Our kiddo came up with the best idea ever last month.
It’s one I am fairly certain that other teens would also enjoy.
Z had been stressed recently about school. I suspect it has something to do with the impending start of high school and the academic pressures that she knows will surely come with it.
So, as a way of bringing herself some comfort and enjoyment, she decided to do things that remind her of a time when things were simpler and less stressful: early childhood.
She decided to have a nostalgia day. For an entire day, we thought about her childhood and did things that evoked the feelings, magic and memories of her younger days.
For example, we watched TV shows she loved as a young girl. We went to the store and got snacks she loved as a toddler and preschooler. We made a meal she loved when she was little and also prepared snacks the way she liked them when she was small.
But the crowning glory of her nostalgia day was making slime. From early elementary school forward, Z was a slime maven. She made it daily – often in multiple, rainbow-hued batches.
Back in the day, Z created and posted slime videos on YouTube, she purchased slime and slime-related ingredients with her spending money, but most of all she adored making it herself.
By mid-grade school, Z was making slime for all her friends. By the end of grade school, she even had a nice little slime business where she made and sold custom slimes for all the kids on her bus.
Z is naturally creative and also very good at self-care. Making slime again as a teen reminded her of childhood, but it was also a great reminder that slime has always been one of her favorite fidget or stim toys.
I can’t remember the last time Z made slime; whenever it was, I didn’t know it was the last time or I would have made note of it! I only remember a time when slime was a regular, daily part of our lives; Z got so good at making it that there was hardly any clean-up involved.
I have to admit, it was joyful watching her make and play with slime again last month. I don’t know who enjoyed her nostalgia day more – Z or her parents. I’m so glad she still had all the ingredients, including food coloring and sparkly glitter, to make the perfect batch of custom slime.
Also, after seeing her nostalgia day in action, I’m pretty sure she’s a self-care genius. Who else could have come up with something this fun and cool?
Would your kiddos like a nostalgia day – or hey, what about one for us parents?! I’m putting this magical idea into my self-care toolbox for future use. Who wouldn’t love to be a carefree kid again, if only for a little while?
