Hollywood has hitched a ride on the nostalgia train the last couple of years from television shows like Netflix’s Stranger Things to new movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a Millennial mommy, I keep finding myself desperately trying to persuade my two school-age kids that my childhood movies are cool and hip! Sometimes it works, but most of the time I am defeated in my quest. Still, whenever I see an opportunity to show them something near and dear to my own heart, I don’t miss my chance to hop on the nostalgia train and take them with me.

This Halloween, I decided to get my hopes up once more and show my kids two pivotal movies of my childhood: Warner Brothers’ Bettlejuice and, by far the best movie my seven-year-old-self has ever seen, Disney’s Hocus Pocus.
But why do we do this as parents? There is a certain vulnerability when showing your children something that you hold so dear from your past. I mean, I remember dressing up in my bed sheets transforming myself into Winfred Sanderson and sucking the life out of my little brother.
As much as I want my kids to love the same things I do, I have to realize that they are their own people. They are going to fall in love with whatever clicks. My job as a parent is to throw every bit of pop culture nonsense I adore at them and see what sticks. Or at least wait until they stumble upon my fandom themselves.
As Bette Midler sang her rendition of Screaming Jay Hawkins “I Put a Spell on You” and the credits rolled, I looked to both kids with my heart in my throat. The anticipation was killing me. What did they think? My daughter was the first to speak. “I liked it,” she said. My son threw a supportive “Me too.  It was kinda weird, though.”  I got the same response to Bettlejuice.  I won this round. We’ll see what the next bout has to offer.
Which favorite movies from your childhood do you wish your children loved as much as you do? Tell us in the comments below! If you’re ever interested in taking a ride on the nostalgia train, your local Bookmans is the place to find your childhood favorites.