'My daughter wanted a phone. So instead I gave her a 1990s inspired plot twist'

“Their reactions were priceless."  

The 90s. What a time! 

When your biggest worry was rewinding the VHS, and Justin Timberlake was just a boy in a band.

But one family believes there’s something from that era that’ll never go out of style: the parenting. 

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"I wasn’t ready to give them smartphones yet" 

For Courtney, raising her kids like it’s the ’90s just makes sense. 

“I grew up in the 90s, and it felt like freedom,” the mum of two told Kidspot. 

“Riding bikes until the streetlights came on, house phones with cords that barely reached your room, and no constant pressure from screens or social media.” 

Now raising a 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, Courtney wants them to experience a slice of that childhood magic.

“I want my kids to have that same kind of presence and creativity. To be bored enough to invent things, to talk to people in real life, to experience their childhood instead of just scroll through it.” 

And it’s not just a mindset. She's now sparked a movement. 

A now-viral TikTok the family shared has parents everywhere cheering (and chuckling).

“Our daughter kept saying all her friends had their own cell phones. She was really starting to feel left out and I totally understood why, but I also knew in my gut that I wasn’t ready to give them smartphones yet,” Courtney explained. 

So they piled into the car and headed to the department store. Straight to the phone aisle. Just not the one with the Apples or TikTok.

“Their reactions were priceless : part disappointment, part confusion, and eventually laughter,” the mother explained. 

Instead of a flash iPhone, the kids got an old-school landline and a dose of retro fun.

“Watching them record their voicemail greeting together felt like a little time warp back to my own childhood,” Courtney reflected.  

Courtney played the ultimate 90s uno reverse card. Image: Supplied

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"I think there’s power in going backward a little" 

The results of the “unplugged childhood” approach? So far pretty remarkable.

“When we limit screens and create space for a slower, more unplugged childhood, they become way more engaged. They build forts. They go fishing. They call the neighbour kids and make up games in the backyard,” she revealed.

“They’re still modern kids. They whine, they get bored, but I’ve seen a big shift in their creativity, their relationships with each other, and even their sense of humor.” 

Still, she’s not trying to bring back everything from the decade of Spice Girls and Blockbuster. 

“I’m not here for the ‘toughen up and don’t talk about feelings’ parenting. We talk openly about emotions and mental health,” Courtney shared. 

“I don’t think kids should fear their parents the way some of us did growing up. So while I love the grit and resilience we learned back then, I also want my kids to feel safe expressing themselves and asking for help.” 

Parenting these days comes with challenges. Courtney believes it’s a world that “looks nothing like the one we grew up in.” 

“I think there’s power in going backward a little, in pulling the best parts of the past into the way we raise our kids now,” she shares. 

There’s power in intention. Since sharing their approach on TikTok they’ve been amazed to see how many parents are feeling the same way. 

It’s opened up doors to a community Courtney thought had long been forgotten. 

“If this little landline video helped even one family feel inspired to unplug and reconnect, then it was absolutely worth it,” she says. 

“My goal isn’t to pretend it’s 1997 again. It’s to bring back the parts of it that gave us independence, confidence, and connection.”

Originally published as 'My daughter wanted a phone. So instead I gave her a 1990s inspired plot twist'