I'm 18 and I Still Play With Slime. Here's Why.

A personal note from Paris, Founder of Slime Soirée

When people see Slime Soirée today, the gold crowns, luxury slime parties, beautiful kits and tables covered in glitter, they might not know that my relationship with slime started almost a decade ago. It started when I was just a kid.

Back in 2017, I started Slime by Paris because, quite simply, I loved making slime. There wasn’t some huge business plan behind it. I was a young girl who had discovered something that made me happy.

I loved experimenting with different textures, colours and glitters. I loved the process of turning a few individual ingredients into something I had created completely by myself.

But looking back now at 18, I realise there was another reason I loved it so much. Slime made me feel calm.

Slime became my little escape

Like so many children, I experienced moments of stress and anxiety growing up. For me personally, slime became one of those activities I could turn to when everything felt a little overwhelming.

There was something about having it in my hands. Stretching it. Squishing it. Folding it. Hearing the little pops. Then doing it all over again.

When my thoughts felt busy, playing with slime gave me something physical and sensory to concentrate on. I didn’t understand terms like sensory regulation when I was nine years old. I just knew:

I felt calmer when I played with slime.

And then I grew up, but I never really grew out of slime

I’m now 18. And I still love slime.

My life looks completely different from when I started Slime by Paris in 2017. I’ve grown up. I’ve finished school. I now work full-time in conveyancing during the week, while also running and growing Slime Soirée.

Life can get busy. Between working full-time, running a business, answering enquiries, preparing parties, creating content and everything else that comes with being an adult, there are absolutely moments where I feel overwhelmed.

And sometimes? I still pick up slime. I’ll stretch it between my hands, squish it, fold it and just play with it for a while.

For those few minutes, I’m not answering an email. I’m not thinking about work. I’m not thinking about the next party I need to prepare. I’m not staring at another screen. I’m just doing something simple, tactile and familiar. And personally, I find that incredibly relaxing.

Slime got me through Year 12

One period where I particularly noticed this was during Year 12. Anyone who has completed the HSC knows how intense that year can become.

• Homework.
• Assessments.
• Deadlines.
• Studying.
• Practice papers.
• Constantly writing.

And that looming thought in the back of your mind: the HSC is coming.

There were days when I would spend hours sitting at a desk, writing with a pen, studying and trying to absorb as much information as possible. By the end of it, my brain was exhausted. Sometimes my hands were tired from writing. And I just wanted something that had absolutely nothing to do with school.

Slime became one of my ways of switching off. I’d pick it up and stretch it between my hands. No studying. No assessment. No marks. No pressure to achieve anything. Just something tactile, repetitive and satisfying.

For me personally, those little moments of downtime helped me decompress during what was an incredibly demanding year.

I eventually finished Year 12 with an ATAR of 95.70, something I’m extremely proud of. Of course, that result came from studying, discipline, support and a lot of hard work. I would never claim that slime gave me my ATAR. But learning how to give myself little moments to switch off and manage my stress was an important part of getting through that year. And slime happened to be one of those things for me.

Why is slime only supposed to be for little kids?

This is something I’ve never really understood. At what age are we suddenly supposed to stop enjoying sensory things?

Adults use stress balls. We squeeze fidget toys. We light candles because we find the scent relaxing. We colour in. We knit. We bake. We garden. We exercise. We find repetitive little activities that help us unwind after stressful days.

So why should slime be any different? Slime doesn’t suddenly stop being satisfying because you turn 13, 18, 25 or 40.

There is no age limit on creativity. And there definitely isn’t an age limit on having fun.

Sometimes your hands just need something to do

One of the reasons I personally love slime is because it occupies my hands. When I’m stretching, folding and squeezing it, I’m concentrating on the texture and movement.

I’m noticing the glitter. I’m hearing the pops. I’m feeling the slime change as I play with it. It brings my attention back to something happening right in front of me. For me, that can feel incredibly grounding.

Slime isn’t a treatment for anxiety, and everyone’s experience with stress is different. But sensory and repetitive activities can be enjoyable ways to relax, focus attention and take a break from everything else going on. That’s certainly what slime has been for me.

Now I get to share that feeling with other kids

This is probably one of the most special parts of Slime Soirée for me. I started making slime because I was the child who loved it. Now I’m the person standing on the other side of the table, watching another generation discover it.

I see children completely concentrating while they mix their ingredients. I see how excited they become choosing their colours. I see them carefully deciding which glitter they want. I see the huge smile when the slime finally comes together. And I hear:

Look what I made!

Sometimes I look at them and think: that was literally me.

Slime by Paris became Slime Soirée

What began in 2017 as a young girl’s love for slime eventually grew into something much bigger. Slime by Paris became Slime Soirée. I’ve grown up alongside this business.

Today, I’m an 18-year-old working full-time in conveyancing during the week and building Slime Soirée around it.

But underneath the luxury packaging, gold crowns, beautiful parties and all the glitter, there’s still a piece of that nine-year-old girl who simply loved making slime. And I think that’s why this business means so much to me.

Parents, don’t just watch. Make the slime with them.

This is something I really want parents to hear. Slime isn’t just for your kids.

Buy yourself a slime kit too. Sit at the table with them. Choose your colour. Pick your glitter. Add the charms. Make your slime together. And yes, put the crown on too.

Your child probably won’t care whether your slime turns out perfectly. What they may remember is that Mum or Dad sat down and did it with them.

• They’ll remember laughing when something went wrong.
• They’ll remember comparing your slime to theirs.
• They’ll remember showing you how to stretch it properly.
• They’ll remember choosing the glitter together.
• They’ll remember that, for a little while, you weren’t watching from the side. You were part of their world.

Because one day, they’ll be 18 too

This is something I understand differently now. I was the little girl making slime in 2017. Now I’m 18. And somehow, those years disappeared very quickly.

That’s why I think we sometimes underestimate the importance of simply playing with our kids. You don’t always need a huge occasion. Sometimes you just need a table, something fun to create and time together.

So if you’re buying your child a Slime Soirée kit, consider getting one for yourself too. Put your phones down. Open the boxes. Put on your crowns. And make the slime together.

Because the finished slime is fun. But the time you spend making it together might be the part that matters most.

Slime has no age limit

If you’re a parent reading this and your child is obsessed with slime, let them enjoy it. Let them experiment. Let them make weird colours. Let them cover everything in glitter. Let them stretch it for the hundredth time. Let them proudly show you the slime they’ve already shown you fifteen times.

And every now and then? Join them.

Because childhood doesn’t last forever. The slime won’t last forever either. But sitting around the table, laughing, creating and being completely present with each other? Those are the moments worth making.

I’m 18 years old. I’ve been making slime since 2017. I work full-time. I run a business. And I still play with slime. I have absolutely no plans of growing out of it.

After all, Slime Soirée exists today because one little girl loved slime enough to keep going. And I’m very glad she did.

Paris Xanthoudakis, Founder, Slime Soirée

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