How to Have a ’90s Summer

This story is part of Edit: Summer Issues. Quarterly magazines celebrate the rituals, recipes and rhythms of intentional life. That’s the theme of this season Carefree– An invitation to live writers and deeper love. Find out the complete question or order a print version here.

Two summers ago, our kids asked us to set up a lemonade stand. At ages 3 and 5, they were not at the forefront of the operation accurately. Unless you count your cute and shaking cars (and honestly, I was shaking most of the time). All I could see was work. Squeeze lemons, buy supplies and keep them icy cold on Texas swell days. Our kitchen turned into a sticky war zone, stirring gallons of lemonade together. But we mapped our marketing plans. I made a handmade sign with my dad, texted my friends, and put my daughter in a very branded lemon yellow dress. Sure enough, the car slowed down and coins stacked up.

We were all proud. Children are confident with each new customer. And somewhere in the sticky mess and the little stories of neighbors, we rediscovered a sweetness we didn’t know we were missing. Those lemonade stand signs are still hanging in our garage. It was a memorabilia from a summer day and despite all my hesitations it has become one of our favorites.

Featured Images from an Interview with Mary Ralph Bradley by Michelle Nash.

It made me think about my summer, which I grew up in the 90s. It’s easy to romanticize, but in my experience those long lazy days were really a bit sweet. They were late, unplanned, full of rollerblades, weekly library visits, learning to sew pillows with my mother, and thinking about what to do throughout the day. Now we live in a world of overlapping schedules and sparkling screens. And so? Imagination. play. Easy. Connection.

I began to wonder how to replicate the slow, creative summer experience for my children in a world that frequently cherishes the opposition. And while I may not have all the answers, it’s a roadmap that I’m happy to be happy with testing, bumps and more.

Boredness is the fuel for creativity

in Anxious generationJonathan Hyde wrote: “Playing is a childhood job, and all young mammals do the same job. Playing hard and often leads to the brain.” What is summer?

It is true that children thrive in rhythm and routine, even in the summer. And as a working parent, I know how important essential structures are. It helps me carve out pockets of real existence rather than too thin. But creativity requires open space to breathe. So, schedule essentials, but keep them open for a few days or afternoons to find a balance.

Help your creativity by setting open-ended toys like hula hoops, sidewalk chalks, jump ropes, garden sprinklers and more. Next, here’s the key: Give yourself permission to reduce the supervision. Resist the temptation to command or resolve problems. Give them the opportunity to decide what to play first, find a way to unleash a jump rope, and resolve any differences with friends and siblings. Give them stickiness. Let them get dirty. Let me do them boredom. On the other side of “I don’t know what to do” is real magic. It’s an opportunity for invention, creation and growth.

What you really do is lay the foundation for creativity, problem-solving, emotional development and resilience. And more importantly, you are building motivation and autonomy in them by giving them the opportunity to decide what you want them to do, not by what they have decided, but by deciding what they want to do.

Unplug to rewind

When we give the sunshine on screen time, our children will flourish. a 2022 Research I found that the more time outside, the less stressful, less cheerful, and more sharp my mind. And when limiting their time online, we protect their sleep, focus, and natural desire to move. Science confirms that we already know in our gut. Children are happiest when they live in real life rather than seeing it.

So how do we balance in the modern world? Start with summer planning. There’s no need to go completely off-grid (unless you need it). The key is to lead with consistency, clear expectations, and examples. Here are some simple rules ideas:

• There are no screens before 10am or after 6pm. Create spaces for unstructured play in the morning and family connections in the evening.
• No screens per day a week. Choose a Fulltech Detox Day. Help your kids plan their fun.
• Buy screen time. Get your afternoon skill in an hour outside, reading or creative play.
• The phone is at home. Leave your device behind for beach day, bike rides, or hiking.
• High-tech zone. For family movie nights, lock your devices out of your bedroom and away from the dinner table.

It’s not about strict rules. It’s about the rhythm that protects what really matters: being, connection, and the kind of joy that remains in your memory.

Make summer itself an entertainment

Certainly I had to plan a lemonade stand, but on a Saturday afternoon I was a little unwilling to accept the lemon bag (or five people), and the confusion. The older the kids get, the more they can take the lead. That’s the beauty of this: the easier the idea becomes, the more room they have to run with it.

There’s no need to entertain yourself all day long. You are not a cruise director and your home is not a summer camp. Keep things simple. It’s where letting go of the pressure to fill all the blank spaces on the calendar and trusting that boredom is where the best begins.

Start by showing your child what it means to be a neighbor. Greet people on your evening walk. Drop a plate of homemade cookies. Waving to family members down the street and next time they say their child is bored, it is best to knock on a friend’s door. Sometimes summer memories come from unplanned afternoons that start with “Want to come and play?”

Personally, I’m excited to regain the joys of snail mail with my kids this summer. Let your child find a pen companion and write a letter to his cousin or distant friends. Bonus: There’s something magical about waiting for a reply to your mailbox. It builds the joy of patience, connection and anticipation – the text could never be replicated.

Most importantly, trust slowness and let summer unfold like it used to be. Summer is filled with moments that shape childhood. And they’re easier to create than we think.

I got a kit for the summer of the 90s

Think of this as a syllabus, some sort of syllabus. A list of ideas, activities and flavors to bring home nostalgia this summer.

How to make a friendship bracelet:

Because some skills are too good to stay in the past.

material:

• 4-6 colors of embroidery floss (approx. 24 inches each)
• Scissors
• Tape or safety pin to secure the bracelet while working

Manual:

1. Choose from 4-6 colors of embroidery floss and cut each to approximately 24 inches. Tie a 2-inch knot from the top and stick it on the table or secure it to your jeans or pillow.
2. Lay the strands flat in the order in which you want the colors to appear on the bracelet.
3. Create a front knot:
   • Take the left chain and form a “4” shape on top of the next chain.
   • Pull it down and go through the loop.
   • Pull it up and pull it to the right. Repeat to create a double knot.
   • Continue all other strands from left to right.
4. Repeat with the next strand: Start with a new far left chain, repeat the process, always tie from left to right.
5. Keep tied until the bracelet fits on your wrist.
6. Finally, tie the knot. Tie it up while knitting loose threads.

How to Keep a Summer Scrapbook:

All you need is a blank notebook or binder, some glue or tape, and a little imagination.

1. Choose your book: a blank diary, a classical crapbook, or even a composition book.
2. Collect polaroids, ticket stubs, leaves or pressed flowers, beach receipts, stickers and graffiti from the time. Get your kids to help by decorating them with crayons, stamps or markers.
3. Write a small note about what you did. There’s nothing flashy. Only one or two lines. “I rode my bike in the park and saw the turtle!” or “I was rollerbladeed for the first time since I was eight years old and didn’t die.”
4. Enjoy your memories. On rainy days, or invert the picture while eating popsicles on the pouch like real-time time capsules.

Classic + How to whip a simple 90s style dinner:

A throwback dinner that hits every time – yes, it’s as good as you remember.

Elevated pizza bagel

material:

• Bagels (fresh from bakeries and Dave’s killer bagels)
• Fresh whole milk, low humidity mozzarella cheese
• Marinara sauce (homemade or bought in store)
• Selected toppings: pepperoni, sauteed mushrooms, peppers, olives
• olive oil
• Options: Grated Parmesan, flakes sea salt, red chili flakes, fresh basil

Manual:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice the bagels in half and lightly polish the cut sides with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until lightly crispy. Remove from the oven, spread each half with marinara and add cheese and toppings. Bake for 2-5 minutes until the cheese is cheerful and golden. Finish with your favorite extras, such as paramesan, red chili flakes, sea salt, or fresh basil. Add a side of nostalgia (I highly recommend the Universe Brownies and Capri Sun).

90’s Summer Bucket List:

• Eat ice cream from behind the truck
• Move to the roller blade
• Capture the mindset of summer camps and host backyard camps with popsicles, crafts and sprinklers
• Create a summer mixtape
• Host the film Sleepover Night (recommended classic 90s films like this Sometimes, parent traps, ignorance))
• Eating barefoot watermelon in the grass
• We recommend borrowing a throwback book from the library: Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High))
• Enjoy TV (girls) dinner while watching TGIF rerun
• Doodles
• Please send the letter
• Make Friday afternoons a time of “do nothing”
• Join the library’s summer reading program
• I’ll make a fairy garden
• Try paper mache craft and it’s okay to be bad
• Set up a lemonade stand
• Roast marshmallows with a backyard flashlight and tell the story
• Make a no-bake ice box cake
• A typical 90’s go date: mini golf and ice cream
• Capture everything with a disposable camera