10 things every 90s kid did that would confuse Gen Z into oblivion

If you grew up in the 90s, you were part of a strange and beautiful era.

We lived in that brief moment where analog met digital, when patience was a daily habit, and entertainment came with a bit of unpredictability.

For us, it was normal. For Gen Z, it would feel like stepping into another world.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit ten things every 90s kid did that would leave today’s generation completely puzzled.

1) Waiting days to see photos you took

There was a time when taking a photo meant commitment.

You had to load a roll of film, hope you didn’t expose it to light, and then wait days to have it developed.

Sometimes you’d end up with half a roll of blurry shots or a stranger’s thumb covering the lens.

And yet, it was exciting. You never knew exactly what you’d get. Opening that envelope from the photo lab was a genuine moment of surprise.

Imagine explaining to Gen Z that we paid money for 24 pictures we couldn’t even preview. They’d look at us like we were living in the Stone Age.

2) Calling your friend’s house and hoping they picked up

Before smartphones, the only way to reach your friends was by calling their house phone.

You’d dial their number and cross your fingers that their parents didn’t answer. If they did, you’d nervously ask, “Hi, is Sarah there?”

Sometimes you had to leave a message on an answering machine and wait hours, or even days, for a response.

Instant replies didn’t exist. If someone wasn’t home, you had no choice but to wait.

For anyone raised on texting and DMs, that kind of patience sounds almost impossible.

3) Recording songs off the radio

This was an art form. You’d sit by your stereo with a blank cassette, finger hovering over the record button, waiting for your favorite song to come on.

When it finally did, you had to react fast and hit record before the DJ started talking.

Sometimes you’d get part of the intro cut off, or a voice would interrupt at the end, but that didn’t matter. The tape was your treasure.

Today, with instant streaming and playlists, it’s hard to explain the thrill of capturing that one song after hours of waiting.

4) Printing directions from MapQuest

Road trips in the 90s came with a stack of printed directions from MapQuest.

Someone always sat in the passenger seat with a highlighter, reading out turns while hoping you didn’t miss an exit.

If you got lost, there was no voice to reroute you. You were on your own.

Back then, getting somewhere new felt like an achievement. You didn’t just travel, you navigated.

5) Rewinding VHS tapes

Friday nights meant a trip to Blockbuster. You’d rent a movie, pop it into the VCR, and hope the last person remembered to rewind it.

If they didn’t, you’d have to wait while the tape whirred loudly back to the start.

And who could forget the sticker on every case reminding us to “Be kind, rewind”?

For Gen Z, the idea of waiting to watch a movie they already paid for sounds completely absurd.

6) Using encyclopedias for homework

Before Google, there was the encyclopedia. Every household had a full set, and if you were lucky, it wasn’t missing the “R” or “T” volume.

When you had a project, you’d flip through the pages looking for facts, taking notes by hand.

There was no copy and paste, no search bar, and no instant sources. You had to read, summarize, and think.

It took longer, but it also taught you how to find information rather than just consume it.

7) Burning CDs for your friends

Before playlists, there were mix CDs.

You’d spend hours choosing songs, naming the disc something like “Summer Jams 2001,” and decorating it with colored Sharpies.

Giving someone a CD meant something. It wasn’t just sharing music, it was sharing emotion, taste, and time.

Each track told a story. Each mix had a purpose.

It was personal, thoughtful, and a little bit of art in itself.

8) Watching TV on a schedule

TV didn’t wait for you in the 90s. If your show came on at 8 p.m., you had to be in front of the screen at 8 p.m.

Miss it, and you were out of luck.

There was no streaming, no “watch later” button. If you were lucky, you could catch a rerun months later.

Families gathered around the TV together, snacks in hand, ready for their favorite shows.

The next day, everyone at school or work was talking about the same episode.

That shared experience is something today’s endless streaming options just can’t recreate.

9) Fixing things with a blow

Every 90s kid remembers this trick.

If your Nintendo cartridge froze, you pulled it out, blew into it, and magically, it started working again.

It wasn’t just games either. If your remote stopped responding, you gave it a few taps. If the TV flickered, you hit the side of it.

It made no logical sense, but somehow it worked often enough that we all believed in it.

Gen Z, who grew up with software updates and touchscreens, would never understand the satisfaction of solving a problem with a simple puff of air.

10) Living without constant connection

This might be the biggest difference of all.

There was a time when you couldn’t be reached. No emails. No notifications. No social media.

When you left the house, you were truly offline. You’d come home hours later to find a few missed calls waiting on the answering machine.

Life moved slower. We were more present. We didn’t document every moment, we just lived it.

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was something freeing about that kind of quiet.

Final thoughts

Looking back, the 90s were the perfect mix of simplicity and chaos.

We didn’t have endless technology or instant answers, but that made everything feel more intentional.

We learned patience. We learned to fix things ourselves. We learned how to wait, to plan, and to be content with less.

Maybe that’s what would really confuse Gen Z.

Not the cassette tapes or the dial-up internet, but the fact that we didn’t need constant connection to feel alive.

The 90s taught us to slow down, to savor moments, and to find joy in imperfection.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s a lesson worth bringing back.