Life Lessons from the Spice Girls

Hey you, always on the run, gotta slow it down baby, gotta have some fun!

On my dad's back porch during the awkward tween years.

It's mid-August and you know what that means, school is back in session! With my girls back to a much needed routine, I've had a few days to reflect on the past couple months. Answering the obligatory "How was your summer," it was great and went by so fast! But after thinking more about it, summertime was a bit of a blur. We filled our days and made the most of our time, but part of me thinks we were so busy we didn't really slow down and enjoy life. A voice in my head tells me often that I need to be busy and productive at all times in order for a day to be a success. I know that's not true, but it's difficult to let go of that belief, especially as a mom.

It's funny because of all our activities, one small memory jumped out at me as a highlight when remembering summer '26. It was just an ordinary day, and we hadn't done much of anything. No special plans were made, there weren't any play dates, and we didn't fill all of our waking hours with something exciting. I was feeling a little bit like a failure. The girls and I were driving around town (I can't recall where we were going) and good old Taylor & Jojo Siwa had been playing on repeat. Needing a change, I casually switched over to "a group that I used to listen to," and asked Siri to play the Spice Girls. As they say, the rest was history.

My daughters were instantly enthralled and wanted to listen to more. Can anyone believe that the group formed over 30 years ago? It's funny how their songs come back so easily.

"We got Em in the place who likes it in your face, we got G like MC who likes it in on an - easy V doesn't come for free she's a real lady, and as for me ha you'll see!"

My oldest wanted me to play that part of Wannabe on repeat (which I remembered word for word, but don't ask me what the date is) so she could sing along. Driving around our town, we blasted the Spice Girls, danced to the music, and I taught my daughters some of the songs I had loved as a kid.

If you actually take the time to study the girl group's songs, they don't all make sense and aren't the best written lyrics of all time, but boy do they bring some nostalgia. As we drove around town, I remembered what it was like as a tween and how obsessed my friends and I were with the group, even going as far as becoming members of the Spice Girls Fan Club- a website that would probably be frowned upon by parents today (that's a whole other post), but hey, it was the 90s and the Internet was new.

Back when their movie came out, girls my age were in a frenzy. I spent Fridays at my dad's house and after hearing me talk about it with such excitement, he offered to take me to the opening night. So you better believe we drove over to Willow Knolls, got some popcorn, and were ready for Spice World to start. For the next 93 minutes, I was captivated, and even though it wasn't his choice of a Friday night movie, my dad was happy to enjoy the movie too. As we were leaving the theater, I remember asking him how he liked it. Dad smiled and said "it was cute." He took me to movies a lot during that weird time as a tween when you want to be grown up but aren't old enough to go by yourself. Something that wasn't super extravagant but meant a lot to me.

As a kid, Baby Spice was my favorite since she was blonde and I looked the most like her. Listening as an adult, I have come to appreciate Sporty Spice. She carried the songs, IMO has the best voice, and is very underrated. Posh, although fashionable and arguably the most famous, seems to be the least talented singer of the group. Sorry, Victoria (said as if she will ever read this). It's funny how things can change as you get older and you see the world you used to know through another lens. Either way, I feel lucky to have this chance to remember a fun time in my life that I shared with my dad, my friends, and now my daughters.

What did I learn from the Spice Girls this summer? Maybe things don't have to be over the top and Pinterest perfect for them to be special. Maybe summer doesn't have to be so planned out. Looking at some of the social media reels with summer highlights, it would be easy to get down and think that our summer didn't measure up at times. But every day doesn't have to be chock full for it to be a good day. It doesn't have to be expensive or take a lot of time to make memories that you cling to later on.

My girls might forget the days I planned out that were crammed with summer activities designed to become core memories. But they might remember driving around and blaring the Spice Girls while we were running errands. Just like I smile when thinking back on those nights at the movie theater with my dad.

Maybe we need to take a breath and sing a 90s song once in a while. And while we're at it, channel our inner Sporty Spice. She might not be the most flashy of the Spice Girls, and she might not always get the credit she deserves, but that Mel C for sure carried the group and was unassuming but powerful, holding her people together, just- like many mom friends I know.

Here's to nostalgia, girl groups, and taking the time to enjoy it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JD6ejmlpa8