Happy Gen Xer rejoices after witnessing a group of bicycle kids who actually enjoy playing outside: 'This was the most mid-1980s thing ever'

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
May 20, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

Nostalgia can strike at any moment, but for a Gen X dude who hasn't seen kiddos playing outside in decades, the feels hit strongest when he sees a pile of bicycles on a neighborhood lawn. Sipping Capri Suns and enjoying bologna sandwiches, one Gen X neighbor was baffled and experiencing some deja vu when his son's friend group became the talk of the town (in a good way). 

With most of the neighborhood parents hailing from the forgotten generation, there was a clear sense of peace that washed over everyone when they learned that a teenage biker gang was overrunning their town. Happy to see kids who enjoy the outdoors more than their iPads, Gen Xers rejoiced to see a fair share of innocent tomfoolery and wholesome childhood memories come to life. 

Scroll for the heartwarming story of a generational trend that we can all get behind. After this, here's another collection of Gen X moments where aging folks share the moment they realized their advanced maturity. 

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  • 01
    "I get there and there's just a group of young teenage boys eating bologna and cheese sandwiches in a driveway with Capri Suns working on a bike tire. I felt this happiness inside of me! Look! They're alive! Just riding their bikes”
    via canva
  • 02
    Posted by u/sadbirdfox There is a new generation of Gen X! They're alive and well! I tracked them by piles of bicycles! Cheers!
    via sadbirdfox
  • 03
    My son's friends knocked on the door. They left the house with no clear plans. I couldn't find them. My neighbor said that there was a pile of bicycles next to Joe's house. Joe was in his garage. Smoking weed and working out! Joe said that he had seen them and that they had
    via sadbirdfox
  • 04
    gone to Diana and Leon's because they have a better bike pump and there was a flat tire situation. And at some point I realized that this was the most mid- 1980s thing ever. Because I get there and there's just a group of young teenage boys eating bologna and cheese sandwiches in a driveway with
    via sadbirdfox
  • 05
    Capri Suns working on a bike tire. I felt this happiness inside of me! Look! They're alive! Just riding their bikes around and doing kid stuff and they're okay! You can't hunt them in packs. Whenever someone says what if one of them gets kidnapped. There's like
    via sadbirdfox
  • 06
    between 10 and 20 of them. On bicycles and I would dare you to try and take one of them. Every parent in my neighborhood is about my age, and we're all just kind of like this is awesome we like it! Just a herd of kids on bikes. Somebody needs $2!
    via sadbirdfox
  • 07
    cessnafxr 2 days ago I noticed yesterday on my walk with my wife that there are a lot more kids outside riding bikes and being normal kids
    via cessnafxr
  • 08
    Ezilii 2 days ago '78 I think this is from some of our later generational cohort's kids. I have friends right around my age with kids around 8 - 12, all running around outside and on bikes. Nice to see.
    via Ezilii
  • 09
    Sen-Galactic Fed 1 day ago This! Late Gen X parent here. We are raising our 8- 12 like we were raised...go outside and play...figure it out.
    via Sen-Galactic Fed
  • 10
    Breklin76 2 days ago So many memories triggered! If you find a bunch of tykes riding big wheels en masse, unsupervised please report back. That'll complete my trip down memory lane. Bonus points if you find kids jumping off of rooftops with bed sheets for parachutes.
    via Breklin76
  • 11
    Paid Idiot 2 days ago No, this is a new development. My 6th grade son said "bikes are back, video games have gotten boring". Hallelujah!!
    via Paid Idiot
  • 12
    alr12345678 1 day ago My 6th grader is all the sudden up to a 12 mile ride with his scout troop this weekend? (Mind you, he's used to riding on a bike, mine, as a passenger because that's our transportation- but this is new that he wants to pedal himself!)
    via alr12345678
  • 13
    DrKlahnsRightHand Man 2 days ago I'm happy to say there is a daily pile of bikes somewhere along our street. We have a gaggle of kids (my 10 and 5 year olds included) that roam the neighborhood/creek/wooded lot where everyone dumps their leaves. I love seeing it - I have 2 older children that wouldn't roam at all. It's nice that my younger ones are participating in a childhood that I actually recognize and relate to
    via DrKlahnsRightHand
  • 14
    armonde 1 day ago I am experiencing the exact same thing. My 21 and 18 year olds never leave the house. My 11 year old "tequila birthday surprise" is out of the house all day.
    via armonde
  • 15
    Tollin74 1 day ago I remember this conversation I had with my Mom about 15 years ago. Me "mom, you had no idea where I was when I was riding around with my friends on my bike, did you?"
    via Tollin74
  • 16
    Mom "haha! Oh we all knew where you guys were all the time. We just didn't tell you. I'd call Shane's mom, who would call Derek's, mom, who then called Johnny's mother and she would call Ricky's. We also had spies all throughout the town that would report y'all's whereabouts if needed."
    via Tollin74
  • 17
    Me" freaking mom-tell going on!" Mom "yup. You thought you were sneaky. But we know who broke Mr. Thompsons car window with a BB gun. Back in '86" Me O.O!
    via Tollin74
  • 18
    sadbirdfox OP 1 day ago Why can't I upvote this twice?! I got caught smoking in the fifth grade. By the time I got home, the whole street knew. Because Johnny's dad had called my mom's neighbor. Then they left a note on my mom's door. The mailman called the bus driver who knocked me in the back of my head. Pearl (the elderly woman down the road) had me pick my switch before I was even home.
    via sadbirdfox
  • 19
    allaboutmojitos 2 days ago This made me smile! Then I realized we've got a bike bunch in our neighborhood too, and when I walked past the grade school last week I noticed a bunch of bikes in the rack there too! It's been happening right under my nose and I didn't even realize.
    via allaboutmojitos
  • 20
    Last year some boys (who didn't even know me) were taking some free stuff I had out at the curb and I loaned them some rope to rig up a trailer of sorts, so they could pull it behind their bikes on a skateboard. Great fun to watch them figure it out, and off they went- They even returned my ropes afterward! There's hope!
    via allaboutmojitos
  • 21
    OceanBlueWave18 · 2 days ago So nice to see! I live in a townhouse complex with lots of young families and after school the whole place is swarming with kids on bikes and scooters. They seem to run in packs and are out until it's dark. The other
    via OceanBlueWave18
  • 22
    day, there was a huge water fight. I almost got hit by super soaker friendly fire. The older kids are outside a lot too, sitting in big circles on the grass, playing games and actually talking to each other in person! It warms my crotchety old heart
    via OceanBlueWave18
  • 23
    sadbirdfox OP 2 days ago I got caught in Nerf gun cross fire. The joy is real. 4 Reply Share Ocean BlueWave18. 2 days ago Heartwarming! Hope you've recovered from your Nerf injuries
    via sadbirdfox
  • 24
    AshDenver 2 days ago Older Than Dirt Does this mean that the current generation of parents are back to feral / wild range parenting? Because I love that.
    via AshDenver
  • 25
    geo-jake 1 day ago A lot of my Gen X friends/parents who live on my street have the same philosophy and it's so wonderful to see our pack of kids roaming around until dark in summer.
    via geo-jak
  • 26
    MusicSavesSouls 1 day ago I am a Gen X parent of a 15 year old. My daughter asks if she can go to the park, mall, amusement park etc. and I get excited and practically run to the car! I love to see her doing all of the "things".
    via MusicSavesSouls

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wholesome millennial teens bicycles elder millennial boomer nostalgic memes relatable memes childhood relatable nostalgia funny memes Memes Nostalgia Overload nostalgic 80s lol 80s memes meme gen x bikes baby boomers gen z genx nostalgia memes funny gen x memes gen alpha
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