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Mom swears by this buy-nothing trick for 10 minutes of quiet in the mornings

Morning Baskets are a gamechanger for fighting morning chaos.

woman holding woven basket and toys
abigaellanai/TikTok

Working parents, stay-at-home parents, parents of all ilks — we all need a few minutes in the morning to get ourselves together. Unfortunately, young children don't always cooperate with that plan.

My 4-year-old, for example, is a tornado in the morning. She might wake up at 5:30 ready to party or sleep until her alarm goes off. Anything goes. On those early mornings, it can be really tough to roll into the day when we're trying to juggle getting her set up with breakfast before we're even dressed ourselves, let alone caffeinated!

Apparently, we're not the only one who has this problem.

Morning Baskets are the solution to morning chaos currently taking the parenting world by storm.

What is a Morning Basket?

It's a basket full of toys, games, activities, or books that you set out for your kids the night before.

When they wake up the next day, they excitedly look through the basket to see what you've added, and then enjoy playing by themselves for a little bit while you get dressed, drink coffee, make breakfast, or tend to other responsibilities.

(Or just stare into the abyss until your brain wakes up.)

girl in white shirt playing with blue and red car toy Photo by Robo Wunderkind on Unsplash

Morning Baskets seem to be an adaptation of a popular idea from the homeschooling world, where the first lessons and readings of the day are placed in a basket the night before. Now the basic concept has been adapted to fit the needs of working parents, work-from-home parents, stay-at-home parents, and everyone inbetween.

Working mom Abigael Lanai recently made a TikTok explaining her approach to Morning Baskets.

Abby says her almost 3-year-old daughter always has free reign over all of her toys, but narrowing down the choices helps focus.

"I feel like first thing in the morning, specifically, she has a little bit of decision fatigue. She doesn't know where to start or really where to go. And having this basket with just a couple of items has really helped kind of focus her and lead her to having some independent play without me having to facilitate it."

Without having to facilitate it being the key phrase here.

"To me, that's the whole point of the morning basket," Abby says. "I need 10 minutes to myself, to drink my coffee while it's hot and let my brain fully wake up."

The baskets may not buy you a ton of time, but sometimes just a few minutes can make a world of difference.

Some parents worry that filling Morning Baskets with a never-ending rotation of new games and toys sounds expensive. Abby says — not so!

"I didn't buy anything new," she says. "I found this basket in my house and everything in it, we already own."

Abby recommends filling with items your kids used to love or have lost interest in, things they haven't played with in a while. Just as long as you keep it fresh so the kids are always curious to see what they'll find inside.

Watch Abby's full video for an amazing breakdown and FAQ on using Morning Baskets.

@abigaellanai

Replying to @nicolebasi.13 i change things out every weekend, would that be helpful to see what i include in tue basket each week? 👀 #momsoftiktok #morningbasket #toddlersoftiktok #toddlermom

People in the comments loved the idea — even if they don't have kids!

Though Abby didn't invent the idea of Morning Baskets, her excellent explainer went viral to the tune of nearly half a million views and counting.

Clearly, parents were resonating with the challenge of hectic mornings, and this unique solution.

child playing with lego blocks Photo by Aedrian Salazar on Unsplash

"Morning baskets have saved my LIFE with my toddler while I feed my twins in the morning," wrote Alyssa M.

"Heavy on the 'drink my coffee while it’s still hot' It’s a struggle over here," said petitecrevette04.

A lot of adults with no kids even chimed in that they wanted someone to set up a morning basket for them. (Honestly, same.)

Crucially, Abby adds that Morning Baskets are not anti-screen time. They're just a judgment-free alternative.

We use screentime in the morning in my house sometimes. But it's sometimes more trouble than it's worth, to be honest. I have to set up the show, skip around to find the right episode, and help change to a new show when my daughter inevitably gets restless.

The beauty of the Morning Box is that it's set up the night before and ready to go to work the second your child opens their eyes in the morning.

Morning routines are hard to get right, and hard to stick to, but that doesn't mean they're not important. Having a rushed, chaotic morning in your household stresses everyone out, including the kids.

Kids with a peaceful and calm morning routine show better attentiveness in school and develop a positive association with going to school each day.

And us parents? We're just barely holding it together a lot of the time. A few minutes to wake up and enjoy our coffee can go a long way to making us feel human in the morning.

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Our favorite giveaway is back. Enter to win a free, fun date! 🌊 💗

It's super easy, no purchase or donation necessary, and you help our oceans! That's what we call a win-win-win. Enter here.

Our favorite giveaway is back. Enter to win a free, fun date! 🌊 💗
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Our love for the ocean runs deep. Does yours? Enter here!

This Valentine’s Day, we're bringing back our favorite giveaway with Ocean Wise. You have the chance to win the ultimate ocean-friendly date. Our recommendation? Celebrate love for all your people this Valentine's Day! Treat your mom friends to a relaxing spa trip, take your best friend to an incredible concert, or enjoy a beach adventure with your sibling! Whether you're savoring a romantic seafood dinner or enjoying a movie night in, your next date could be on us!

Here’s how to enter:

  • Go to upworthy.com/oceandate and complete the quick form for a chance to win - it’s as easy as that.
  • P.S. If you follow @oceanwise or donate after entering, you’ll get extra entries!

Here are the incredible dates:

1. Give mom some relaxation

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Special thanks to our friends at All In who are all in on helping moms!

2. Jump in the ocean, together

Grab your favorite person and get some much-needed ocean time. Did you know research on “blue spaces” suggests that being near water is linked with better mental health and well-being, including feeling calmer and less stressed? We’ll treat you to a beach adventure like a surfing or sailing class, plus ocean-friendly bags from GOT Bag and blankets from Sand Cloud so your day by the water feels good for you and a little gentler on the ocean too.

Special thanks to our friends at GOT Bag. They make saving the ocean look stylish and fun!

3. Couch potato time

Love nights in as much as you love a date night out? We’ve got you. Have friends over for a movie night or make it a cozy night in with your favorite person. You’ll get a Disney+ and Hulu subscription so you can watch Nat Geo ocean content, plus a curated list of ocean-friendly documentaries and a movie-night basket of snacks. Easy, comfy, and you’ll probably come out of it loving the ocean even more.

4. Dance all day!

Soak up the sun and catch a full weekend of live music at BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach, May 1–3, 2026, featuring Duran Duran, The Offspring, James Taylor and His All-Star Band, The Chainsmokers, My Morning Jacket, Slightly Stoopid, and Sheryl Crow. The perfect date to bring your favorite person on!

We also love that BeachLife puts real energy into protecting the coastline it’s built on by spotlighting ocean and beach-focused nonprofit partners and hosting community events like beach cleanups.

Date includes two (2) three-day GA tickets. Does not include accommodation, travel, or flights.

5. Chef it up (at home)

Stay in and cook something delicious with someone you love. We’ll hook you up with sustainable seafood ingredients and some additional goodies for a dinner for two, so you can eat well and feel good knowing your meal supports healthier oceans and more responsible fishing.

Giveaway ends 2/15/26 at 11:59pm PT. Winners will be selected at random and contacted via email from the Upworthy. No purchase necessary. Open to residents of the U.S. and specific Canadian provinces that have reached age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence at the time. Please see terms and conditions for specific instructions. Giveaway not affiliated with Instagram. More details at upworthy.com/oceandate

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Education

Neuroscientists say a simple trick will help you learn any new skill a lot faster

Learning a new skill? Here's how to quickly level-up.

guitar, learning a skill, neuroscience, music, exposure, passive exposure, gardening
via Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

A woman learning how to play guitar.

Learning a new skill, such as playing an instrument, gardening, or picking up a new language, takes a lot of time and practice, whether that means scale training, learning about native plants, or using flashcards to memorize new words. To improve through practice, you have to perform the task repeatedly and receive feedback so you know whether you’re doing it correctly. Is my pitch correct? Did my geraniums bloom? Is my pronunciation understandable?

However, a new study by researchers at the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon shows that you can speed up these processes by adding a third element to practice and feedback: passive exposure. The good news is that passive exposure requires minimal effort and is enjoyable.

"Active learning of a... task requires both expending effort to perform the task and having access to feedback about task performance," the study authors explained. "Passive exposure to sensory stimuli, on the other hand, is relatively effortless and does not require feedback about performance."


woman reading, woman book, young woman, studying, new skills A woman reading a book.via Canva/Photos

How to pick up new skills faster?

So, if you’re learning to play the blues on guitar, listen to plenty of Howlin’ Wolf or Robert Johnson throughout the day. If you’re learning to cook, keep the Food Network on TV in the background to absorb some great culinary advice. Learning to garden? Take the time to notice the flora and fauna in your neighborhood or make frequent trips to your local botanical garden.

If you’re learning a new language, watch plenty of TV and films in the language you are learning. The scientists add that auditory learning is especially helpful, so listen to plenty of audiobooks or podcasts on the subject you’re learning about.

But, of course, you also have to be actively learning the skill as well by practicing your guitar for the recommended hours each day or by taking a class in languages. Passive exposure won't do the work for you, but it's a fantastic way to pick up things more quickly. Further, passive exposure keeps the new skill you're learning top-of-mind, so you're probably more likely to actively practice it.

What is passive exposure?

Researchers discovered the tremendous benefits of passive exposure after studying a group of mice. They trained them to find water by using various sounds to give positive or negative feedback, like playing a game of “hot or cold.” Some mice were passively exposed to these sounds when they weren't looking for water. Those who received this additional passive exposure and those who received active training learned to find the water reward more quickly.

gardening, woman gardening, gardening shears, leaning gardening, weeds A woman tending to her garden.via Canva/Photos


“Our results suggest that, in mice and in humans, a given performance threshold can be achieved with relatively less effort by combining low-effort passive exposure with active training,” James Murray, a neuroscientist who led the study, told University of Oregon News. “This insight could be helpful for humans learning an instrument or a second language, though more work will be needed to better understand how this applies to more complex tasks and how to optimize training schedules that combine passive exposure with active training.”

The one drawback to this study was that it was conducted on mice, not humans. However, recent studies on humans have found similar results, such as in sports. If you visualize yourself excelling at the sport or mentally rehearse a practice routine, it can positively affect your actual performance. Showing, once again, that when it comes to picking up a new skill, exposure is key.

The great news about the story is that, in addition to giving people a new way to approach learning, it’s an excuse for us to enjoy the things we love even more. If you enjoy listening to blues music so much that you decided to learn for yourself, it’s another reason to make it an even more significant part of your life.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

This article originally appeared last year.

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A cozy bookstore in Scotland lets you sleep upstairs while you 'live out a dream' selling books

The money raised goes to support the town's annual book festival.

The Open Book, Scotland, bookstore, books, traveling, Wigtown Book Festival
Photo Credit: Colin Tennant, Flickr, Canva

The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland

Burrowed in the green Dumfries and Galloway county of Scotland, is a cozy bookstore. But this isn't just any bookstore. Sure, it has plastic-covered hardback books lining old wooden shelves. Yes, it has the occasional stool for sitting and reading a chapter or two. But what makes this particular bookstore stand out is one can actually rent and live in it, and help sell books.

It's called "The Open Book," and it's a bookshop with a warm, cheery flat upstairs. A person can rent it out for a snippet of time using Airbnb, and work at the store downstairs in whatever capacity they choose. Chris Lawlor (self-described Scotland promoter) shared a clip on his Instagram breaking down the whole genius operation.

Over various photos of the unique spot, a voiceover of Lawler asks, "Did you know that in Scotland, there's a bookshop you can actually live in and run yourself for a week? It's part of a unique experience where you're handed the keys before heading up the stairs to relax and sleep. Then waking up and opening the doors to live out a dream job of running a cozy bookshop called The Open Book in Wigtown."

The street is riddled with other bookstores Lawler shares: "With eight bookshops on your doorstep...the money collected during your stay goes toward the town's annual book festival."

While versions of this Reel have been posted by others, Lawlor's clip has well over half a million likes and thousands of comments from enthusiastic travelers. Some are just in disbelief. "What? I just watched this 3 times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I can live in and run a bookshop? Dreams do come true! Holy smokes. I'm shook. This is the coziest, dreamiest, most brilliant idea ever!" wrote one.

The Open Book, Scotland, bookstore, books, traveling, Wigtown Book Festival A person browses at The Open Book in Scotland.Photo Credit: Colin Tennant, Flickr

A few note the ingenious business model, with one writing, "Cracking business idea. Free staff!"

And though some point out that the waitlist is rather long, they're adding it to their "to do" lists. One writes, "As a retired librarian, this would be a dream vacation--wait, I visit Scotland every year for the last 11 years. Why haven't I done this already? Lol OK, new item on my bucket list."

Having begun in the 1990s, the Wigtown Book Festival is quite the event. On a page of their website they explain, "Booked through Airbnb, paying guests live in the self-catering apartment upstairs and run the bookshop below it for the duration of their stay. During their stay, guests are free to change displays, price books, re-categorise them, and make inventive use of the blackboard that entices visitors in to browse or chat. Some guests are happy to quietly run the bookshop, while others come with firmer plans and creative ideas!"

The Open Book, Scotland, bookstore, books, traveling, Wigtown Book Festival The bedroom for rent above The Open Book in Scotland.Photo Credit: Colin Tennant, Flickr

Writer Freya Parr documented her experience at the shop in 2019 for The Guardian. After explaining it was the "brainchild" of Jessica Fox, she shares that she and her boyfriend had a wonderful time. " If we weren’t being entertained by the customers, it was the other booksellers, who welcomed us like old friends. We became as much of a tourist attraction for the locals as the place was for us, and the conversations we had were worlds away from those back home. Nobody cared what our jobs were–they were more interested in what had brought us here."

On the Airbnb site, they add how it works: "The first ever bookshop holiday / residency experience, Scotland's National Book Town welcomes you to play-bookshop for a week or two. We'll give you your very own apartment and bookshop below, supported by a team of friendly volunteers to make your trip as lovely as possible. Set up by The Wigtown Festival Company, The Open Book's aim is to celebrate books, independent bookshops, and welcome people around the world to Scotland's National Book Town."

The reviews from people who have taken part in this unique experience as recently as last month are stellar. One writes, in part, "Running The Open Book bookshop for a week was utmost fun! We met lots of travelling booknerds who popped in and many of the friendly Wigtown locals. It's a charming little town surrounded by beautiful nature. We got home yesterday and I miss being in the bookshop already."

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Vet demonstrates 'squish the cat' method of safe cat handling in delightfully helpful video

There's a reason Dr. Burstyn's "How to pick up a cat" video has been viewed 23 million times.

cats, pets, cat handling, veterinarian, feline behavior
Helpful Vancouver Vet/YouTube

Handling a cat may seem like a delicate matter, but being delicate isn't actually the way to go.

If you've ever tried to make a cat do something it doesn't want to do, you've likely experienced the terror that a cat's wrath can invoke. Our cute, cuddly feline friends may be small, but the razor blades on their feet are no joke when they decide to utilize them. Even cats who love us can get spicy if we try to manhandle them, so we can imagine how things will go with cats who don't know us well. But sometimes it's necessary to handle a cat even if it's resistant to the idea.

This is where Vancouver veterinarian Dr. Uri Burstyn comes in. His "How to pick up a cat like a pro" video, in which he demonstrates a few ways of picking up and handling a cat, has been viewed over 23 million times since he shared it in 2019. Unlike many viral videos, it's not humorous and nothing outrageous happens, but the combo of Burstyn's calm demeanor and his repeated instructions to "squish that cat" has endeared him to the masses.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The video truly is helpful; he shows the ways to pick up a cat that make them feel the most secure using his cats, one-year-old Claudia and 14-year-old Mr. Pirate. He explains that cats spook very easily and it's best to introduce yourself to them gently. Let them sniff your fingers, keeping your fingers curled in, and once they've sniffed you, you can often give them a light rub on the cheek or under the chin.

Picking them up is a different story. The reason many cats will claw or scratch you when you try to pick them up is because they feel unsupported or unsafe, so they'll scramble around trying to get some footing. Burstyn shows how he picks up Claudia with one hand under the chest and one hand under her abdomen. If he needs to carry her around, he squishes her into his body so she feels "nice and supported." He may even put a hand under her front paws.

cats, pets, cat handling, veterinarian, feline behavior Cats can be finicky about how they're held. Photo credit: Canva

Then came the best part of the video: "Squish That Cat"

"Now if we do have a cat who's trying to get away from us?" Burstyn said. "We always squish that cat. If you're trying to hold the cat down, whether it's to trim their nails or to give them a pill, or whether you just want to have a cat not run off for a moment, squish that cat. All you need to know about cat restraint is to squish that cat."

Burstyn explains that cats generally feel very secure being squished, even if they're really scared.

"Sometimes cats come to me in the clinic, and they're quite afraid," he said. "And you just gently squish them, and they'll sit there and kind of not hurt themselves, not hurt us. Just hang out and let us do our thing."

He demonstrated putting a towel over the cat, explaining, "If you have a towel handy, this is one of the best cat restraint tools around. You can just throw a towel on the catty and squish her with the towel, that way they won't get a claw into you if they are scrambling about a bit. Very safe and gentle, and generally cats are very, very happy to be squished like that."

cats, pets, cat handling, veterinarian, feline behavior Squish that cat. Photo credit: Canva

Dr. Burstyn also showed how to do a "football hold," tucking the cat under your arm with them facing backwards. "So this is kind of an emergency way if you really need to carry a cat somewhere in a hurry," he said. Scooping up Claudia, he explained, "Little head's under your arm, butt in your hand, and you squish her tight to your body. And with that little football carry, you can basically hold a cat very securely and very safely, because it's really hard for them to rake you with their hind legs."

If you're worried about over-squishing your cat, Dr. Burnstyn says don't. "You don't have to worry about hurting a cat," he said. "They're very, very tough little beasts. You know, just squishing them against your body's never going to do them any harm. In fact, they tend to feel more safe and secure when they're being held tightly."

Dr. Burnstyn also demonstrated how to pick up and set down a "shoulder cat" who insists on climbing onto people's shoulders and hanging out there, as Mr. Pirate does. It's highly entertaining, as Mr. Pirate is a big ol' chonky kitty.


@yozron

she loves my shoulders i guess #catcore #kittendad #kittensoftiktok #cat #fyp

People in the comments loved Dr. Burnstyn's demonstration, with several dubbing him the Bob Ross of veterinary medicine. Even people who don't have cats said they watched the whole video, and many loved Claudia and Mr. Pirate as well.

"This is just proof that cats are liquid."

"12/10 cat. Excellent squishability."

"So essentially, cats love hugs? That's the most wonderful thing i've heard all day."

"This cat is so well mannered and looks educated."

"Mr Pirate is an absolute unit."

"S q u i s h . T h a t . C a t ."

"I need 'Squish that cat' shirt.

"Dang, that actually helped with my female cat. She has been through at least two owners before me and had some bad expriences which obviously resulted in trust issues. She has now been with me for two years and it had gotten loads better, but she still did not want me to hold her. Normally I simply would have let her be, but for vet visits and such it was not an ideal situation. But then I saw this video and tried to squish the cat. And she loves it! She is turning into quite the snuggly bug. Thank you!"

So there you go. When all else fails, squish that cat and see what happens.

You can follow Dr. Burstyn on YouTube at Helpful Vancouver Vet.


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Social skills coach shares 4 prompts to keep conversations 'rolling' so they never get awkward

Knowing the right follow-up question makes all the difference.

conversation, couple talking, white wine, laughing man, laughing woman,
via Canva/Photos

A man and a woman having a pleasant conversation over wine.

Making small talk can be frustrating for many reasons. It's nerve-wracking to come up with things to talk about with someone you hardly know that aren't "How's the weather?" or "So, what do you do for a living?" Some folks try to avoid it altogether because they find small talk boring.

However, being good at small talk can be a huge benefit, whether it helps you come across as more charming on first dates, build better rapport with coworkers, or make more friends at a party. Small talk is great for your romantic life, social life, and professional advancement. The problem is that many people are afraid of getting stuck in an awkward silence or in a conversation that isn't going anywhere.

Social skills coach Andrew Godwin offers a group program that helps high school boys master conversation skills, build real friendships, and develop unshakable confidence. He's also a popular TikToker who shares tips for building confidence and improving communication.

@andrew.godwin

Small phrases that keep things roollliinnngggg #conversationtips #peopleskills #andrewgodwin

Godwin says the key to keeping every conversation "rolling" and avoiding awkward silences is knowing how to use open-ended questions and phrases. Here are four that he recommends:

1. "Tell me more"

"Somebody's telling you any story, or they give you a little glimpse of something. 'I had a crazy weekend.' 'Tell me more. Tell me all about it. Tell me, I wanna hear more.' That's a beautiful open up. Give them the floor," Godwin says.

2. "What was that like?"

"They went on a trip to Italy. They went to the freaking new market downtown. 'What was that like?' Just open the floor for them beautifully," he says.

3. "How'd you get into that?"

"Somebody does anything interesting at all, they're like, 'I went fly fishing the other day.' Or they play pickleball. Or they even, like, do board games on Sundays. 'How'd you get into that? What got you into that?' The reason behind stuff is always the way to go," he adds.

4. "What were some of the highlights?"

"I've learned that 'What was your favorite part?' never really pans out well. But you can say, like, 'What were some of the highlights?' Or 'What caught your eye?' about literally anything," he concludes.

conversation, women drinking coffee, woman in cafe, conversation Two women enjoy coffee together.via Canva/Photos

"Notice how none of these are yes-or-no questions," Godwin says in the video. When you ask someone a yes-or-no question, you're often dooming the conversation because it gives you nothing to follow through on. It can feel like you have to start a whole new topic out of nowhere.

Open-ended questions begin with who, what, when, where, why, or how, and they encourage your conversation partner to think before responding, which usually elicits a more interesting (and longer) response.

In the video below, Celeste Headlee explains how to ask good open-ended questions in her TED Talk, "10 ways to have a better conversation."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

After hearing Godwin's tips, you might be thinking, "When do I get to talk in the conversation if I'm always asking questions?" The good news is that studies show the more questions you ask someone in a conversation, the more they will like you back. So don't worry if you haven't had enough time to talk about yourself. If you're asking engaging questions, chances are they already enjoy talking with you.

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19 super-specific memories that are giving people instant childhood nostalgia

Certain sensations bring up incredible memories.

nostalgia, memories, '80s, '90s, Gen X, Boomers, Millennials
via Seattle Municipal Archives/Flickr

When memories are triggered, the whoosh of nostalgia hits hard.

Have you ever had a sight, sound, or smell trigger a strong memory? With the right prompts, waves of nostalgia can knock us off our feet, tapping into parts of our brain that take us right back to a specific time and place. Not only do we remember it, but for a fleeting moment, we can actually experience the feelings of being there.

A Reddit user posed a simple question that dredged up countless memories and experiences that many had long forgotten, asking, “What’s something you can bring up right now to unlock some childhood nostalgia for the rest of us?” The question evoked specific sensory experiences as well as memories of past pop culture staples that are now long gone, and it was a serious trip down nostalgia lane.

Here are 19 of the most popular responses:

1. Scented erasers

"An eraser that looks and smells like a very fake strawberry." — zazzlekdazzle

2. TV static

"Remember the warm, fuzzy static left on your tv screen after it was on for a while. A lot of you crazy kids WEAPONIZED the static to shock your siblings!" — JK_NC

3. Saturday morning cartoons

"Waking up super early on Saturday morning before the rest of the family to watch cartoons." — helltothenoyo

4. Freezy Pops

"Eating one of those plastic-wrapped ice pop things after a long day of playing outside in your backyard with your friends." — onyourleft___

vhs tapes, '80s, '90s, nostalgia, childhood memories How many of us have visceral memories of VHS tapes?Photo credit: Canva

5. VHS tapes

"When you'd watch a vhs and it would say 'and now your feature presentation.'" — Mickthemmouse

6. Everyone's favorite day at school

"Scholastic book fairs." — zazzlekdazzle

"The distinctive newspaper-y feel of those catalogues, the smell of them. Heaven. I would agonize over what books to get, lying on my living room floor, circling my options in different colored gel pens, narrowing it down to 2-4 from a dozen in an intense battle royale between slightly blurry one-line summaries. I know my mom's secret now. She would've bought me the whole damn catalogue. But she made me make my choices so that I really valued the books. I'd read them all immediately, reading all night if I had to, hiding in a tent under my covers with a flashlight I stole from the kitchen. I thought I was getting away with something. As an adult, I notice, now, that the flashlight never ran out of batteries." — IAlbatross

7. Everyone's favorite weekday TV show

"Watching 'The Price Is Right' when you were sick at home." — mayhemy11

summer vacation, kids, memories, swimming, childhood Summer vacation was the best. Photo credit: Canva

8. Summer vacation

"That feeling of limitless freedom on the first day of summer vacation. That feeling of dreaded anticipation on the last day of summer vacation." —_my_poor_brain_

9. The old video store

"Blockbuster." — justabll71

10. The worst best noise in the world

"The noise when picking up the phone when someone was surfing the web." — OhAce

11. The TV Guide channel

"The TV Guide channel. You had to sit through and watch as the channels slowly went by so we could see what was on. It blew getting distracted by the infomercial in the corner and then realizing you barely just missed what you were waiting for so had to wait for it to start all over." — GroundbreakingOil

light bright, lite bright, lite brite, 80s toys, gen x childhood Who didn't love a Lite Brite? Laurence "GreenReaper" Parry/Wikimedia Commons

12. The one and only Lite Brite!

"Light Bright [sic]. I barely remember it myself but you’d take a charcoal-black board and poke different colored pegs through it. You plug it in to the electrical outlet and all the pegs light up creating whatever shape you made in lights." — 90sTrapperKeeper

13. Parachute day in gym class

"You knew it was gonna be a good day when you walk into PE class and see that huge colorful parachute." — brunettemountainlion

14. A very specific part of school recess

"Ripping handfuls of grass at recess and putting them on your friend." — boo_boo_technician

15. Anything involving Mr. T

"In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem if no one else can help, and if you can find them....maybe you can hire The A-Team." — Azuras_Star8

Feeling Good About Who We Are | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Full Episode www.youtube.com

16. Watching the best human being who's ever lived

"Watching 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.' There was something so special about the intro where he would sing Won't You Be My Neighbor while he changed his jacket and shoes. I loved every second of it, and would watch in utter content and fascination each time as if I'd never before seen him zip his cardigan up and back down to the right spot and change his shoes with the little toss of a shoe from one hand to the other." — Avendashar

17. The surefire way to fix any video game

"Somewhere between blowing on some cartridges and pressing the cartridge down and up in the NES to get it to play." — autovices

18. Reckless behavior on the swingset

"That feeling when you are going as high as you can go on the swings. Power? Freedom? Hard to describe." — zazzlekadazzle

19. When toy guns were a thing

"Cap guns. But smashing the entire roll of caps at once with a hammer." — SoulKahn90

The 80s and 90s were really a special time, right on the cusp of major technological breakthroughs, but before the internet and smartphones took over everyday life. Things were modern but simple. Of course, every generation can't help but crave "the way things used to be." Kids today will one day look back at the quaintness of TikTok, or they'll fondly remember a world before everything was AI-generated.

There's nothing wrong with taking a brief look back every once in a while and soaking in the nostalgia. Just remember to keep looking forward as well.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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