Being a latchkey kid sounded like the dream back in the 80’s. Like every kid’s comic or TV series, all of a sudden there weren’t any parents around. No adults? It’s the dream! But for us Gen X kids, bidding farewell to our parentals before hopping on the bus to go to school was our reality–and it meant that we were on our own making meals, being in charge of our younger siblings, and making sure we were looked after. 

Gen X kids were their own parents back in the day. 

So while we smother our children with the affection and attention we lacked when we were a youngster, we can still reminisce on the good ol’ days of riding our bikes to a friend’s house after school, mowing down our weight in bologna sandwiches, and watching Full House to find a semblance of family ruckus flowing in the empty house. Because there was a simple delight in being completely free without a cell phone in sight and only the streetlights to guide us home at the end of the day.