We all wish we could go back sometimes. We wish we could redo parts of our lives, knowing what we know now. It’s funny how much perspective you gain after you’ve left a certain stage of life. When you’re in school, all of the drama means so much to you. But the second you leave, you realize how low those stakes actually were. Not that you can’t have grace for that version of yourself who really cared what Melanie thought of your Powerpuff Girls lunchbox. But as soon as you leave that stage, you realize that you probably shouldn’t have lost sleep over that.

But it’s impossible to have perspective while you’re in the midst of something. Parents will try to have it for you, and you always end up ignoring their advice. You probably do the same thing to your kids if you’re a parent. This is why nostalgia is a powerful emotion. We look back on something and remember the good parts about it, because we have perspective.