If you have ever seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off you instantly put yourself in Ferris’ shoes and planned out the perfect day to play hooky. There are times we all told our parents we didn’t feel well in hopes of missing a day of school for a variety of reasons. But what did you do when you were really sick? Back in the day you didn’t have the options of streaming your favorite movie or talking with friends via text. We had to find ways to keep ourselves busy while trying to feel better. Here are my top five things I liked to do when I was sick and stayed home from school. What were yours? Let me know in the comment section below.
Things 80s Kids Did When They Stayed Home From School
1. Watch Empire Strikes Back
If I was sick and was staying at home from school I would love to watch my favorite movie, The Empire Strikes Back. Before I had the original trilogy on VHS tape, my mom would rent it from the library. This was an easy thing for my mom to do, especially since I was sick at school and needed to be picked up. Eventually my parents got my original trilogy on VHS that even came with a documentary on George Lucas. I still have those VHS tapes.
2. Watch The Price Is Right
I feel like this was a “stay at home from school when you are sick” staple for 80s kids. You would be lying on the couch in the family room and when The Price is Right came on TV, that hour took away any pain you had as you watched people look to win prizes from crazy games and compete in the Showcase Showdown. If you had some ginger ale and some crackers to go along with the show, you were on cloud nine.
3. Read Books
In this case I would be reading comic books. It could have been anything from Marvel or DC to graphic novels. Those stories would transport you to another world and help you forget that you were coughing and sneezing so much that your nose was bright red and your throat was on fire. I even remember those sticker books from back in the day. I had the NFL sticker book.
4. Draw
After reading a few comic books, I would get the inspiration to draw or make my own comic strips like Snoopy or Garfield. After a while I would get tired and see if I could watch some more TV if my parents were cool with the notion of me just watching more TV.
5. Eat Comfort Food
Depending on what type of cold, flu or sickness I had definitely influenced my appetite. If I had the stomach bug, it would be the B.R.A.T. diet. If it was something else I would ask for a few things like SpaghettiO’s, a few pieces of buttered rye toast and a can of ginger ale. Back then that was some good eating when you were a kid!