The set I used to have.

Recently, I’ve gotten the urge to be a kid again, when life was worry-free and full of toys. It initially started when I saw a commercial for the new NERF Lazer Tag Blaster set, which can hook up to a smartphone. Although smartphones weren’t around when I was younger, it had me reliving the times of playing laser tag with my friends in my basement.

Of course, this thought process quickly spiraled out of control and had me thinking about all the toys, games and TV shows I miss from my childhood, but it ultimately had me thinking about one question: “What do I miss most from my childhood?”

There were a few finalists that instantly popped into my head, like: Playing Mario on my GameBoy Color, building the craziest things I could imagine with all of my LEGO sets and of course recess at school.

A “LEGO Man” that is very close to the things I would make.

Ultimately, it came down to the one thing I would make sure to do if I had a chance to go back and relive a day. That one thing I miss the most is playing night games with everyone from the neighborhood.

There were tons of kids on the block where I grew up and night games seemed to be a staple in the summer. Just as it was starting to get dark out, all the kids on the block would get together and decide on games we were going to play that night. No matter what was thrown out there we always came back to the same games: Kick the Can, Cops and Robbers, and Ghost in the Graveyard.

I still remember those nights: Sneaking around the neighborhood, hiding in bushes before I sprang my attack on the can, and having the satisfaction of outrunning the “ghost” after I found him/her. I simply can’t think of anything else that sounds better right now than getting the gang back together and playing the classic night games around Wauwatosa (my hometown).

Kick the Can was always my favorite.

After the lengthy soul searching to find what I missed most about my elementary days, I asked a few ponies what their favorite memories were of being a kid and here is what they had to say:

Dave Fransen – “What I miss most is racing home from school, literally running, to try to catch my favorite hour of TV — “He-Man” followed by “Transformers.” At one point I had the whole collection of He-Man toys, but once they came out with too many He-Man sets, I quickly jumped to collecting Transformers.”

Cydney Wuerffel – “I miss being a crossing guard at school. Shepherding younger kids across a busy street, with a nothing more than a plastic flag on a stick, was the most powerful I’ve ever felt. I was invincible in that neon vest … Those were the days.”

Nate Brennan – “There are plenty of things to choose from but playing backyard sports with the neighbor kids is something I definitely miss. I also looked forward to getting home and catching the 4 p.m. “Pokemon” to see what hijinks Ash and his companions were up to. I know he felt like he had to, but I’m not sure whether he caught them all or not.”

Alex Weaver – “I miss Saturday morning cartoons. My brothers and I would pile around the TV (complete with tinfoil-covered antenna) in our waffle pajamas and take in the classics: ‘Garfield,’ ‘The Flintstones,’ ‘Tom and Jerry’ and ‘Doug.’” Side note: there was no cable television in the Weaver household when she was growing up.

Katie Rice – “I miss running home, literally, with my best friend to play Barbies. We would grab a snack, run upstairs and get out every last piece of Barbie equipment I owned. We’d always play “soap opera,” “house” and “wedding.” When her parents would come to pick her up it was just about the worst thing that could happen to us, but we couldn’t wait until we could do it all over again the next day.”

Evan Taylor – “Stuffing pillows and blankets around my computer tower, attempting to muffle the noise of the dial-up Internet from my parents, late at night, is something I definitely miss.”

So, now that you’re thinking about all the great things you miss about your childhood, what’s that one thing you miss the most?