A man in a dark blue shirt sits on a beige couch holding a smiling toddler in a pink floral dress, both looking at the camera.

Cat Brennan / September 10, 2026

On Being a 9/11 Kid

Grieving a day—and dad—I don’t remember.

Photo via Cat Brennan.

Across the country, there are thousands of Americans who remember little if anything from the worst day of their lives. I’m among these young adults who grew up shaped by a day, and a person, we cannot remember.

I lost my father, Tom Brennan, in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

Cat Brennan

Cat Brennan currently resides in San Diego, California. She works as a freelance brand and content specialist and is pursuing her master’s in nutrition science at Tufts University.