There are a lot of reasons our generation is lucky. We had the best music, the best hairstyles and man, were our outfits on-point. But we also had a special kind of freedom that a lot of kids these days aren't afforded. We hear a lot of negatives about our generation being lazy, entitled and selfish. I disagree. Nineties babies had a truly a special experience growing up, and here's why:
1. We Had To Get Creative.
The beauty of being born and growing up without Internet allowed us to fully experience childhood. Without iPads or Internet, we had to exercise grueling patience and employ tireless creativity. We had to experience things in real life rather than on the Internet or in a game. We played pretend and sports. We talked and listened. We learned and explored! I couldn’t be more thankful everything I experienced because I wasn’t sitting inside playing on an iPad.
2. Patience Weren't Just a Virtue.
Not everything was at our very fingertips; we had to wait for things like TV, knowledge and even fun. We had to sit through commercials, and sometimes cartoons were only on Saturday mornings. If we wanted Internet it took forever, and only one person could use the landline at a time. Patience is hard for kids, but we had no choice.
3. Helicopter Parents: We Didn't Have Them.
We played pretend, explored nature and finally, when the sun began to set, we knew it was time to go home for dinner. Our parents didn’t hover over us worried about every little thing we were playing with or where in the neighborhood we might be. Our biggest concern was falling off our bike and scraping our knee, not dying in a video game.
4. We Grew Up At The Same Time As Technology.
As we matured, so did technology. Nineties babies know their way around technology. We grew up with it—starting with our razor flip phones and today with smartphones. Most of us know our way around a computer, and we’re fully capable of learning about new technology as it is developed. The ease of access to knowledge puts our generation at a complete advantage. Along with that, we have networking. I have to ability to keep friends in constant communication even when they’re halfway across the world.
5. Networking.
In elementary and middle school, we were minimally concerned with how many likes we had on Instagram, and there was no such thing as Snapchat. Sure, our top friends on MySpace might have caused some social grief, but we did not have 24/7 access to the Internet. We did not have 24/7 feedback on our life that we posted on social media from people—most of whom we don’t even care about. As we became more equipped with the ability to deal with social criticism, the channels for social criticism increased. I’m so incredibly grateful I did not have to deal with social media as it is today when I was in sixth grade.
Nineties babies truly are the luckiest generation ever.
