Middle School. It's something that we have all tried to put behind us, right? As soon as you start thinking about middle school, crushing thoughts of UGG Boots, Vera Bradley, and passive aggression come to mind. Whether you were a cool kid in middle school or not, it was not an easy time for anyone. But middle school shaped who we are. I look at myself now and think about how different I am. I think about how insecure I was in middle school. Things that I once saw as flaws in myself I now take pride in. While no one liked middle school, it taught us many important things.

Without middle school, I could not truly appreciate the friends I have now. Why? Well, because friends in middle school are the worst. Seriously. Trust is not something that is exercised frequently between friends. It's basically gangs of New York out there, it's a no loyalties, take-no-prisoners attitude. It's amazing to me to now have friends who won't stab me in the back for no apparent reason. But my relationships in middle school made me tough and independent and for that I am grateful.

My aspirations in middle school were also a little different. My biggest goal in life was to acquire a pair of Coach tennis shoes. Abercrombie was THE store to shop at. Everything that I wore had the brand stitched onto the front. I didn't know how to use makeup so I just jumped on the glitter bandwagon. Yep. I smeared glitter all over my face because I thought it made me look like a fairy. I desperately wanted some bangs because everyone else had them, so I had side bangs cut into my hair. I thought they were awesome. In reality they looked like I had an accident involving my hair and a pair of scissors. Also, I had no idea how to deal with my eyebrows. I have always had a thick set of eyebrows so I decided to just pluck them into oblivion. Not a good look. I also had my first, and only, experience with self tanner in middle school. Let's just say it wasn't a success.

Now let's discuss what was and was not cool. I have always been a music and movie buff. I watched "The Shawshank Redemption" for the first time when I was eight. I started listening to Smokey Robinson when I was about seven. But "old" movies and music were totally uncool in middle school. I remember having a conversation with my Social Studies teacher about The Mamas and the Papas and getting seriously judged by my classmates. So I kept my movie and music obsession hidden in middle school, but now it's something that I love to talk about to anyone who will listen.

Do you remember what Facebook used to be like? It was the worst. Every middle girl posted overly emotional Taylor Swift lyrics whenever they and their boyfriend of five days broke up. It was a perfect way to track everyone's relationship status that you didn't really know that well. Also, Facebook was a great outlet for you to see pictures of all the fun things people were doing that you weren't invited to!

The cherry on top of middle school was the relationships between boys and girls. Some people still believed in cooties. Some 13 year olds, however, thought that they were searching for their soul mate. It was a very confusing time for everyone. I remember thinking that boys were a different species. What would I say to one? I don't know that much about sports and I don't play video games! Isn't that all they talk about? Thank goodness, I one day had the realization that boys have the ability to talk about things other than sports and video games.

So yes, middle school was an awkward time. But it was pivotal. We can all appreciate our middle school years in making us who we are today. My middle school experience made me independent and secure in my quirks. I may always cringe at pictures of myself in Aeropostale shirts with glitter smeared all over my face, but I will always think about the impact that middle school had on me and the better person that I am because of it.