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Summer is the season that always makes us reminisce about our childhood. It was a time when school was out of session and all of our time was spent playing outside with our friends. No smartphones, no technology, not a care in the world.

We didn't have a lot of the luxuries kids today enjoy, but that ended up making our youth so much better. Kids today have it so much easier than we did, and here's why:

1. Communicating with others:

Kids today:

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Emojis, and lots of them.

Back in the day:

Thinkstock

We did this thing called direct communication. You know, talking to others. If our friends weren't around, we would call them up on the telephone if our parents let us. If we were in school, passing notes was also another acceptable option.

2. Playtime:

Kids today:

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Secure, safe equipment and cushy rubber padding to make sure kids don't hurt themselves when they fall.

Back in the day:

Plaid Stallions

Hot metal slides, rotten wooden playgrounds, asphalt, and plenty of bruises and scrapes that lasted the whole summer. Playgrounds might have been more dangerous, but that was part of the excitement.

3. Wasting time:

Kids today:

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Playing one of the hundreds of apps downloaded on their very own iPhones.

Back in the day:

Sears / Wishbook Web

Playing outside for hours at a time and inventing games up with our friends.

4. What kids are concerned with:

Kids today:

Instagram, Thinkstock

Having the most followers on Instagram.

Back in the day:

CBS Television Distribution

Sprinting home from school to watch Dark Shadows.

5. Having pets:

Kids today:

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Who needs a real pet when they can take care of a virtual pet?

Back in the day:

Adventures of the Angry Kitten

Your parents made you take care of your living animals. If you couldn't, then you got a pet rock.

6. Fashion:

Kids today:

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The mall is full of trendy stores like Forever 21 and H&M, or they can use their parents' Amazon account.

Back in the day:

lumberjack1713 via YouTube

If it wasn't at Sears, JC Penney or Montgomery Ward, then it wasn't for us.

7. Fashion Inspiration:

Kids today:

Pinterest

The top Pinterest style boards, Instagram trendsetters and YouTubers. (If you understood that sentence, good for you!)

Back in the day:

Sears / Wishbook Web

The Sears and Wards catalogs.

8. What kids drink:

Kids today:

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Almond milk, cashew milk, coconut water and Naked Juice (organic, of course).

Back in the day:

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Basically any flavored powder you could add to water. Nothing was better than an ice-cold pitcher of Kool-Aid or Tang. If Florence Henderson approved, then you knew it was good. Sometimes you got lemonade as a treat, which was just lemon juice, sugar and water. That sounds organic, right?

9. Watching TV:

Kids today:

Thinkstock

What's TV? All they watch is Netflix and YouTube.

Back in the day:

You had to be sitting right in front of the TV at the exact time your favorite program aired, or else you wouldn't be able to watch it. Let's not forget about fighting over what show to watch because there was only one TV in the house. Oh, and there were only about four hours a week to watch cartoons.

10. School:

Kids today:

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Homework with no deadlines, or no homework at all. Everyone gets an A for participating!

Back in the day:

We didn't dare turn in our homework late because our teachers were so strict. If we didn't do the work, there was a very real possibility we would be held back.