Awkwardly tall, prepubescent me stood on the edge of the playground gripping the sweaty hands of my two best friends after hearing what was surely the most devastating news of my life. My heart dropped from my chest to my feet, resting beside the fringed bottoms of my bedazzled-pocket jeans.

My grade school principal had just informed the three of us that we could no longer distribute our self-produced newspaper, “Kidz Catalog,” on school grounds. The aspiring journalist in me was completely destroyed. It was as if my dreams had been ripped out of my hands and tossed into the sandy pool of wood chips I stood on, lost forever.

What was not to like about it?

The 10-page, color-printed, game-filled masterpiece was well received by the fourth grade population. Flip through its pages to find advice columns, opinions, polls and word searches. A colorful, hand-drawn image of our trademarked logo splashed across the front page. It was the picture of innocence, the kind of thing a proud parent would slap on the fridge with a magnet.

The reason for the crackdown?

Apparently, another student’s parent had called the principal complaining about an article encouraging students to make their own Halloween costumes. The principal continued to explain to us that the student, who had obviously planned to wear a store-bought costume, had been offended by our suggestions. Whether or not this claim was true, I will never know, but I knew better than to question authority. What a nightmare it would have been if my recess was taken away for “talking back.”

In retrospect, I should have said something to combat the principal’s decision. I’m sure it was easy for the principal to shut down some 10-year-old girls, but that doesn’t mean it was right. We were just children with a harmless hobby and a strong sense of creativity that was unfairly suppressed.

Still, it can be difficult to stand up to those who oppress you in any aspect of your life, whether it be your religion, political beliefs or opinions. It gets especially challenging when the person suppressing these beliefs is someone you look up to or an authority figure.

So yes, I still resent my grade school principal and his actions against this hobby I so strongly adored. Six years may seem like a long time to hold a grudge, but this grudge is not just about me or the newspaper anymore.

You shouldn’t hesitate to push back against someone if you feel like they’re limiting you. Some people may be tempted to let smaller matters slide, searching for excuses to hold back retorts. However, it’s important to directly confront anything you think is wrong, and it’s necessary to break the habit of avoiding confrontation. No matter how small the incident, you must voice your opinion and stand up for yourself.

If I had the guts, I would waltz right into my principal’s office and thank him, because without the experience he gave me I wouldn’t be here advocating for the resistance of what he did. So, I’ll always fight for the right to share my opinions, even when it comes to somewhat provoking opinion articles about elementary school Halloween costumes.