THERE’S NO DENYING that the 1990s was a simpler time.
And for most of us born in the 80s, our childhood seems an absolute world away from the childhoods of today.
There were, however, certain rules and regulations we were forced to abide by – and it’s fair to say, they have cast a long shadow.
Here are just a few…
1. You weren’t allowed to ring 1550 numbers.
You may have been only dying to get your hands on that week’s Top 30 CD singles, but if it meant phoning a 1550 number you could forget about it.
You mother would hear you creeping towards that house phone from three rooms away.
2. Beavis and Butthead were completely forbidden.
You had heard older lads on the road quote the two cartoon characters over and over while guffawing like gobshites, but that was as far as you got.
Any attempts to tune in were put to an immediate stop by your parents.
3. The same went for Eurotrash.
The more you were told you couldn’t watch it, the more you needed to tune in.
Like most things on Channel 4 back in the day, you knew you’d need a sound babysitter in charge before you’d get a look-in.
4. You couldn’t use the phone before 6pm.
It didn’t matter what the ‘emergency’ was, there was no way you were going anywhere near the house phone before 6pm.
But you’d heard tell that some families had a payphone in their front hall, so you didn’t raise too much hell over it.
5. You couldn’t touch the interior light of the car.
In fact, you probably still hesitate before pressing it these days.
You were either told your mam had to pay for it or you’d most definitely cause an accident, but there was no way you were going anywhere near it.
6. Steel rulers were the work of the devil.
Your older brother may have had one for his Tech Graphics class, but if you thought you could bring that thing anywhere near your primary school classroom, you were sorely mistaken.
7. The person returning the film to the video shop was responsible for rewinding it.
It didn’t matter if you hadn’t seen sight or sound of the film in the two days it was in your house; if you were tasked with returning it, you were tasked with rewinding it.
8. You only got a slinky on ONE condition.
And that condition was that you would actually mind it this time.
If your mother saw it had morphed into a tangled mess with 20 minutes of giving it to you, you knew your days were numbered.
9. You couldn’t attempt an Art Attack project if PVA glue was involved.
Your mam warned you there was no point getting your hopes up because there wasn’t a drop pf PVA glue to be found in the house and Pritt Stick just wasn’t the man for the job.
There was no point in whingeing about it either, because you’d been given fair warning.
10. Getting to stay up for The Late Late Show depended on a couple of things.
Either Boyzone were making an appearance or a member of the Ireland soccer team was due on.
After that, you were pushing your luck.
