Washington Memories: Staying Home Sick From School in the 1980s

Do you remember what it was like to stay home from school in the 80s? Were you even alive and attending school in the 80s? If you do remember, get ready for a dose of nostalgia, and if you weren’t even born yet, get ready to be jealous, as we share with you a glimpse back in time.

Memories Of A Simpler Time

As I was writing a recent story about how Analog Rooms are becoming more and more popular in Washington, it took me back to my childhood, and some of the fun memories of missing school (being sick or playing hooky).

Wesley Tingey via Unsplash

Missing School Now Vs Then

Kids today do not know a world without Harry Potter, The Simpsons, Smartphones, the Internet, and microwaves! Heck, I barely remember the world before the microwave! It was simpler and much more freeing.

When you’re sick from school now, you still can get your homework, do it on a laptop or tablet, and classes may even be recorded for you. So, you really don’t get to be sick. Back in my day (man, I’m sounding like Grandpa Simpson), if you missed school, you then played catch-up for the entire year!

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But there was something magical back then when you missed school. Not the being sick part, that was never fun, but staying home with a parent, seeing what is happening in the world during that 8a – 2p time span. Watching soap operas like Days of Our Lives or As the World Turns, and game shows like Classic Concentration or The Price Is Right.

And finally realizing WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL OF OUR GARBAGE (it wasn’t until I was 8 in 1989 that I was sick on a Tuesday and saw the Garbage truck come by our Naches home and finally understood)!

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That was IF I was lucky and my mom or dad was able to stay home with me. If they had to work, then I went to my grandparents, and it was not fun. If you were too sick to go to school, you were too sick for TV, or any of the fun stuff that Grandparents are known for.

But I survived, all because of a few simple remedies and ways to pass the time when I was home, sick from school in Washington. Check out these memories and Tap the App and share with us what you remember for your early days of being sick from school (or playing hooky).

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LOOK: Remember Staying Home Sick in the ’80s? These Memories Hit Hard

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