I can’t believe these things are collectibles now. We used to throw decks away because we had so many.

Let me share a funny incident from a strict household (Read how I live my life as an Elder Indian daughter HERE). You know how we are supposed to put on conditioner on our hair and leave it in for at least 5 minutes before washing it out? So when I was in school, I had to stop doing that because, allegedly, “I was wasting a lot of time” according to my parents (laughing emojis). Whenever I used to do it, I would get asked when I came out of the bathroom why it took me so long. Is it weird, or have you experienced it too?

My parents when they saw me breathing in 12th grade

Little did our parents know that long showers weren’t just because of the conditioners. These showers were long because of the potions we made using the detergents and shampoos. They were long because of the speeches we rehearsed for the awards we are gonna get in the future, the badass replies we were practicing for the non-existent arguments, the performances we were practicing for our future concerts, and what not.

In my childhood, a girl could or couldn’t have owned a Barbie, but every girl had this ceramic tea set. Mine was a replica of the Dolce and Gabbana one—a dull cream tea set with an ink blue print on it. I can’t forget the toys I owned because they were regulars in my routine. A small yellow teddy with red arms and legs, a lot of building blocks, and a lot of mechanics sets. I have always been a collector of these board games, etc.

My childhood in one photo!

These memories with my family are moments that I am gonna cherish for the rest of my life. Whether it be getting Rs. 100 as a reward for full marks in any subject in the half-yearly or finals, wearing mom’s dupatta as a saree, trying on makeup when no one was home, or drinking a mix of all the sodas available at the shop.

And when you have strict parents, expect the least amount of screen time, at least until the time you are in school. I had a limit on game time on the phone of 15 minutes per day. As soon as the timer ended, I had to keep my phone in a drawer in my parents room (laughing emojis). I was also forced to sleep every afternoon after school. I hated my mom for this, but when I entered 12th grade, I got to know the importance of this afternoon sleep. With tuitions back to back after school, this sleep became an essential.

Me today, because of that one time I couldn’t sleep when I was 15

I can’t sum up my entire childhood in one blog, but this was a glimpse of it. As we grow up, we tend to forget where we came from. The happiness, the sorrow, the naivety, the innocence, the no-fear time, and the time with the fewest responsibilities. I don’t think our adult lives can or will ever offer this. Now you tell me, what all could you relate to? I’m curious.

Journal Time: Reminiscing on these memories will actually give you joy, so I want you to sit down and take some time to write down such memories from your life. The past doesn’t always have to be bitter. It’s time to celebrate and cherish what we have been through because we are what we are because of it!

Until next time, Adios Amigos.

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