Sitting in a room filled with laminated fraction-themed posters and the cursive alphabet, taped above a dusty chalkboard, I remember with vivid detail the tragic events that happened 14 years ago. I was an innocent, talkative, yet shy third grader who was looking forward to swinging on the monkey bars when the bell released us for recess in a few minutes. Unbeknownst to me, my life and the world I lived in would soon be forever changed.

Fast forward to now. A week shy of 23, I frequently find myself driving down the highway reminiscing on a world where things were much different. I feel my generation was the last group to experience America as she used to be: simpler, safer and unified. Despite how frequently I'd long to go back and experience those memories of innocence again, I couldn't ever seem to pinpoint an exact moment when everything changed.

That was until this morning, as I scrolled through my social media feeds to see updates of people from several different generations reminiscing on where they were when they heard about the horrific events of 9/11. Right then and there, I realized exactly when I slowly but surely began to see the world through different eyes.

I actually remember a time when we had to communicate our emotions to people face to face without relying on a "lol" or an emoji to do the work for us. I remember when controversial topics made for good debates, not offensive comments that got you "un-friended." I also remember a time where discussing who you were voting for in the next presidential election was considered rude and frowned upon. Things sure have changed!

Maybe it was just my childhood naiveté, but there's something beautiful about growing up without smartphones or high-tech video games. We actually played outside with the neighborhood kids and stayed the night with them on weekends, because parents trusted other parents. We created our own games and played them until we grew bored and created new ones. My creativity has benefited greatly for having grown up in a simpler time.

Granted, I was still a '90's kid and my childhood was much more restricted than my parents' or grandparents' who were allowed to walk across town to the candy store without any adult supervision. But in thinking about their childhoods and the stories I grew up listening to, I can't help but wonder, what happened to that kind of world and when exactly did things start to change?

Looking back, I can see that things weren't perfect in the world that I grew up in. I remember seeing magazines plastered with Jonbenét Ramsey's face at the grocery store before I was even old enough to read about why she was on the cover. I remember checking out a book about the Columbine shootings from my school library and asking my dad to fill me in on the details because the book was above my reading level. I also remember watching a TV special on the murder of Laci Peterson before I was probably even allowed to watch that program.

These specific events, and many more, occurred during my adolescence. Although I was aware of these events, I was unaware of their realities and how they were contributing to an upcoming change in the way I would view the world. When my parents informed me of tragic events, they made sure to discuss them in a way that allowed me to understand the situation while also maintaining my innocence as a child. Therefore, I was blinded to the overall evils of the world that we lived in. That all changed on September 11, 2001.

It's heartbreaking to think back to how terrified I was, sitting at my desk as my teacher turned on the television. I remember her holding back tears as she tried to calm us down. Our principal made several announcements over the PA system and it seemed as though every phone in that elementary school rang to no end that day.

As a third grader, you aren't fully able to grasp the concept as to why there are bad people in this world. Even as an adult, I still struggle with this idea. The difference, however, is that as children we are ignorant to the evils of the world because our parents do their best to shelter us from them. At least mine did when I was growing up. However, when a nationwide tragedy occurs, there's not much that adults can do to shield those events from our eyes.

Today I sit here reflecting on the events of 9/11 remembering the personal impact that that day had on my life. Many people lost a family member, others lost their faith, and I gained a whole new perspective on the world in which we live in. And in all honesty, no third grader should have to see the world for what it actually is; 8-year-olds are entirely too young to view the world through adult eyes.