#1
All I wanted to do was help my dad with stuff around the house but he’d always tell me I wasn’t allowed to because it’s “man’s work”. F****r wouldn’t even teach me the most basic stuff, like how to mow the lawn or check the oil in a car when I was a *teenager* cos I wasn’t born with a d**k.
Now I’m a sheet metal worker. I have more tools and they’re better quality than my dad’s ever were, and my grandpa left all his hand tools to me, his youngest granddaughter, instead of his 3 sons.
#2
#3
You’re far from the only person remembering your childhood fondly and wondering if you could bring back that magical feeling by surrounding yourself with things from that era. The BBC explains that nostalgia marketing is a popular way for brands to sell products. Some researchers argue that consumers are more likely to spend money on brands that evoke nostalgia.
Nostalgia marketing tends to run a cycle that’s two to three decades long. It can affect a very wide range of products, from clothing and food to toys and tech. Businesses re-introduce certain products and trends to target adults with purchasing power who are nostalgic for their childhoods. So, if you feel a sudden rush of nostalgia after seeing a childhood toy suddenly pop up on the shelf of your local shop, it’s probably not a coincidence. You might be the target audience.
#4
My mom was obsessed with everything being new, perfect, matching, and girl colors. Oh and all jewelry had to be gold. Now that I'm an adult, I can have whatever I want and never wear pink ever again and it's glorious!
She despises that all my furniture was bought via thrift or marketplace, that i don't have a matching dish set, bedding set, or living room set. I see zero point in spending money on brand new things, especially with kids around. I had to "walk on eggshells" growing up for fear I'd break something or spill something. My kids don't get yelled at for breaking a plate or spilling a glass of kool-aid. Because their human and mistakes happen. I also don't lose my mind because I didn't spend an entire paycheck on the matching dishes.
It sound silly, but it's just nice to actually live in my house, and not just be a guest in it.
#5
(I was raised Jehovah Witness, which is a form of child abuse).
#6
My mom said I was faking my asthma attacks.
I don't talk to her anymore.
However, there are indications that the nostalgia marketing cycle is speeding up. Global events like the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in how we communicate might have something to do with this shift in people’s perception of time. “With Covid, and the lockdowns, and social distancing, it was like we were trapped in a time warp. People became nostalgic for things that happened just last week, or just last month, or just last year," Krystine Batcho, a professor at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, explained to the BBC.
According to Batcho, during the initial lockdowns, people felt nostalgic for things they were doing only recently, whether that’s meeting up with a friend for lunch or going to the cinema.
#7
My mom was really pissed, she called my dad who told her “be happy he’s not buying cigarettes booze and p*rn”.
#8
I haven't slept with a stuffed animal since I was little and yet I can hold onto my little bear throughout the night and wake up holding it. Whenever I feel sad or homesick I just cuddle with it and it honestly helps! It may be silly to others, but sometimes your inner child just needs something to feel safe and comforted when life gets overwhelming. And that’s ok! Don’t let anyone take away what brings you joy!
#9
Meanwhile, Liz Juusola, executive strategy director at Brooklyn-based branding firm Red Antler, notes that social media has made everything accessible. “You don't have to dig through an attic. Content from the last few decades, and even before, is everywhere and so easily remixed,” she said.
But Batcho argues that nostalgia has less to do with timing. Instead, it’s triggered when a person feels a difference between the present and missing something from the past, “whether it was two months ago, two years ago, or 50 years ago.”
#10
So, I wear red lipstick all the time, it's my thing.
#11
#12
What was your first grown-up purchase that you couldn’t wait to make, once you started earning proper money, dear Pandas? Was there anything you lacked or really wanted when you were a kid that you now easily buy for yourself whenever you want it or need it?
What are the biggest things you feel nostalgic about from your childhood? If you have a moment, tell us all about it in the comments!
#13
In all honesty…I remember being like 14 and my dad and his girlfriend making breakfast one morning. I didn’t want to get out of bed because I had cramps. I did anyway. I went downstairs and as soon as I got in the middle of the kitchen I felt my period come.
Not just a drip. A clot. I said I needed tampons. I was told I had to work with panty liners because that’s all we had and neither of them had the money to go get tampons. I had to use toilet paper all weekend until I got to school and could buy a box in the “school store” with my own money (I was a sophomore).
I buy tampons whenever they’re bogo now. I have like six boxes under my sink and keep a mini purse full of them in my regular purse to have on hand and give out to any other ladies in need.
#14
#15
So, when my kid asked for cello lessons at the age of 7, they got cello lessons. When my youngest said they wanted to give up soccer for ballet, we swapped soccer for ballet. My only rule is they have to finish the season, they are not allowed to join a team or group and quit part way through (without good reason), they have to finish the season before quitting.
#16
Also all the chocolate.
#17
They are happy healthy pair of siblings that I literally wake up to go to work for.
And I've always loved black cats. Toni is a diva and I love her and her brother Ginger. As of this post Toni is sleeping on top of my fuzzy jacket and Ginger is in a box of blankets for guests.
#18
#19
