I was once in a relationship with someone who, I see in retrospect, didn’t like me all that much.

He would point out aspects of my personality or habits, like how long it takes me to leave a party, my sleepiness late in the evening, or my tendency to focus obsessively on a skill I’m trying to master, with a critical eye.

It took me a long time to realize that a lot of the things that he brought to my attention weren’t necessarily defects I had to fix. They were simply traits, neither good nor bad.

When I tell people that I run a tiny academic program for middle schoolers (aptly named The Little Middle School), the reaction is almost always the same.

“Middle school? Oh, middle school is awful.”

Or worse, “middle schoolers are awful!” 

Why does middle school have such a bad rap? Why do adults have such miserable memories of these early years of puberty?

Last Thursday, Good Morning America did a quick segment about Prince George’s activities. Host Lara Spencer, encouraged by a laughing audience and co-host, used a mocking tone when she mentioned that George is taking ballet classes. She implied that the child’s enthusiasm for dance will not last.

I watched the segment, which has been shared widely by appropriately outraged people, with a mix of revulsion and dismay. First of all, why are adults even talking about a child’s activities on national television? I understand that the British royal family is fascinating to many, but surely we can find things to discuss other than a six-year-old.

The other day, I was playing with my little nephew. He was intent on going down one of those small plastic backyard slides.

Like many toddlers, he likes to carry things around with him, especially balls and toy cars. With a ball in his hand, it was challenging to climb the steps to the slide platform, but he managed.