While some of my friends were going to parties and beach vacations over spring break, I spent my time in a friend’s house making slime. We had seen videos online of people reminiscing about the late 2010s fad and decided to make it ourselves for the first time in several years. Immediately, the scent of the glue and shaving cream mixed together took me back to elementary school, attempting to craft the perfect consistency. The level of excitement we were feeling over the making of slime was surprising, as it was admittedly a little bit childish. Nevertheless, we eagerly mixed and kneaded our creations, adding color and sparkles. We spent over an hour making and playing with the slime, making bubbles and subsequently popping them \over and over again. I was utterly entranced. This simple activity that I had done so many times, years ago, felt like I was reliving my childhood.
I’ve realized that my friends and I have been revisiting a lot of things that we used to do as kids. For example, every time something upsets me and I need a pick-me-up, my best friend and I put on a comforting childhood movie such as ‘Moana’ or ‘Ice Age.’ The familiarity of the cartoons and the catchy songs are perfect after I’ve had a hard day or just want to relax.
These behaviors apparently run counter to something else I’ve noticed in recent years: All around me, kids are trying to grow up quicker by doing things that older, more mature people seemingly do. A great example is middle-school and elementary-school kids becoming obsessed with Sephora, looking to buy makeup and skincare, instead of more childish activities, like playing with slime. Although I wasn’t obsessed with $80 moisturizer as a kid, I too was in a rush to grow up. During the pandemic, social media became even more popular and influencers became more prominent in pop culture. This led me to want to be like them. I empathize with the urge to grow up quickly, but I now cherish the activities I grew up doing. During my teenage years, instead of looking forward to growing up like I did, I can revert back to those simpler times and act out my inner child. Others around me have as well. Many people I know have gone to trampoline parkse to jump off stress and run around on the weekend instead of going to a party.
Teenagers have also returned to playing online games that were popular years ago. I often see groups of students huddled together playing Roblox games. Most days in class during free time, I look over just to find my friends playing heated rounds of ‘Fashion Famous’ together, taking a break from the stressful world of high school.
As teenagers, we have a lot going on; heaps of schoolwork, jobs, familial and friendly relationships, and pressure from society to act certain ways. Taking some time to just be a kid and do something nostalgic and fun can be really rewarding and heal your inner child. Through partaking in some reminiscent childhood activities, I am able to relax and de-stress. It almost feels like how life used to be then, peaceful and worry-free.
