#74 - The Childhood Friendships that Shaped Our Identities with Kristin Nilsen

Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

Have you ever stopped to acknowledge the profound impact of your childhood friendships, even the most casual and fleeting ones, on your adult identity? This episode is dedicated to the friends who touched our lives, even if they are no longer an active part of it.

Walk down memory lane with Kristin Nilsen, a middle-grade fiction writer and co-host of The Pop Culture Preservation Society Podcast, as we scrutinize our early social interactions and their lasting influence. We acknowledge the importance of these friendships, even those that were temporary, and appreciate the roles they played in shaping us.

Special shoutout to Braeside Elementary School and the many classmates who made my childhood so special.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Kristin's initial visit to Dear Nina was back in episode 26 along with her Pop Culture Preservation Society co-hosts. They talked about making new close friends at fifty and beyond.
• Childhood books we discussed: Charlotte's Web; the Betsy-Tacy series; Harriet the Spy; Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; The Secret Garden, The Babysitter's Club series. AND-- Sweet Valley High--I said Lila died of a cocaine overdose, but it was Regina. Oops! And of course, Worldwide Crush.
• A recent episode of We Can Do Hard Things, titled, "Being Left Out: Navigating That Lifelong Ache."
• A previous Dear Nina episode with Dr. Lisa Damour about teen friendship groups.

Meet Kristin Nilsen:

Kristin is the author of Worldwide Crush, a new novel for middle grade readers that unpacks and celebrates the celebrity crushes of our youth. It's also gathering a following of nostalgic middle aged readers who are having fun reliving their own first crush experiences. Kristin is also one of the co-hosts of The Pop Culture Preservation Society Podcast, a podcast devoted to preserving the cultural nuggets of the classic Gen X childhood.

Find Kristin on Instagram @kristin.nilsen.writer and on TikTok @worldwidecrushbook.

Let's connect over all things friendship!

• My Substack newsletter about friendship & more
• Dear Nina website with show notes and a guide to pitching yourself as a guest
• Instagram , TikTok, Twitter, Youtube, Threads
• JOIN the Dear Nina Facebook group
• Ask an anonymous question

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Capitole

1. Childhood Friendships (00:00:00)

2. Impact of Childhood Friendships (00:12:29)

3. Friendship, Moving, and Transition (00:19:07)

4. Friendship, Social Media, and Happiness (00:30:27)