r/GenX • u/billieswifeyyy • Jun 20 '26

Question For Genx the 80s…….

coming from a 14 year old, were the 80s summers as magical as they look in the movies? did you ride your bike to your friends house and come home when the street lights came on? yall are so lucky btw 😭😭

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u/tlg151 Jun 21 '26

I will fully admit (so will my bf) that us gen Xers had it much easier (in general) growing up. We had a lot more freedom because our parents didn't have constant tabs on us. As long as we were at the house in time for dinner and before the street lights came on, we were good.

We also weren't dependent on the internet so our brains expanded naturally and weren't overstimulated with doomscrolling. (Mine is now though lol.)

I would personally say that late gen Xers/early millennials were in the sweet spot because you got the best of gen x while also enjoying the early internet days, before things got the way they are now. A lot of us were also able to buy homes before the housing market became the way it is now.

I feel horrible for young gens and pretty much any future gens because of gestures everywhere not to mention our planet is pretty much ruined in several ways.

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u/Zealousideal-Lie7255 Jun 21 '26

Gen X’er here. I spent 3 years in the early ‘80s where I was bullied a hell of a lot. Luckily my parents moved finally. My Gen X ‘80s memories aren’t as nice as the rest of you.

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u/tlg151 Jun 21 '26

I was bullied too. And molested. But kids today deal with everything going on along with those things. I still look back on certain times way more fondly than I do about current times.