The Reagan Administration came around, but all we cared about were our mini-wheels. Snack time in Kindergarten was cool as can be and the opposite sex still had cooties. We liked to play Candyland and Chutes & Ladders. Tic tac toe was still fashionable to us. Star Wars and Ewoks were imitated all over the nation. ET made us (or at least me) afraid to go in the bathroom. Girls fought over My Little Ponies, Barbies, and Cabbage Patch Kids. Boys were more into Transformers, GI Joe and He-Man...not to mention their prized b.b. guns. Pretend was always fun too.
In second grade we watched as the Challenger lept from the earth only to float back unexpectedly, devastating the nation and plunging them into a state of mourning. Cuba was the enemy, drugs were becoming big and Iran got on our bad side, as did Oliver North. TV rotted our brains with "Different Strokes", "Silver Spoons" and "The Cosby Show." Leg warmers, bandannas and spiked hair consumed us as we listened to Boy George and his Culture Club, Bruce Springstein, Rolling Stones, Madonna, George Michael, Cindy Lauper and Michael Jackson.
Pretty soon, hair stopped being spiked and started getting BIG...chains, spikes and jelly bracelets were the rage and everything was "awesome" or "rad". People started getting computers like the Apple 2E. Bubble dresses were cool and the youth were following the path of rebellion. Drugs and guns were becoming more and more common, and we watched as the world discovered HIV and AIDS, and an 18 year old boy from Indiana died from a transfusion...
We also lived through the Bush administration. Our generation watched the Gulf War come into our living rooms at night with the green night images and blazing dots across the screen. We watched older brothers and sisters go off to a war we never thought we'd see, but we made up songs about Saddam Hussein to the tune of "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. Bill Clinton became the president, talking Al Gore as his VP. Rolling your jeans and wearing GUESS and ESPRIT clothing made you popular. Skinny people were beautiful and fat people were funny, but everyone was crazy for McDonalds. We started dating more frequently, searching for the love of our life. Girls in the high schools started getting pregnant and we started getting our licenses. We lived through all the crazy fashion flashbacks, the hair and the environmental crisis.
We got to our senior year and we waited for proms and homecoming and most of all...graduation day. We picked up our caps and gowns and all that senior stuff that's supposed to help us remember the good ole' days, but some of the things that you remember most, can't be put on paper...That day finally came and you sat there with all of the friends that you had made over the years...you looked out at your family and deep down you knew that this was a once in a lifetime moment. It was that last time that all these people would be together in one place. Yeah there would be reunuions, but there was always the chance that one person wouldn't make it there. You looked back on your time with these people and realized that it was short lived and it didn't seem as if there was enough time for everything that you wanted to accomplish...sports, activities, SAT, ACT and all that good stuff. They called your name, your tassle got turned, and you got a piece of paper that said you were smart. Then you said goodbye...maybe to your town, and that school and your friends. You know that you can go back and visit, but there will be strangers in the halls and it's not the same. It's different and you're different. But it's not the end. In fact, everything is just beginning.