There are a lot of memories many of us who grew up in the '90s share, even though we come from different backgrounds and experiences. One thing we all probably have in common, for example? I'm willing to bet we each told the same lies to our parents in the '90s. This didn't mean we were bad kids, per se; we were just coming into ourselves and pushing the boundaries a bit. Depending on the relationship you had with your parents, it's possible your version of testing the boundaries was very different from that of your friends, neighbors, or heck, even your siblings — but you probably did it all the same. It's all part of being a kid.
Whether you broke the rules by staying up too late to chat with your friends on AOL Instant Messenger or because you hogged the phone after dinner when you knew everyone wanted to use it, it's likely you tried to lie to conceal your wrongdoings. What's more, the '90s were an interesting time to come of age, because for a lot of us, we were becoming accustomed to certain technologies (hello, the Internet) that many of our parents were just learning themselves. Who didn't silently rejoice when we realized we could delete our internet history? The '90s certainly made lying easier in some ways... although I suspect if we're being honest with ourselves, we all probably got busted more than we'd hoped we would.
Even if you were a goody-two shoes in the '90s, I'm willing to bet you remember at least some of these fibs from your younger, wilder years:
1. "Of Course That's Not What My Away Message Meant!"
Everyone remembers those meticulously-worded away messages that were just cryptic enough to pique someone's curiosity, right? The worst nightmare when it came to '90s internet (aside from being booted from your dial-up connection) was when your parents stumbled upon your screen name and wanted to know what all of those lyrics and quotes referred to. Your response? The most innocent thing possible, of course.
2. "Yeah, Their Parents Will Be Home The Entire Weekend."
Was there anything better than spending the weekend at a friend's when someone's parents weren't going to be home? This meant you had unlimited access to the TV, the ability to blast music without anyone yelling at you, and — perhaps most importantly — the freedom to order tons of pizza for dinner. If your parents wanted an adult at home while you did all that, though, this was likely one of those situations where you had to fudge the truth a little bit to be able to actually go, right?
3. "Yes, I Deleted My Myspace."
If your parents were concerned about what you posted on the internet, it's highly likely they wanted to monitor your every move on Myspace. If you wanted to get away with friending people of whom your parents weren't fond or or just wanted to make your "About" page particularly edgy, you probably tried to convince your parents you had deleted your page entirely.
4. "I Totally Shared The Computer With My Little Siblings."
Growing up in the '90s meant you probabl only had one computer the entire family shared — a big difference from today's world, where a lot of people have multiple computers, phones, and TVs in their homes. If you grew up in the '90s and had siblings, I'm willing to bet you told your parents you shared screen time when they weren't home, even when you didn't.
5. "I Swear We Only Played Nintendo For An Hour After School."
Remember those times your parents left you to your own devices and trusted you to obey the regular house rules? Yeah, odds are that given the chance, you absolutely kept playing your video games until you heard the front door squeak open.
6. "Of Course My Lunch Money Went To School Lunch."
Who didn't use their lunch money to buy snacks and soda from the vending machines instead of a healthy, balanced meal from their school's cafeteria? No one could resist the sugar rush.
7. "I Didn't Miss The Bus Because I Was Late; I Missed It Because It Was Early."
For a lot of people growing up in the '90s, we were still too young to be able to drive ourselves to school. This meant either getting a ride with our parents or catching the school bus... and depending on the day, one was usually more embarrassing than the other. At least you could always tell your parents you missed the bus because you wanted to spend the morning in the car with them, and not because you slept in late, right?
8. "Yeah, I Was On The Phone With My BFF."
Who didn't stay up late to talk on the family phone to their crush when they thought everybody else was asleep? It was quintessential '90s behavior, because in order to use the phone, you had to occupy a landline. If you were really lucky, your parents had a cordless phone so you could at least hide in your room while you chatted — but in my house, the only phone was set up in the kitchen. Bummer.
9. "Yeah, We Loved That G-Rated Animated Movie We Saw."
Let's be real: Most of us probably tried to sneak into an R-rated movie as teenagers at least once. Pretty much everyone told their parents they were meeting at the theater to see one movie, then opted to buy tickets for a different one. The only risk? Someone your parents know running into you while you're buying snacks at the concession stand. Oops.
10. "It Wasn't Just Me — The Entire Class Got Detention."
Depending on how your school was set up, it's very possible you spent more than one afternoon in detention. Whether it's because you were caught skipping class, forgot to get a form signed, or just would not stop whispering in the back of the room, it's likely you spent time owning up to your mistakes at some point or another. If you could pin it on the behavior of your entire class instead of just you individually, you know your parents were less likely to give you additional punishment, am I right?
Images: splitshire.com/Pexels; Giphy (10)
