7/2/25 - 90s Kid Summer and Being Cool

Wednesday 7/2/25

Celebrate:

Freedom From Fear of Speaking Day

I Forgot Day

Made in the USA Day

National Anisette Day

Special Recreation for the Disabled Day

World Sports Journalists Day

World UFO Day

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Thought you should know this.

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There's a new trend called "'90s kid summer"?  The idea is to give your kids the kind of summer YOU had back when everything was a lot simpler.

It means things like running through sprinklers . . . drinking hose water . . . and riding bikes all day . . . all with minimal supervision.  Basically just, "Get outside and don't come back until it's dark."

'90s nostalgia is big, so that's one reason it's trending.  Plus, there's a general feeling that kids don't get to be "kids" anymore.  But is a "'90s kid summer" actually doable in 2025?

Experts say it might be a great idea for SOME families, but not others.  So don't force it.  It's harder to do if you live in a city, or a not-so-safe area, or both parents work.

There's also a chance your child isn't CAPABLE of having a '90s kid summer.  If you force them outside, they might not know what to do out there.

An expert at Michigan State explained it like this:  Quote, "You can't just have this over-scheduled, technology-saturated life for nine months of the year and then switch into this absolute freedom.  We haven't prepared our children for that."

She says if you force them to act like a '90s kid, they might just end up stressed out and more anxious than they already were. 

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A new study looked at what "cool" means to the average person.  They polled 6,000 people in a dozen countries around the world.  And it turned out that where you live doesn't actually matter much.

Coolness and what MAKES you cool is fairly universal.

They found it comes down to six traits that make us think someone's cool Being extroverted

adventurous

open

autonomous

hedonistic

powerful

You probably know what the first three mean.  For the other three:  "Autonomous" means you're independent and don't try to fit in . . . "hedonistic" means you can enjoy yourself without feeling guilty about it . . . and "powerful" means you're confident and don't let people push you around.

Past studies have found that being friendly and competent are also seen as cool traits.  And authors of the study were also quick to note that being "cool" doesn't mean you're a GOOD person.

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Welcome to July!

Lots of big movies this month:  "Jurassic World Rebirth" opens tomorrow . . . James Gunn's "Superman" reboot lands the 11th . . . a new "I Know What You Did Last Summer" opens the 18th . . . "Fantastic Four: First Steps" hits theaters July 25th . . . and "Happy Gilmore 2" hits Netflix the same day.

On TV:  New seasons of "South Park" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" start next Wednesday . . . the new spinoff "Dexter: Resurrection" premieres the 11th . . . the ESPY Awards are the 16th . . . and Shark Week starts July 20th.

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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spend more than $1 billion on fireworks each year. Out of this, only 10% of firework displays are set off professionally, which probably accounts for the estimated 12,900 firework-related emergency room visits across the country.

According to Fortune Magazine, of those injuries occurring between June and July, almost 70% were experienced by men.

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