There are a wide array of kids movies that SLOHS students enjoyed when they were younger. Many students still watch them for nostalgia. Collage courtesy of sophomore Cadence Flickinger.
Students at San Luis Obispo High School often feel as though time is flying by incredibly fast – especially with the school year coming to an end soon. One way many deal with this is to revisit things from a simpler time such as the shows, movies, and videos they loved as a child.
It can be very comforting to watch childhood media as a way to cope with the pressures of teen life. Human brains often associate the things we watch with the time period we watched them in. Meaning, the cozy, comforting feeling we get from rewatching kids shows is actually a reminder of the no-stress filled days of childhood.
“I always watch ‘Tangled’ because that is a big nostalgic movie for me. I watch it also because it just kind of reminds me of being a child and reminds me I don’t have to grow up,” said sophomore Scout Robles.
Turning to childhood media to wash away stressful thoughts is a lot better than some of the other coping mechanisms teens use. Some turn to alcohol and drugs as a way to drown out the pressures and distract them from reality. Others find escaping into the magical worlds of childhood a better way to cope.
“Whenever the world just feels like too much I love to turn on one of the Barbie movies from the 2000s like ‘Princess and the Pauper’ or today I literally watched ‘A Mermaid Tale’ when I was feeling down. I think cozying up and watching a kids movie is a lot better than what a lot of my friends do to kind of escape from reality,” said sophomore Cadence Flickinger.
Even though the use of childhood nostalgia in teenage life can be a comforting thing, leave it to teenagers to ruin even that. Teens have always been told by adults and their peers that they need to grow up. This pressure to grow up can make teens feel too embarrassed to openly share if they enjoy kid-like things.
“I feel like teens get judged a lot because everyone is trying to look cool without liking kids stuff, but honestly who cares if someone’s favorite show is a kid sho it really doesn’t matter,” said senior Amelia Wood.
Nostalgia can be an extremely helpful way to cope with the pressures of teenage life and revisit your favorite memories. So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or don’t want to grow up, pop some popcorn, get into some cozy pajamas, and turn on your favorite kids movie.
And if you need to watch something right now, the most viewed kids movie of all time: “The Smurfs.”
Source: IMDB.com
