8 Ways To Tell You’re A Kid From The ’90s (And Now We Feel Old)

Growing up in the 90s was a blast! Do you remember recording mix tapes off the radio? Waiting all day for them to play the song you wanted and hoping you could hit record at just the right moment? The sound of AOL internet dialing in. Holding your breath hoping it will connect so you can chat with your online friends. Wearing overalls, mini backpacks as purses, choker necklaces, and jelly shoes. Me too! It all feels like it happened yesterday.

When I stop and think about it, I don’t feel 35. Not at all! I remember when my mom was 35. I thought she was ancient. How could anyone be old enough to be in their 30’s? Am I now ancient? The more I pondered this question, the more I realized there are signs all around me telling me I am getting old. Unfortunately, I’m not just talking about my roots that need dyeing.

Here are 8 things that will make all 30-somethings feel old:

1. Luke Perry just donned the cover of AARP magazine! How is Dylan McKay 50 years old?! 
2. We were the last generation to remember life before cell phones. It has been 30-years since the Zack Morris phone, went on sale for $4,000. Remember how cool that was? Try explaining to your kids that the only phone you had growing up was hooked to a wall in your kitchen.
3. Alternative music that rocked our world, is now considered classic rock. When did Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, and Offspring become classic rock? Turn on any classic rock station and you will no longer hear the music of our parent’s era. It’s our music!
4. Watching Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World as a parents. How is it possible they have a 14-year-old daughter on Girl Meets World?
5. Our favorite boy bands reuniting as men: New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys. There is something a little awkward about watching your teen crush now grinding and thrusting shirtless on stage like a Chippendale. Not quite the way I remember it.
6. Sonic the Hedgehog & The Sims just joined Super Mario Brothers, Tetris, and Oregon Trail in the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Really? A big part of our childhood is already considered history.
7. Popular TV shows are now being redone or brought back: Fuller House, X-files, Magic School Bus, Power Puff Girls, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yet, they just aren’t as good as the originals! Pretty sure just thinking that makes us old.
8. All those posters hanging on your wall. Teen heart throbs you spent your days dreaming about. They are dads! Let that sink in. Mark Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, James Van Der Beek, Devon Sawa, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Freddie Prinze Jr. all have kids…not necessarily babies.

Now please excuse me while I go binge watch the Real World. Or maybe I should think about creating a bucket list in my new Lisa Frank notebook. Either way, all signs have started to point to old. I’m going to start calling myself ma’am.