You never appreciate what you have until it's gone, right?
That includes all the things we took for granted as children.
Redditor Dunkin_D*cks asked:
"What's one thing you had as a child that you wish you had now?"
Memories
"My grandpa recorded all of the original Wizard of Oz books on audiocassettes, before 'books on tape' were really a thing, and gave them to me along with the books while I was learning to read, so I could read along."
"I read/listened to all of them, but I didn't understand how special they were at the time, and after I listened to them I recorded over them."
"He had a wonderful voice and he's been gone for almost 10 years now... especially now that I have a daughter of my own I'd pay a million bucks to get those recordings back."
"I have videos of him and such, but those tapes were such a loving gesture and they took him hours to make. I'm still hoping I'll find one of them with at least part of a recording in my parents' attic or something."
- Yellowbug2001
Time
"Time distortion… 10 years as a child was like 100 years."
"10 years now feel like 1."
- moxeto
"Remember when summer vacation would last forever?"
"But as an adult you wake up one morning in January, blink and suddenly you're like 'holy sh*t. When did it become June??'."
- SnowyInuk
GiphyFreedom
"Free time."
- BigturnBJ
"I can manufacture free time, but I have obligations and duties now that I didn’t have then. If I make time for something fun I struggle to stop worrying about the obligations that I might not have the time to meet."
"But if I just work all the time I worry that I still might not meet the obligations AND will have burned out by not taking any time for myself. So now I feel guilty no matter what I do."
"Free time is never free anymore."
- mailman-zero
Body
"A solid back that doesn't crack when I bend."
- dosesndmimosas
"Good knees."
- Alphareddit94
"I used to spend hours on our trampoline. Just the thought of it kills me and I understand why my parents wouldn't get on it."
- Zkenny13
"I used to do cartwheels and back handsprings for hours 25 years ago."
"Two months ago, I threw my back out putting on boots. I was in bed for a week."
- jetsqueak
GiphyLoved Ones
"My mom."
- fbomb33
"Ditto but for my dad."
- djseifer
"Ditto but for my granddad. I was a middle child, my little brother had special needs and took a lot of my parents' time, and only my granddad really spent time with just me."
"He died when I was about 10, and even when I was 20 I could be bought to tears by his mention, I missed him terribly for a long time and he still inspires me."
- BlakeMW
"My grandmother died when I was 8. 20 years have passed and I still cry when I think of her, especially if I talk about her."
- largemarjj
Attention Span
"Attention span for reading."
- Surviving2
"Omg yes. I used to love reading. I’d get through one or two books a week when I was middle school age."
"Now I’ll read a few pages, then start skimming, and quickly lose interest. It’ll take me months to finish."
"I’d rather hear an audio version nowadays. Makes me sad."
- honeypie4321
"I once read through half a library. Now, I just fall asleep. No matter what."
- GrantSRobertson
GiphyOptimism
"Confidence."
- noballsbro
"Dreams."
- Sugarman4
"Ingenuity."
- noballsbro
Serotonin
"The will to live."
- Conicthehedgehog
"Serotonin for sure."
- sarah_the_intern
"Seriously, I didn’t really get depressed till I was 20 and now I’m 27 still struggling with it, I just wanna feel normal againnnnn."
- honeypup
GiphyBliss
"Ignorance."
"I loved not knowing about death creeping up on us and the problems of the real world. I miss being lost in cartoons and games."
"Having my parents be young and healthy, having them enjoy their youth. I’m glad it all happened, but I still miss it."
- cantopay
"Yeah, I would give anything to be 7 years old again—pure, innocent happiness during a time where no one close to me had died yet."
- largemarjj
Imagination
"My creativity that came from childhood innocence. Now my thoughts are caged by knowledge and reality."
- itsjustfarkas
"I feel this one. I used to write and draw a lot when I was younger. Painted quite a bit as well. Now, anything I could think about writing would hit way too close to home. I still draw and paint sometimes, but haven't really made it a priority at all."
"So either creativity, or my My Little Pony mansion. It had four big rooms and a pool in the middle. It was frigging awesome, and I regret not keeping it when my mom moved out of my childhood home."
"Not sure which one I'd prefer more at this point, honestly. Either would be sweet."
- Fantaculara
GiphyThe answers show for most people, it's not the material things they miss the most.
So what do you miss from your childhood?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.