The late 90s and early 2000s were an interesting time to be a teenager. Well at least for me, it was. This time, for me, was a culmination of trying on different personas, trying to figure out which one felt more comfortable-- switching hairstyles, accessories, and sometimes even peer groups, trying to find my way. The slightest newfound emotion would take over me in waves. Heartbreaks felt like the end of the world. The ending of friendships were (and still are) more heart-wrenching than break-ups. But finding new friends that shared similar interests and getting into my first choice school seemed to make things infinitely better, for the time back then. Ah, to be young.
I've been reminiscing on teenage years a lot recently, especially with my daughter graduating high school and entering college this year. Watching her navigate the high school/college transition, friendships, relationships, developing a school/work balance, and managing newfound emotions had me one part nervous, two parts nostalgic, and one part empathetic, to say the least. And while we are so very different, our glaring similarities show up almost every day, it seems.
In many ways, watching my children grow up reminds me of how much growing up I've done as their mother. I was practically a kid myself, learning how to properly care for them and nurture them the best way I knew how. Seeing them as human beings with their own unique personalities, perspectives, and attitudes towards certain things has taught me to parent them with grace. It wasn't that long ago that I was processing internal battles and braving the world as a misunderstood teen in similar ways. Paying attention to the way in which they define themselves takes me down memory lane quite a bit these days. So much so, that I've started making playlists to create a bit of a timestamp of what my teenage years felt like for me.
If you've been here for a while, you already know how much music colors everything I do. I have a playlist for every vibe, mood, experience, memory, and feeling, no matter how fleeting. Reminiscing on simpler times is no different. So for today's playlist, I'd like to share the musical time machine I hopped into, titled "
Teenage Dream."
"
Teenage Dream" on Spotify revisits all the feels, moods, and perspectives teenage Drea experienced through song. This particular trip down memory lane features pop hits from some of my favorite teen movie soundtracks, songs that feel light and airy in my headphones, and songs that make me smile at the recollection it conjures. If you're a fan of the likes of Sheryl Crow, Jewel, The Donnas, Letters to Cleo, and Mandy Moore, you will love this playlist. Click the image above to open the playlist up in a new window.
Loving these Spotify playlists? Let me know in the comments if you want more here on the blog. And be sure to give me a follow if you're on Spotify, too. I love making mixtapes and sharing music with my friends over there.
WHAT SONGS & MOVIES FROM YOUR TEEN YEARS
GIVE YOU NOSTALGIA?
WHAT ARE YOU VIBING TO TODAY?
