Don’t get me wrong, middle school is some weird social experiment in the American education system that was clearly designed by a sadist. It’s as if educators identified the three most awkward years of a young person’s life, isolated them into one building, and then pressed Play. Most people wouldn’t choose middle school as the best years of their lives, which is understandable. As I look back, however, I firmly believe that I peaked in middle school.
Now most of you are probably reading this, mouths agape and guttural scoffs croaking out of your throats, so let me fill you in on a little background that might help put this in perspective. Part of the reason why middle school was my favorite time was because of its stark contrast to my other school experiences. Elementary school was awful: I had dorky glasses, messed-up teeth, and a past-the-age-where-it’s-cute speech impediment. Then of course add the pain and struggles of high school and those three intermediate years are looking pretty great. I now invite you to join me in a trip down middle school memory lane.
1. Insecurities were almost nonexistent.
Everyone was just as awkward, gangly, and underdeveloped as you. This isn’t as true anymore, but girls didn’t really begin developing (into an adult body form) until age 13 or 14. And guys? Most of them were still barely pushing 100 lbs well into high school. It was okay to have small boobs and baby fat, even if the pretty people still got better treatment.
2. Minimal pressure.
The only things we had to stress about were along the lines of what we were going to wear on the first day, what homework was due in civics and if we would get lunch detention for starting a food fight (guilty). It was kind of like this controlled system, a vacuum if you will, where only middle school struggles were relevant. For that reason, we had less to compare to and less to freak out about. Adolescence doesn’t even technically begin until age 13, so we were still able to act like kids and it was totally ok.
3. No drama.
Gossip was harmless. No one had anything interesting enough going on in their lives to even start a rumor about, and the things that were spread around school were so trivial that, at least compared to high school and college drama (OMG DRAMA), it seemed like child’s play – because it was. We were children. See what I did there?
4. Being active was fun.
I played sports before they got competitive and could easily run five miles with my boundless energy. But I didn’t do it to get fit or lose weight; I did it just ‘cause. Besides, I hadn’t hit puberty yet, so I had a pretty low body mass and my muscles were lean and clean. I should also mention that the last time I did a pull up was in eighth grade PE, not that I’m bitter or anything.
5. It was not complicated.
I had a sixth grade boyfriend where we would share a computer during keyboarding class, giggle every time our hands touched when we reached for the mouse at the same time, and then he would IM me after school into the wee hours, as in 9 or 10pm. It clearly was a very deep and dynamic relationship, and even after we “broke up” (or, at least I think we broke up) my life wasn’t ruined. I didn’t get melodramatic about it and I didn’t swear off “men.” But, I will admit to writing a few angsty blog posts about the boy-who-shall-not-be-named on Myspace.
6. Social status was negligible.
The “cliques” that may have existed then were nothing compared to those in high school. Hell, they don’t even compare to the ones in elementary school (recess drama, anyone?). Not until late into eighth grade did I ever have a friend ditch me for a cooler group or use me to get to someone else, but that stuff happened on the daily in high school.
7. Made best friends.
75% of my friendships that are still going strong began in middle school. I like to compare it to the second book in the Hunger Games series: we were all in a new, unfamiliar territory and we had to make allies to survive. Navigating the terrain, fighting off killer monkeys, and rising against the Capitol together we prevailed. We had each other to lean on and built some solid relationships in the process, most of which have lasted to this day.