Ah, back in my day—(cue the nostalgic harp music)—it was a simpler time. A time when your mom’s favorite phrase wasn’t, “Pause that game!” but, “Don’t let the screen door slam!” Kids like me spent the entire day outside, rain or shine. We weren’t ruled by Wi-Fi signals or battery percentages. No, sir! Our games didn’t lag, crash, or require an update. They just required a good stick and maybe some imagination.

The rule was simple: you could go anywhere and do anything, so long as you were back before the streetlights came on. That was the universal kid clock, glowing dimly like the bat signal for dinner. Time management skills? Please. We were practically feral.

We played tag until someone was either tackled too hard or declared they were “it” forever. We rode our bikes like miniature Evel Knievel's, and if you didn’t have a helmet, you just used your hair and good luck. We climbed trees because we could, and we didn’t come down until a neighbor started yelling, “You break that branch, I’m calling your mother!”

Scraped knees and grass stains were our badges of honor. No one asked for a bandage unless the injury was visible and bleeding. There was no “respawn” button—only a splash of garden hose water and a quick “You’ll live!” before diving back into the action.

Fast Forward to Today

Fast forward to the modern era, and what do we see? Today’s youth, eyes glued to screens, thumbs as nimble as Olympic gymnasts. These kids live in a digital kingdom, where the only danger is a low battery or an overbearing parental control app.

For them, “playing outside” is what happens when the Wi-Fi is down or when a parent decides the punishment for ignoring chores is… gasp …going outside.

“Wait, you’re telling me I have to go outside? Like, with nature? And air? What if I miss an achievement?!” It’s almost cruel, isn’t it? In the great outdoors, there are no XP points, no “skins” to buy, and no one has figured out how to mod a tree yet.

The Great Role Reversal

Parents now beg kids to step outside for even five minutes. “Please, just get some fresh air. Maybe wave at the sun?” To which the youth reply, “Ugh, fine,” as if you’ve asked them to hand-write a 50-page essay on the benefits of Vitamin D. And when they do venture out? They bring their screens with them! I’ve seen kids on a trampoline watching TikTok's. You’re literally bouncing—how is that not entertainment enough?!

Meanwhile, we’re sitting on the porch, shaking our heads. “Back in my day,” we mutter, sipping coffee and wondering if they even know the pure joy of jumping off a swing mid-arc or making a mud pie so realistic your sibling almost eats it.

Lessons From the Glory Days

Maybe it’s time we teach today’s youth what they’re missing. Show them the thrill of a game of hide-and-seek so epic that it stretches into dinnertime. Introduce them to the chaos of dodgeball, played with a barely inflated basketball because someone forgot the real one. And let them know the satisfaction of finding the perfect stick for a sword fight or a game of fetch with an imaginary dog (because you couldn’t bring the real one out of the yard).

Or maybe we just accept that times change. After all, today’s kids will grow up and tell their kids, “Back in my day, we had real video games—not this immersive VR nonsense.” And thus, the cycle of generational eye-rolling continues.

So here’s to the good old days, when kids played until the sun set, the lightning bugs blinked, and the call of “Time to come inside!” echoed through the streets. Let’s hope today’s kids eventually figure out what we knew all along: sometimes, the best achievements are unlocked outside.