Here’s a list of stuff  kids will never understand or use like the Polaroid camera, fax machines or shopping at Blockbuster Video Store. As technology develops at a breakneck speed, our past is being erased.

This list may not be as important as the invention of the Internet, cell phones or electric cars but it’s part of our generation and worth reflection.

Albums

Ten years ago, my husband cleaned the basement and discovered his old record collection. He even located the turntable. My five year old picked up an album and said, “Dad, that’s the biggest CD I’ve ever seen!” Bye-bye eight track tapes, VHS, and tape cassettes.

Top 10 Most Valuable Records http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/most-valuable-records.htm

Penny Candy Store

As a kid, one of my biggest thrills was shopping at the local drugstore with my mother. She tossed me a tiny brown paper bag and one dollar as she shopped undisturbed for twenty minutes while I loaded up on vintage candy like Pixy Stix, Chuckles, Necco wafers, BlackJack gum, wax lips, Bottle Caps, Pop Rocks and candy cigarettes.

Want candy from your favorite decade? http://www.oldtimecandy.com/decades.htm

Handwriting

Do you recall the hours we spent practicing cursive in second grade? Penmanship has been replaced by keyboarding skills. Your grandparents’ precise handwriting soon may only be found in scrapbooks. The only things kids today know how to write is their signature. Anyone for a typed love letter?

What learning cursive does for your brainhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201303/what-learning-cursive-does-your-brain

Mercurochrome

If you were born after 1983, chances are good that you never heard of Mercurochrome. Growing up in the70s, Mom had a pretty small arsenal of ointments and oral medication to fight the common cold, lacerations and burns. One thing she relied on was good old Mercurochrome to cure the owies. Maybe this is one is best left for the history books since it contains mercury and not considered safe. Dang.

Conversation

Once upon a time, people gathered in groups and looked at each other and engaged in conversation. Flash forward. Things have changed. Ever observe teens hanging out at the mall? You’d never suspect they were together. Each kid plants their face a few inches from their iPhone, thumbs flying. Face to face conversations is a thing of the past. Interpersonal skills nada. Good luck getting a job.

Original Monopoly

Remember playing Monopoly with a gang of neighborhood kids for several days straight? You’d run home at dinnertime then pick it back up the next morning. Well, the Monopoly game we grew up with has gone through a renovation. Hasbro doesn’t believe that kids today can handle a game lasting more than 30 minutes. Sadly, they’re probably right. No jail in new Monopoly either. Of course.

Library/Book Store

Why go to the library when you can download a Kindle book in seconds? Gone are the days when kids enjoyed searching for a stack of books to bring home. As Amazon replaces bookstores, hanging out at the library on a hot, summer day is a thing of the past. Remember microfiche?

Doing Nothing

For this generation, boredom is a thing of the past. Our kids are constantly bombarded with the iPhone, computers, instant messaging, Facebook, and Twitter. Time to turn off the television and cut social media. Great ideas emerge when you are alone with your thoughts. Creative thinking is dead. Do you think Pablo Picasso and Leonardo Da Vinci wasted time playing Zombie Farm or Snapchat?

What do you miss from your childhood? Leave me a message. 

Read more from Stacey Gustafson on her blog, Are You Kidding Me?