So, in honor of the "death" of my childhood (1990-2008), here's my list of the top 10 things that I experienced during those years:

10. Beanie Babies

OK, so don't even pretend like you didn't collect them. For a good two years of my childhood, these small plush toys ruled my life. Every single dollar of Christmas/birthday money was spent on collecting more and more, in hopes that they would someday be sold at 3,000 times their suggested retail price. Currently, about 200 Beanie Babies reside in a plastic box somewhere in my basement.

9. Recess

For an elementary kid, there is no greater part of the day than that magical period after lunch when you get 15 minutes to run free from the constraints of your desk. It's the period of the day when wars are waged and battles won and when there is no greater feeling than being king of the kickball field.

8. Baby sitters

When I was little, I was practically raised by the girls next door: Sarah and Tara. It's one of the few times in your life when, every time you do something seriously wrong, you can blame it on the fact that the sitter just "wasn't watching close enough."

7. Pokmon

Long before I was interested in politics, I was into Pokmon. I never knew how to play the actual card game, but somehow just the fact that I had a first-edition Charizard was enough to make me the envy of every kid on the playground. My Pokmon phase subsequently ended when my younger brother left all of our cards in his jeans pockets as they went through the wash.

6. Hairstyles

Two words: bowl cut.

For the earliest part of my childhood, my brother and I totally rocked the bowl cut. You know, that perfect hairstyle that made your head look like one of the mushroom things on Super Mario. Although highlights and hair gel would later replace it, the bowl cut wasn't just a way to wear your hair; it was a lifestyle.

5. Old-school game systems

Today, we have PlayStation 3, but back in elementary school, the Sega Genesis was my main man. Sometimes, I still get nostalgic for the simple, two-dimensional worlds of yesteryear, but then I play tennis on Wii for about five minutes and move on.

4. Boy bands/Britney Spears

Back before they all broke up and before she went crazy, they were idolized children of my generation. My friend Alicia and I spent many a recess arguing over whether Backstreet Boys or Hanson was better. Alicia, a diehard Nick Carter fan, usually won by threatening to tell the teacher I hit her.

3. Disney movies that made you cry

I cried so hard during "The Fox and the Hound" that my mom thought something was seriously wrong with me, and don't you even pretend that you didn't silently shed a few tears when the dad died in "The Lion King."

2. Innocence

It was nice while it lasted.

I'm totally over it, though.

1. "Titanic"

You may make fun of it now, but circa 1998, you know you loved it. I went through a "Titanic" obsession like none other. I saw it eight times in theaters. I went as Capt. Smith for Halloween. I cried at the end.

You did, too, and you can't deny it, so don't even act like you still don't know every single word to "My Heart Will Go On."