I have a little sister who is seven years younger than me. She will be graduating eighth grade, going to high school when I graduate college this May and start “the real world” (scary). Because we are different from how some parents have their kids, somewhere between one to three years or so apart, we truly have grown up “in different times” from what I've noticed. And maybe some of you reading this can relate. Looking back on middle school and high school years, do you remember all the clothes that your mom bought you that you actually believed looked really good? Or that haircut that was "in" at the time but now you look back at it and (rightfully) cringe a little bit? Well, you are not alone. Join me now for a trip down memory lane.

My sister is what I would probably call “cool.” She’s athletic, she’s got an “edgy” hair cut, she’s everyone’s friend at school, she’s smart, and compared to where I was in eighth grade, she’s a lot more photogenic.

(by the way, the redhead on the right is her, if you haven’t guessed.)

So what gives? Why is it that my sister gets to be super cool and smart and interesting in middle school, and I couldn’t? I think I have narrowed it down to a few key factors on why it was that I was super (not) cool.

My love for boys:

My gosh, I wanted a boyfriend at that age. I really wanted to talk to the boys in my class, and I would have, had I known how to to talk to them. There was something so intimidating about their occasional voice cracks, inappropriate middle-school jokes and over-indulgence of Axe body spray. I just couldn’t handle myself around them. It wasn’t yet my time to “shine,” and I spent most of middle school and high school only dreaming of what it would be like to have a real boyfriend.

My irrational obsession with the "Twilight" series:

"The kids” these days — my sister included — have their franchise book/movie obsessions, but nothing can really compare to the hype that I felt for the "Twilight" series. I thought it was the coolest, hottest, most amazing thing to ever grace the pages of a book or make it to the big screen — and to say I was obsessed was an understatement. Unfortunately, I made this discovery at the end of eighth grade, going into my freshman year of high school, so I made quite the impression on my new peers.

(If only I had something better to talk to guys about besides "Twilight" maybe I would have gotten that boyfriend…)

My lack of athletic-ability:

I would place my sister in the “athletically skilled” category, where I would fall in the “athletically challenged” category. The kid has played everything from soccer to basketball, tennis and track.

Me you ask? Well, I have tested my luck at the majority of these, but I found my solace swimming in high school; however I wasn’t really too good at that either.

My makeup and fashion skills:

Maybe it was just what my mom was buying me to wear at that age, but I think I was seriously confused in the fashion department during that time. And that double goes for learning how to apply makeup.

(There’s me on the left again, if you couldn’t tell.)

When I first started wearing makeup in seventh grade, I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that my mom put some kind of foundation on her face, mascara and eyeshadow. How hard could that be?

(Apparently, very hard.)

And everyone loved the crop sweater/tank top combo! I thought I pulled it off quite nicely, well, at least at the time.

The typical "pin-straight hair and Hollister shirt" look:

I remember getting my first hair straightener in eighth grade. I would wake up at 5:30 every day to shower, blow-dry and straighten my hair until it was stick straight. Not to mention, I wouldn't have been seen anywhere not wearing something with a Hollister or Abercrombie label on it.

I didn’t have that older sister to guide me:

Maybe this is sappy, but I think I might play a part in why my sister is the confident, excellent example of a young-teenage woman she is. In watching me grow up, through all my "awkward moments," and trying to find myself, I think it has helped her become who she is today. And maybe confidence comes more naturally for those kids growing up in 2016 than it was for us. But for the times it isn't, lucky for a lot of them, they have “now-cool” big sisters (like myself) and the Internet, to show them how to do it.