There is something extraordinary about sharing a movie, song, toy, or experience that brought me joy as a child or as a less-aged version of myself with my children. This is why my twins ate their toddler meals from Care Bear EZPZ mats, why I was excited to watch Hocus Pocus 2, and why I feel incredibly proud when my children can recognize and belt out “Jenny from the Block.”
I had a hard time accepting my parents for who they were, what they liked, and what they tried to share with me. I didn’t want to go to motorcycle meets, and it took me until middle school to appreciate rock and roll.
Again, through the eyes of a parent, I’ve had my “aha” moment, and I get it now. I know why my dad was so proud to take me to my first Greenday concert and how my mom felt when bell bottoms came back. We are all experiencing some feelings as we watch teens dress as we did in the 90s.
It’s nostalgia, and it’s amazing.
On my twins’ sixth birthday, we share yet another sweet bit of nostalgia together. We dined on food nestled in a brightly colored trick-or-treat bucket adorned with a ghost, a witch, or a pumpkin. The happiness this meal in a plastic bucket brought my children took me back to when I was excited to reach across the counter for my own bucket. I breathe and remember once upon a time, I was once six years old, in a McDonald’s, sharing a meal with people who loved me deeply. Yes, I’d leave there with a plastic bucket that would inevitably be thrown away, but that happy feeling would stick around for always.
My children may not always accept me for who I am or what I like. I may get a life full of eye rolls. By sharing moments like a Happy Meal in a bucket, I hope they will one day have a bit of nostalgia to share with the ones they love the most.
