A few things we experienced that our kids never will
In our family, only one person could be on the phone at a time. That phone was in the living room. If you really stretched the cord, you could get it to the other side of the couch.
We had to leave the house with a pocketful of quarters to play video games.
I spent the last couple of days talking to colleagues, friends and Twitter users (#DadsTalking) about the things we experienced or enjoyed growing up that our kids will never experience quite the same way. Nothing exhaustive or authoritative about this list. Just a few things that came to mind.
1. Must see TV
No, I'm not talking about the NBC Thursday night lineup in the 1980s. I'm talking about the fact that if you missed a television show, you missed it. There was no such thing as taping it or "Tivo-ing" it or OnDemand TV or catching it on DVD just a week or two later. Sorry, if you wanted to watch a TV show, you had one option and one only: rush on home and watch it when it aired. Period.
While we're at it: There were three networks on television, a total of maybe six or seven channels, and there always seemed to be something interesting on.
And TV Guide magazine was much, much smaller than, say People.
2. Jiffy Pop
Unless you had a popcorn popper, this was the only way to get hot popcorn at home. Sure, you could settle for a store-bought bag of popcorn, but it wasn't the same thing as Jiffy Pop. Here's what you'd do: turn on the stove (which usually involved actually igniting an actual flame - how primitive) hold onto the package and shake it like your hand is in an electrical socket until the foil and package resembles a gigantic silver mushroom. Your popcorn is now ready. You can still find it, but in this age of ease, tossing a bag in a microwave and pressing the button that says "popcorn" is too convenient to pass up for most families.
3. Contains sugar, and proud of it!
Once upon a time, we bought cereal that contained sugar. We knew it contained sugar because it said so, right there in the name. Super Sugar Crisp, with its mascot, Sugar Bear. Or Kellogg's Sugar Corn Pops. Mmmm-mmm.
Yes, these days they still sell cereal, and they still have more than a spoonful of sugar. But they're ashamed of it now. Super Sugar Crisp is now Super Golden Crisp, as if kids are drawn to the cereal's color. Kids, when we grew up, we weren't afraid of sugar. And we still have all our teeth. I'm just saying.
We also had Frankenberry, Count Chocula and Booberry. Anyone seen those guys lately?
4. "This is where I came in."
This could never happen today! No one walks into the middle of a movie anymore. They don't let you! Those who do probably sneak in and are likely to get chased out by ushers between screenings.
The moviegoing experience is a completely different thing these days. Remember when a movie theater had only one screen? You'd show up, and if the movie you wanted to see wasn't playing, you'd have to go somewhere else?
Our kids will never know that experience. Not like we did.
5. Waiting for your favorite song to play on the radio.
Thanks to Playground Dad of Palo Alto, Calif. for this entry: we all remember it well, don't we. The experience of listening to the radio began to erode with the expansion of audiocassettes and the invention of the Walkman, the portable CD player, mp3 players and the iPod. Who needs to wait for a song to come on the radio anymore?
6. Kick the Can.
Credit to Ryan Johnston of Portland, Oregon for this one. Actually, file this under lots of childhood games and activities that are in danger of being lost in the age of the XBox. When was the last time you saw a bunch of kids trying to guard a can in the middle of an open field? How about a game of stickball (the Chevy is first base, the pothole is second, the hydrant is third and the sewer cap is home)?
These days, leaving the kids to play outside until dark while you stay inside and cook, clean or unwind is considered child abuse in some circles.
As I said, not an exhaustive list. What would you put on it?
Keep up with Sun Sentinel writer Rafael Olmeda on Facebook and Twitter.
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
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Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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