I was in class at the time as well - history. We found out because one of the other history teachers ran past and shouted at my teacher, “Jim! They’ve taken out the Towers!” This was literally moments after the second plane had hit, and no one had a fucking clue what was going on. But this teacher somehow knew.

Oh my God. Ouch. Please excuse me, I’m going to go investigate retirement homes.

I think the “constant war” is the issue. Pre-9/11, the world was in a new age of democracy (I’m simplifying, obviously). We were not raised in state of war. It was supposed to be over.

The world changes and we stay the same..

Same. My grandfather lied about his age and fought in WWII, and we never asked anything beyond the secret to his amazing roast beef (answer was always: most dangerous job in the navy was the cook, because if the food was bad, they fed ya to the Japanese!”)

I might have done a bad job expressing myself. I wasn’t saying they didn’t remember it, but that it didn’t change their lives like it did for their older siblings. I was 16, and the world for me, and I imagine many of my peers, exists as pre-9/11 and post-9/11. I wound up in a war as a young woman that before 9/11 no…

Feel you. I spent two and a half years in Iraq as a contractor post-college, but before that, my boyfriend was in Anbar Province for two tours as a Marine Corps machine gunner. Everyone else at my liberal university was protesting the war and I was lying awake hoping for a 4am phone call.

Yeah, the world literally changed over night, didn’t it? I’m a wee bit younger than you, and was talking to army recruiters at the time. My parents went from supportive to “holy fuck no.”

I remember learning about it in school—so this is a curse of every age!

You’d make the most adorable sitcom episode. I too used to write my dad messages in crayon and hide under my bed when I knew I was going to be in trouble! He apparently always fought that most upsetting, because he didn’t want to shout at us when he got home from 12 hour shifts, no matter how bad we’d been.

My stepson recently cited Nirvana as his evidence of him being really into “classic rock,” and my stepdaughter asked me where I was on 9/11 as a school project, and I haven’t decided which bothered me more.

I was a few days from my 16th, and I feel you (I’m a Philly native, so it was quite a bit closer for us, but nothing like those in NYC and DC). I went from “war is a thing of our forefathers” to, “ah, so this our generation’s war,” within a few weeks. I will recall where I was when the planes hit the towers til the…

Somewhat unrelated, but we are now getting to the age where younger people don’t remember 9/11, and I’m finding it so weird. September 11th literally changed the direction of my entire life (I’m 31), and when just-out-of-college co-workers look at me like I’m a dinosaur when I say I was in Iraq, I can’t get my head…

This is so well described that I could picture it throughout with a grin - mostly because you’re a grown up now and in no danger of being unnecessarily taken away from your folks for childhood hijinks!

YES! That is exactly how I feel. Thanks for putting an image to my feelings, Rooo.

I too felt inexplicably bad for him on that one.

Taken into care for slipping out of the house while mom was in the bathroom? What the hell? I’m pretty sure this happens to like, 75% of parents at some point or another, excluding those rich enough to afford round the clock nannies. I babysat kids in the summers while their moms worked when I was in high school , and…

I was under the mistaken impression that swimsuits for all started at a size 12 - I swear I looked at them last summer and was disappointed, as I’m a 10 (that delightful size that is too small for plus, but sometimes not flattered by straight sizes either). But at your recommendation, I just checked again, and, lo and…

I was just coming to comment that! Good Lord, it’s perfect - I have been hunting for a swimsuit just like it that didn’t cost a billion dollars. She looks fab!

That black t shirt business is serious bullshit - good for you for standing up for yourself! (Also, what the hell, you’re what, a size 10? They struggled to accommodate that? And clearly they the shirt in the right size in the end, so why didn’t they give it to you in the frigging first place!)