ADVERTISEMENT

Just picture your 8-year-old self for a moment. Remember turning off the lights in the basement and running upstairs like there’s no tomorrow? Or crying about that watermelon seed that will definitely grow into a full-size fruit inside your belly? What about the thrill of draping blankets across the furniture to create the most elaborate fort ever?

We all have hoped to return to those carefree childhood days at some point in our lives. But while we can’t time travel back to the past (at least not yet!), we can look at pictures that make us feel like little kids again. Luckily for us, plenty of examples can be found in a wholesome corner of the internet called 'Ouch, Right in the Childhood'. This Facebook page allows us to reminisce about the good times by sharing nostalgic memes and pics that speak directly to our inner child.

So buckle up and get ready to take a stroll down memory lane because we’ve compiled some of the most accurate and hilarious posts that hit right in the feels. Continue scrolling, upvote the ones you could relate to all too well, and let us know what you miss most about being a kid in the comment section below! Keep reading to also find an in-depth interview with licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Jesse Matthews about the relationship between our past and present selves. 

More info: Facebook | Instagram

When we were little, we used to make the world our playground, let our ideas run free, and find magic in the most mundane scenarios. We were almost hardwired to be curious and adventurous, but unfortunately, the process of socialization and schooling might have robbed us of our imagination and caused us to become less creative over time.

"As we get older, our lives become more complicated and we take on more responsibility," Dr. Jesse Matthews told Bored Panda. "Since this becomes our focus, we have less time available for fun, and we tend to view play as something that can’t happen until after work."

However, amusing ourselves and goofing around was one of our primary focuses as children. The psychologist explained that we equate having fun with happiness and view our childhood as when that was more plentiful. "And because we had so much less responsibility and fewer worries than we have as adults, we think of that period as carefree as well," he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

"These tend to be truths for many people, though nostalgia certainly plays a role," Dr. Matthews said and added that we often see our childhoods as happy and carefree, even if they might have been fairly stressful or difficult. "Because of nostalgia, we may be more likely to remember good things or things that match our views on that period, rather than some of the more negative things. It’s one of the ways people romanticize the past, which they may also do for their high school, college, or single young adult days."

ADVERTISEMENT

But dwelling on the past can easily distract us from the present. According to the psychologist, people can sometimes get so obsessed with their childhood memories that they forget to lead fulfilling lives today. "Like anything else, you don’t want to take this to an extreme," he suggested. "There is a difference between remembering or reconnecting with the past and living in the past."

ADVERTISEMENT

"You can’t go back, nor can you recreate your childhood, college, or any other time in your life. The thing I always say to people is to embrace growth and move on in life, but don’t forget who you were before. The past will always be part of you, and memories are proof of that. Hopefully, you have a lot of good ones and you will have the opportunity to create many more."

#12

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

Ouch, Right in the Childhood Report

Add photo comments
POST
censorshipsucks3 avatar
thomasbiorogue avatar
Thomas Biorogue
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Got you beat. Atari hadn't come out yet so we had these to play with. Graphics were so real man. And they were versatile. One minute you could be in a game of Cowboys n Indians, the next Cops and Robbers or GI Joe in the jungle. sticks-628...274f6c.jpg sticks-628d212274f6c.jpg

Load More Replies...
glowingsun2002 avatar
BadCat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup. Totally agree. Anytime I got to play video games it had to be at someone else's house.

eyesofgems avatar
Kelly
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My daughter at.age.14 told me likes a new band called the "Ramones". I told her I partied at thief concert and got back stage when I was 16 years old! Theat they have been new for a very long time! Lol

der-tod-auf-raedern avatar
Cactus McCoy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was 17 when I had my first Playstation. Why? Because it came out in bloody 1995. There were no Playstations bofore that. Talk C64, Amiga 500, Sega Mega Drive.

benitavaldez avatar
Benita Valdez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was a freshman in college when I got a Playstation cuz my friend just got a ps2 and gave me it. I also still had my beeper

Load More Replies...
zedrapazia avatar
Zedrapazia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have one, yet I still haven't found out how to manually turn it off when I've played enough, or how to activate standby. I was a dumb kid and as it seems, never got more clever

idrow avatar
Id row
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had Pong, lol. I still remember how excited I was to hook it up to the 'ol console tv.

rahul-pawa-1 avatar
Rahul Pawa
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wish I could like the comment in the picture. For me it was an original Gameboy. The chunky gray one with a black and white screen, and tape on the back holding the batteries in cause I lost the cover 😂

davidbrown_12 avatar
David Brown
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a first gen Gameboy with all those god awful attachments. The original had no backlight, was shaped oddly, sounded horrible, and the screen was kinda hard to see. But I loved it just the same.

alexigirl1 avatar
Alexigirl1
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a Sinclair spectrum. That I had to share with my brother. Paperboy Rocked!!!

vthart avatar
Viv Hart
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha,ha, at 80, I don't know them either, but who had a ViewMaster as a toy?

dragonness37928 avatar
Satya Bain
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was 8...I had a book. I still have books 50 years later.

jan_moore_790 avatar
Jan Moore
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our cats would try to find where the filters went, looked around the back of the TV.

rf_ avatar
R F.
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I win…we didn’t have much growing up. Barely enough most times. But sometimes, my Dad would just pop up with the newest, coolest thing that had just come out. We had PONG before anyone at school knew what it was. We also had a satellite dish (the huge one that we had to crank into position) before anyone…which meant we found the Playboy channel before anyone too.

sandrabrewer_1 avatar
SandyB
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have my Star Wars PSP. And a big game & movie collection. I took it along when I worked on call in a tiny town with nothing to do. Tiny movies before streaming.

wintereleven avatar
Winter Eleven
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saved my money from birthdays and holidays to bu myself a red one when i was like 12 i think. The battery died a while ago and i can't dind a replacement 😭 i miss playing harry potter games on it

teddyekaputra avatar
Teddy Eka Putra
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1 had psp when i was 25 years old, and now i am 40 and still playing that psp

jnjulian1983 avatar
Jessica Julian
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I had 2 Gameboys and a GameGear...PSP's were way after my childhood.

nicolebaughman2006 avatar
Nicole Tomme
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A PSP? Pshhhh. I remember getting Disney, seeing a cordless phone, and getting internet for the first time. Uphill in the snow both ways....

the_mysterious_lady_analyn avatar
Analyn Lahr
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My sister had a Game Boy she let me play on sometimes. One of those gray bulky ones. I think she got it for her birthday or Christmas in '92, I wanna say.

sabrinambowen avatar
Sabrina Bowen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was 8 I was in 3rd grade, which was exciting because it was the first year my school allowed students to take a computer class. I rocked me some Number Munchers!

alexernst avatar
Alex Ernst
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a kid my dad gave me a Gameboy Color he got in college or thereabouts, and I played Pokemon Red and Dragon Quest until we ran out of AAs. And yes, the games were also hand me downs, I'm not quite that old.

ih8youremail avatar
Inigo Montoya
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Intellivision anyone? Stampede, Pitfall, Pong, etc. That sh!t was fire. Haha.

madmcqueen avatar
Mad McQueen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every time I see PSP (regardless of the gen #) I think of calling a cat... Pspspsppspsos

karenb avatar
Karen B
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got my bigbrothers no colour gameboy. Tetris was awesome!

hmoore_1 avatar
H M
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was 8 computers were huge things with valves in the future. When my son was 8 they were C64s. And I bought one and got a career in IT.

mustacheham avatar
A. Jones
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oof, wait until I tell them I had a Gameboy at age 6 (before Gameboy color came out). Not all that spoiled tbh, but it's one of the best b-day gifts I've received. :D

mikeykliss_1 avatar
Mikey Kliss
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a Gameboy at 8. Also a Nintendo and Super Nintendo but we seem to only be talking about the handhelds

leeanneb avatar
LeeAnne B
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was 8 I got a set of 2 rubber stamps with two different colour stamp pads. Best birthday ever. I never knew how much I wanted those until I got them.

el_dee_1 avatar
El Dee
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Too old for electronic games. I do remember the first 'Pong' machine going into the pub though..

jessicacifelli22 avatar
Jessica Cifelli
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was 8 I had the old school Gameboy that resembled a gray brick. It had a carrying case with spaces for game cartridges.

crowngemuk avatar
Mama Penguin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My brother passed his PSP down to me. That sucker still works to this day.

hard2guesss avatar
Bender Bending Rodríguez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

First and only game console I had was a Gameboy advance at age 22 purchased using savings from my own earnings.

bobbygoodson avatar
Bobby
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you really want to brag about hand held games and being old then you need to bring up tiger hand held. It even older those little ring toss try games you filled with water

rchargel avatar
RafCo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

PSP came out after i graduated college. I was travelling for work at the time, so i bought one for long flights. It was fun.

ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My first game console was a mega drive, I was 14, we couldn't afford a psx. Still love my mega drive. Also have a psp and vita but I was an adult and bought them myself. Love the vita.

lisavalen avatar
Lisa Valen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They had neither when I was a kid. 2cups and a string was fun, though.

rooteetwo avatar
Snorkeldorf
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No cell phones or gaming stations when I was a kid. When I hit junior high, I was in awe of my "rich" friends who had a TV AND a phone (land line) in their room. Luxury living!

asipahi avatar
kymelria
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son is playing patapon on psp now. in his first trials he tapped the screen several times till i realize what's he trying to do :D

charlottebayer avatar
Issey
Community Member
1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Although stumbling upon memes about your childhood can hit you with a blast from the past and make you nostalgic about the good old days, they evoke positive emotions too. You see, Dr. Matthews stated that our memories aren’t as good as we like to think they are. "We often have incomplete or inaccurate memories of things from our past. Much of the detail is there, but we may not be able to access it readily, unless it is triggered by something. This is part of why seeing things like pictures or jokes actually triggers can be exciting. Hearing a childhood joke, seeing a photo of us with a friend or sibling at a certain age, or hearing an old song can bring back not only memories, but positive feelings."

ADVERTISEMENT

As we get older and gain different experiences that help us construct new values and morals, we sometimes look at our past selves from a distance. Dr. Matthews told us it’s certainly interesting to him as a psychologist to study how we look back on our childhood behavior. "For one, it has diagnostic value when I am trying to assess whether a person could have ADHD or for how long they may have been depressed or anxious."

"More than that, however, it gives insight into our personalities," he continued. "If you were a talkative and outgoing child, chances are you still are today. Same thing if you were quiet and reserved." The psychologist noted that looking back is also useful if a person feels lost or is trying to reconnect with who they have been in their lives. "For example, sometimes people get so bogged down with responsibility and things they have to do, that they no longer engage in hobbies, have many interests, or do much other than work. Reflecting on the past might help a person to remember who they were before and what they enjoyed, possibly to change course in the present."

ADVERTISEMENT
#18

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

Ouch, Right in the Childhood Report

Add photo comments
POST
ner_diz avatar
Serial pacifist
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would argue that In The Heat of The Night with Sidney Poitier is the first black superhero movie. Poitier plays a black detective confronted by a racist plantation owner who slaps Poitier. Although it wasn't in the script, Poitier said that the condition for him to stay in the movie is that he slaps the dude back even harder. The director gave in. This was 1967. It was a huge "cultural shock". It was the first movie in which a black man is presented as a self-aware, self-protecting, dignified individual who will not put up with racism. Sidney Poitier is the superhero.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

We’re well aware of how easy it is to get absorbed by our daily troubles and how life can become busy and tiring. As adults, we might lose our sense of freedom and feel that our tendency to self-censor ourselves puts a big creative block on our thinking. To avoid going round in circles, we can try to reconnect and pay attention to that little voice somewhere deep inside us. After all, our curiosity, lightheartedness, and positivity may be slightly different today but it’s still there, waiting to be uncovered.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Connecting with our inner child is a wonderful way to reconnect with ourselves, especially if we have felt lost, stuck, or in a rut in life," Dr. Matthews explained. "Childhood is simple, compared to adulthood, and it’s in the complexity of life that we often forget things like being mindful, creative, having fun, or not worrying about everything. And being able to do these things, especially when life isn’t always easy, is a form of freedom."

#23

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

Ouch, Right in the Childhood Report

Add photo comments
POST
jameskramer avatar
James016
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My console had wooden accents and you had to blow into the cartridge. That and hard boiled egg yoke mouse balls

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

Ouch, Right in the Childhood Report

Add photo comments
POST
finskilad avatar
TmKhr
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you're like the third highest ranking person in the Galactic Empire you can wear whatever shoes you like :D

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#32

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

Ouch, Right in the Childhood Report

Add photo comments
POST
raven_sheridan14 avatar
Raven Sheridan
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Huh? That's exactly what I say to my family, at the end of every reunion. 🤔

View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#42

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

Ouch, Right in the Childhood Report

Add photo comments
POST
sondretangvald avatar
Tangwulf
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would guess he generated his own power? Could make good money selling it back to the grid. :)

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#50

Ouch-Right-In-Our-Childhood

thingsinsquares Report

Note: this post originally had 105 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.