11 Teenage Joys From the '90s and Early 2000s Our Kids Will Never Know

If you grew up in the '90s or early 2000s, you know what it was like to be on the cusp of the internet revolution. We are the last generation to experience a life void of much of the technology we use today, which means our kids will never know some of the simple joys we experienced as teens. Remember the suspense of hoping your parents didn't hear your dial-up internet when you tried to log on late at night to talk to your friends? Or the pure happiness you felt when your boyfriend burned you a CD full of Boyz II Men-era love songs? It was a really fun time, and while we love our cellphones and all, we'd trade them in a heartbeat for just one more visit to Blockbuster (RIP). Keep reading for 11 of the biggest things your kids will miss out on.

01
Recording a Song Off the Radio
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Recording a Song Off the Radio

People are used to having every kind of music right at their fingertips, but before the days of Spotify and iTunes, we had to actually wait for our favorite song to come on the radio in order to record it and play it back. It was the first step in creating some epic mix tapes.

02
Cruising Around Without Your Parents Being Able to Get Ahold of You
Paramount Pictures

Cruising Around Without Your Parents Being Able to Get Ahold of You

Sure, some of the rich kids had cellphones, but for most of us, once we were on the road, our parents had to wait until we arrived at our destination to call (which probably explains why the mall parking lot was such a popular gathering place). It was also the perfect excuse for staying out later and missing curfew ("There was traffic, Mom! Not my fault!").

03
Not Knowing Who Was Calling When the Phone Rang
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Not Knowing Who Was Calling When the Phone Rang

We basically played the lottery every time the phone rang. Was it our crush? Our mom's boss? Our sister's annoying best friend? And if it was for us, would the cord stretch far enough for us to get some privacy while we talked?! THE UNKNOWN!

04
Buying Actual CDs
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Buying Actual CDs

Sure, some people still buy physical copies of CDs, but the hype just isn't what it used to be. Remember begging your mom to take you to the CD store so you could get the hottest one, run home, and read all of their notes and obsess over their photos? It was like a mini book, and it was the best.

05
Taking Your Camera to the Store to Get Your Photos Developed
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Taking Your Camera to the Store to Get Your Photos Developed

Kids these days don't know any different than instant gratification. We took a whole roll of pictures without even knowing if any of them came out OK! And we had to wait a while before the photos were ready to be picked up and looked at for the first time. When none of them turned out the way we wanted, they just made for hilarious school locker decor.

06
Choosing a Movie at the Video Store
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Choosing a Movie at the Video Store

Few joys surpassed grabbing the last copy of the newest movie and some sugary snacks at your local Blockbuster. Maybe you'd feel bad that you beat that other guy to it, but not bad enough to let him have it.

07
Crafting the Perfect Away Message on AIM
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Crafting the Perfect Away Message on AIM

Whether you wanted to keep it short and sweet ("Ugh, homework. BRB.") or send a message to your crush ("~*YoU wErE tHe LaSt GoOd ThInG aBoUt ThIs PaRt oF tOwN*~"), crafting the perfect away message took time, strategic planning, and lots of different fonts and colors.

08
Dial-Up Internet
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Dial-Up Internet

OK, maybe this wasn't a big joy, but how exciting was it to finally have the phone line free so you could listen to the sweet sound of dial-up? Plus, you always knew you were about to be filled in on some serious gossip now that your homework was done.

09
Discovering the Hidden Track at the End of a CD
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Discovering the Hidden Track at the End of a CD

Remember when your friends would burn you a CD and you would drive around together while blasting it? And that one song came on that you weren't expecting but it was your JAM? Pure bliss.

10
Filling Out a Form to Order Clothes From a Catalog
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Filling Out a Form to Order Clothes From a Catalog

You'd strategically fill out that order form, hopefully get it approved by your mom, ship it off, then wait and wait for your order to arrive.

11
Not Having a Bad Haircut Forever Captured on Social Media
NBC

Not Having a Bad Haircut Forever Captured on Social Media

We've all made fashion faux pas, but the poor kids of today know that their mistakes will be recorded on the internet for all eternity. This goes for other indiscretions, too. I think we can all say a big "amen" to having grown up before that became reality.