1. "Run Before The Darkness Monster Gets You"
Although you had been playing in the basement for hours without any fears of a demon attacking you, the second you turned off those lights, you thought something was going to snatch you.
All of a sudden, you would turn into Usain Bolt once you switched off the lights and sprint up the stairs. That was the fastest anyone had to run in their lives.
2. "Look I'm Smoking!"
When it got cold enough outside to see your breath, it was funny to pretend to smoke because we thought it was cool. Usually, there would be a pretzel stick used as the cigarette or cigar.
Even if you weren't pretending to smoke, you probably were pretending to be a dragon that was breathing fire. That's what we did, at least.
3. Putting So Much Effort Into Something That Wasn't Possible
If you were one of the lucky people to have one of these pens, you probably tried to push all the colors down at once so you could write in a rainbow.
When you couldn't figure out how to push all the colors down, the rest of the day was spent clicking the pen to irritate everyone around you.
4. Why? Just, Why?
No one knows what possessed them to do this, but all erasers were drawn on or had holes poked in them. Maybe it was boredom or to find ways to break the tip of the pencil, who knows.
Sometimes you could use a pen to draw on the eraser, and then it would become a stamp. Did you ever ruin your eraser and then get annoyed with yourself because it was dirty and misshapen?
5. The Smooth Feel Of The Repelling Forces
As a child did you ever try to defy the laws of physics to get two magnets to touch with the same poles? "You will bend to my will," said a child to the magnets.
It would never work no matter how hard you tried, but when you felt them repel, it was almost satisfying.
6. Clip Lips
Putting these big clips over your mouth was one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. It didn't hurt at all, but it was a weird sensation.
It was the original version of duck lips or pretending that you had lip injections. Sometimes, there was no reason for doing this other than it felt good.
7. Glorious Pillow Forts
Building a quality pillow fort took effort and time, but the end result was usually worth it. Even as adults, pillow forts are still fun.
The best thing about pillow forts was getting to sleep in them at least one night before they had to be destroyed. Pillow fort sleepovers were the best sleepovers.
8. The Good Old Days
When you and all your friends would plan to go to one person's house, so you would all ride bikes and meet there. You knew your friends had arrived when you saw their bikes all over the lawn.
It was a much simpler time before social media; the only worries we had were figuring out whose house to meet at, and how long the bike ride would be.
9. So Refreshing Yet So Painful
The freeze-pops that were sold at Costco were the most refreshing things to enjoy in the summer. The blue raspberry and watermelon were hands down the best flavors, but these pops have a downside to them.
The plastic tube that the pops came in would cut the sides of your mouth so horribly. All of the pain was worth the cold refreshing sugary-ness.
10. It Took Ages, But It Was Worth It
Did your parents ever wonder why it took you so long to finish your small bowl of mac n' cheese? It was probably because you spent most of your meal trying to get one noodle on each prong of the fork.
There was something so satisfying about getting four noodles on your fork in perfect alignment.
11. "Please Don't Tell Mom!"
Growing up with siblings was like playing a game to see how much you could get away with before they told on you.
Also, if you accidentally hit them, you would beg them not to tell, and it was like negotiating a hostage situation.
12. Spending An Hour Talking Into The Fan
Before Kanye used autotune in all his songs, children were creating autotuned hits by singing into a fan. The fan made your voice sound like Darth Vader, and it could occupy anyone for hours.
It was also fun to pretend to be an alien, saying, "Greetings earthlings." This was a fun activity when you couldn't think of anything else to do.
13. Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots!
Long before you really understood what shots were, you would pretend to take shots of soda out of the cap just because it was more fun than drinking regularly.
These types of shots were much easier to down than alcoholic shots. Can we go back to taking soda shots rather than vodka?
14. Scaring Strangers Who Were Innocently Shopping
Hiding in the clothing racks at stores was the only way to make shopping with your parents entertaining. Yes, you might have scared some innocent strangers, but it was mostly worth it.
Your mom also might have thought you went missing and would panic, then yell at you once you came out. If you were really unlucky, you might have gotten yelled at by a store employee for hiding.
15. The Floor Is Lava
The floor is lave was a fun and imaginative game. One minute you are chilling with your friends on the couch, and the next minute someone is yelling, "the floor is lava," and you are jumping all over the furniture.
This game kept you on edge because you would have to think of different ways to get from one piece of furniture to the next safely.
16. Which Raindrop Will Win
Did you ever stare out the car window on a rainy day and watch to see which raindrop would hit the edge of the window first?
You might have even commented on the race in your head as the raindrops would go back and forth of which one was in the lead.
17. The Possibilities Were Endless
The cardboard tube inside paper towels or gift wrap could be used for so many different things as a child. From a sword to a telescope, your imagination would run wild with ideas.
They could also be painted to look more like the item you were imagining. There were so many simple things that could occupy your time as a child that wouldn't be entertaining today.
18. Pretending To Be Your Pet Dog While Running Up The Stairs
Running up the stairs on all fours was way more exciting than walking up the stairs like a regular person.
You could pretend you were the family pet, and that was much more fun than walking on two legs.
19. Hours Of Fun Were Spent On This Carpet
The car city carpet provided hours of fun. You could make your dolls or toy cars walk and drive around the city, and it was so entertaining.
People had these at home, and they were in classrooms, and there is nothing more nostalgic than this carpet.
20. "Thank You Aunt Karen For The Birthday Present."
Talking to people on the phone is uncomfortable even as an adult, but there was nothing worse than when your mom would make you get on the phone and thank a relative for a gift.
There was always that one relative who wanted to talk for much longer than you had expected, and you didn't know how to end the conversation politely.
21. "Should I Leave?"
When you went over to your friend's house, and their parents yelled at them in front of you, it was the most uncomfortable situation you had ever experienced.
You had to just stand there and wait for the yelling to stop because you didn't know how to react. Sometimes your friends were getting yelled at for something you did, which was even more uncomfortable.
22. "Do You Remember Me?"
The most annoying thing parents do is introduce you to someone who knew you as a baby, and you have to act as if you remember them.
"If I was an infant, how am I supposed to remember you, Mary? We haven't seen each other in 18 years!"
23. "Be Free Little Leaf"
These "helicopter" leaves were so fun to watch fall. They would spin around and around as they floated to the ground.
You never knew what they were until you were older, but as a child, those helicopters were toys from nature.
24. The Playground Of Pain
The metal slide burned your skin; the plastic slide gave you an electric shock like no other; the monkey bars made you feel like your fingers were broken; the roundabout made your vision impaired for a while.
The playground was like a death trap, but you would continue to go back every day despite the pain you felt from everything.
25. "Haha, Sucker!"
When the finder walks by you in hide and seek, and doesn't spot you, you are a lucky person. The second they continue walking past your spot, you can let out a sigh of relief.
The longer they take to find you, the prouder you can feel because of how good the hiding spot was.
26. Ready For Anything
Putting your feet on the side of the pool and holding onto the edge allowed for the perfect position to swim away at any given moment. It made you feel like a superhero waiting for their big moment.
It also was refreshing to feel like you were defying gravity and absolutely weightless.
27. When The Grocery Store Turns Into The Indy 500
When you got the privilege of pushing the shopping cart, it was a big deal, and you could finally pretend you were a race car driver.
It was fun to speed through the aisles and stand on the back of the cart like you were flying.
28. "A Watermelon Is Going To Grow In Your Stomach"
Did your older siblings ever tell you that a watermelon would grow in your stomach after you ate one of the seeds? For a while, everyone believed it and thought that a watermelon would grow.
Every time you swallowed a seed, there was a small fear that fruits or vegetables would grow inside the stomach.
29. "MOM! She's Doing It Again!"
Mimicking siblings is a great way to annoy them. It is the most frustrating situation when your sibling won't stop copying you.
Even when you try to tell your mom, they won't stop because they can go on forever like a superpower.
30. Smooth Sailing Until You Hit A Clump Of Cement
When walking through the school halls, this was the most satisfying thing to do between the cinderblocks. It only became painful when your finger ran into a piece of uneven wall.
It was like your finger had to follow this exact path as you walked and talked to your friends between classes.
31. The Truest Form Of Betrayal
If you ever had a friend growing up who said no to food when you were over at their house, did you stay friends with them?
There was always one friend who had the best snacks, and you rarely got them because they were never hungry for some reason.
32. Feeling Very Classy With Your Grape Juice
On Thanksgiving or other family holidays, when all the adults would drink wine, you would ask for grape juice or white cranberry juice in a wine glass because it felt classy.
It was more fun when you would pretend to get drunk, and all the adults would laugh and think you were a comedian.
33. "Hey, I'm Watching That!"
Dads can be fully asleep on the couch, but the second you change the channel, they wake up instantly. Even when you call them out for being asleep, they still claimed to be watching the TV.
Whenever you watched TV with your dad, it was always what he wanted to watch even though he was sleeping.
34. "I Have The Power!"
In elementary school, it was fun to take apart pens and put them back together like you were an inventor.
The only problem was when you lost a piece, and the pen couldn't be put back together again.
35. Pretending To Be A Scientist
As a child, picking a soda at the fountain was exciting, but it was even more fun to mix all of them to see what it would taste like.
Most of the time, it was not good, but you felt like a scientist that just created a secret formula.
36. The Only Time You Would Run That Fast
Being the "rotten egg" was the biggest insult to your athletic ability as a child. Once someone yelled "last one there is a rotten egg," you would run like your life depended on it to not be last.
It was usually used to get the best seat in the car, or you were stuck sitting in the back with your sibling.
37. When You Enjoyed Being Evil
When you were younger and got excitement out of instilling fear into your classmates, after being tortured a few times, they would stop cursing around you because they didn't want to deal with the anxiety.
If you were on the receiving end of this evil, you could almost hear your classmate's evil laugh as they raised their hand to fake tell on you.
38. Being Scared To Swallow Gum For The Rest Of Your Life
Although it is an old wives' tale, growing up, people were convinced that swallowed gum would stay in their stomach for seven years. It was the scariest thing when you accidentally swallowed the gum.
Your parents would warn you not to do it, and even say that it would stay there longer if you swallowed more than one piece.
39. Needing Attention At All Times
Pretending to be a floating body in the pool was only funny for you because others would get scared that you were not breathing.
You just wanted to see if anyone was paying attention, but there was probably more than one occasion where you scared a few people.
40. When Calculators Were Fun
As children, calculators used to be toys. We could use them to write funny messages and think of weird math equations to try.
Now that we are older, calculators remind us of math class, which was not fun for many people.