Kates Brewster said the best day of her life was simple: she spent time with her parents when she was four to five years old. It was a care-and-stress-free time for Brewster, which left her nostalgic.

“As a little kid, I would wake up and bother my parents. Then I would go to their room to watch TV and eat cereal.” Her parents, she added, would pretend to be annoyed and laugh it off, unfortunately as she got older she was never found of this activity anymore. “I’ve done this for 3-5 years, and pretty much grew out of it.” Brewster said.

Today, Brewster, an 8th grader at Dobie Junior High, mostly enjoys reading and writing fantasy stories. She has two sisters, one her youngest sister; the other her oldest stepsister, and lives with both her mom and dad. Her dad serves in the Air Force and her mom works as a dual language teacher. Their relationship is still strong, even if her parents are busier than normal.

“It makes me feel more aware of how much I’ve grown throughout the years, which is pretty good,” she said. “But sometimes I’d wish I can go back to bothering my parents. It just felt nice and simple. I even try thinking about it whenever I’m sad or upset, and it calms me down a lot.”

While students look ahead and walk towards the next school year, it’ll never hurt to stop and look back at the past they’ve lived when they were little. As one might say, “Just because the past taps you at the shoulder, doesn’t mean you have to look back.”