There’s this weird belief that, when you’re a very young boy, you hate girls. Supposedly, the thought of kissing and marrying the opposite sex made you gag. You would, allegedly, avoid the mere contact with girls. After all, you wouldn’t want to contract the mysterious infectious disease known as “cooties,” would you? I mean, look how deadly cooties can be!

Of course, this is mostly a lie. Even when you were very young, you already had crushes. Sometimes, it would be your next door neighbor. Or maybe it’s a friend from school. Most of the time, however, your first female crushes are the girls you see in movies and television. They’re usually older, more “mature” women. But there are always going to be those childhood crushes who were, thanks to great timing, around the same age as you were. These were the crushes you had growing up who also grew up with you.

So, as Valentine’s Day is around the corner, I think it would be fun to go over seven of the best “age appropriate” crushes I’ve had while growing up! This won’t be laid out in a ranking order. Rather, this list will be told in “chronological” order. As in when I first saw then and they became my crush. Ready? Let’s go!

#1 Alyssa Milano (1984)

Star-Lord has good taste.

I first laid eyes on Alyssa Milano when she played Samantha on Who’s The Boss? I was around eight years old when I initially got a glimpse of the tomboyish character she played. I’m not really sure if she was my first real celebrity crush but I just knew I needed to see more of her.

Not only was Samantha/Alyssa Milano cute, she also was a tomboy. And maybe, even at that young age, I already had a thing for tomboyish girls. Also, even if I didn’t know what an “accent” was, I also found the way she talked, with that slight Brooklyn accent, very appealing.

#2 Tiffany Brissette (1985)

Yes, she is indeed a wonder.

Let’s face it: Small Wonder was a weird show! It’s about a scientist who creates an android called VICI Vicki and decided he had to make the android a nine year old girl? Yep, the 80’s were weird that way and we were fine with it. Then again, I was also nine years old when Small Wonder premiered! Still, was it weird I had a crush on Tiffany Brisette, who was playing an android encased in a nine year old body?

Then again, Tiffany Brisette was adorable and I couldn’t help but find her likable. Even as a kid, I found the humor of Small Wonder kind of cheesy. But I kept on watching because I found Vicki pretty cute. I guess it also helped that she was supposedly exactly my age as well. I honestly found her more lovely as the show progressed since, as she got older, Vicki lost the robotic accent and started talking more like a person. I guess that’s because it was less weird for me to actually have a crush as she started talking without the monotone.

#3 Maureen Flannigan (1987)

And you thought Small Wonder was a weird show!

Out Of This World was an ’80s sitcom that proves a couple of things. One, Hollywood used to make shows out of the strangest premises ever. Two, I would have watched anything when I was a kid. Now, I know a lot of you are probably not aware of Out Of This World despite it running for 96 episodes. So let me explain how weird this show was. It follows a teen named Evie and, on her thirteen birthday, starts to manifest the power to stop time. It’s revealed her father is an alien and, because of that, she also has some of his abilities. Wackiness ensues.

Although Out Of This World has pretty much vanished from the public consciousness, I still remember the time I saw the show and saw Melissa Flannigan as Evie. There was a sweetness in her look and, in a way, kind of recaptured the aura Alyssa Milano had. As far as I know, she never really did anything major after this weird show. It’s a shame, really. I would’ve wanted to see her in more stuff.

#4 Christina Applegate (1987)

When the bad girl makes you feel soooo good.

To me, Married… With Children came at the right time. I was around eleven and I was getting tired of “kid’s stuff.” After all, I was weaned on kid friendly sitcoms like the aforementioned Small Wonder and Out Of This World. I wanted to watch things with more bite to them. Married… With Children definitely fit that bill. The show was more raunchy and crass and just what the doctor ordered. Of course, it didn’t hurt it had the gorgeous Christina Applegate playing the ditzy and promiscuous airhead, Kelly Bundy.

Okay, I will say this is cheating a little bit because Kelly Bundy/Christina Applegate was a few years older than me. But it did feel appropriate in my eleven year old brain! Like I said, Christina Applegate was gorgeous and she knew how to flaunt her beauty on-screen. It definitely helped that Kelly Bundy was very funny. I do have to say, as Married… With Children went on and Christina Applegate got older, she only looked better and better as they years went on!

#5 Danica McKellar (1988)

The quintessential “girl-next-door.”

When I saw the first episode of The Wonder Years, I just didn’t get it. This was supposed to be a sitcom? Where was the laugh track? Why did it feel so serious? But I kept watching it for a long time. Why? Winnie Cooper. And I bet this was also the reason why a lot of young boys also watched The Wonder Years for so many years.

There was just something really… soft about Winnie Cooper and, in turn, Danica McKellan. She just had an almost ethereal air to her. She almost felt like a literal angel because of how pleasing she came off. While I did eventually get somewhat tired of The Wonder Years, I would still go back from time to time just to get a glimpse of Winnie Cooper, the girl next door.

#6 Jennie Garth (1991)

Yes, she was the best girl in Beverly Hills, 90210. Fight me.

Beverly Hills, 90210 is one of those instances where I really, really didn’t like the show but I kept watching because of my crush. I realized very early the show was just a soap opera dressed up in a teen drama. But it prominently featured, Jennie Garth as the spoiled queen of the school Kelly Taylor. Honestly, her character made the show more bearable as she started out as kind of the villain before transitioning into the best girl of the show.

Jennie Garth actually had it all. She was pretty. She was sexy. She was even smart! And it’s that smile. That freaking cute smile that gets me every freaking time! Heck, she’s also the reason why I started watching What I Like About You. And I even thought the show was good! Even today, after all of these years, whenever I still see Jennie Garth flash those pearly whites, my heart still skips a beat.

#7 Alicia Silverstone (1993)

Thank god for MTV!

The 90s was the decade of MTV for me. We just got cable and I would watch the heck out of the channel. Okay, mostly because I loved shows like Beavis and Butt-Head and Liquid Television. But I would still stay tuned to watch the music videos. You know the namesake of Music Television? Anyway, one day, I was on the channel and Aerosmith came on with their latest song, Cryin’. Now, I know Aerosmith and I liked their songs. I couldn’t say I was their biggest fan and they were cool. But then I saw Alicia Silverstone in that video and I am eternally grateful to Aerosmith to introducing this blonde angel to me.

I was, by this time, a teenager and Alicia Silverstone was, well, everything. She was gorgeous! The thing that really cinched it for me was when that part in the video where she starts walking away from the car then she does that quick look back while tossing her hair back with that dead serious look on her face. That was it. I was in love. Ever since then, I was a fan of hers. And I bet a lot of young teens felt the same way. Heck, I have no doubt in that!

Who was your “age appropriate” crush when you were growing up? Let me know in the comments section below!