My adult children say that I have a cliche for every occasion. They don’t mean it as a compliment but, nonetheless, I’ll take it as such. Their derision aside, as I watch my sons sprawled out on my couch, limbs akimbo, I can only think, “The more things change the more they stay the same.”
5 ways my adult sons remind me of their younger selves
1. They still fight
Earlier in the day, when they walked in, my eldest son decided to tell his youngest brother that as between the two of them he was still the stronger. Then he said something like, “I can still take you-let’s go” before they fell to the ground wrestling.
This threw me back to the before times when I felt like all I did was referee fights. It used to bother me tremendously on two accounts: One, I thought my children were too physical and far too violent with each other and two, I was always convinced we were about to spend the evening in the ER. And who has time for that???
At this point, I maintain that it’s ridiculous behavior and that I will never understand it, but I’ve also accepted that it’s a “brother thing.” Moreover, any ensuing injuries are, as my children love to tell me, a them problem not a me problem.
2. Video games are still a thing
They will still play video games. I used to worry that they were being completely compromised by the number of hours they spent in front of those mindless games. But now that they are all gainfully employed and superbly socialized, they still love to get back in game playing mode-if only for the time they are home. And I no longer need to worry that those hours on video games will damage their young minds beyond repair. They are fully cooked.
3. They still make a beeline for the refrigerator
They walk in the door and open the refrigerator as if they are still growing 6 inches a year. They have continued to be constantly ravenous. Not only that, but they still review each item in the fridge as if they work for the FDA. Anything that is one nanosecond past its “best by” date is reviled with exclamations of great disgust and quickly tossed.
Everything else is subject to full scrutiny, as if they still lived in the place. And why, they want to know, don’t mom and dad still carry the yogurt they like?
4. They still don’t like change, at least when it comes to their old home
They are completely stunned, and I might add, desperately unhappy about any changes to the home they grew up in. The beautiful new blue couch that has replaced the beat-up, ugly, torn, brown couch that was in the den meets with great scorn and disappointment. Apparently, mom and dad are potted plants and should be in exactly the same position surrounded by the same furniture as when the children left for college 10 years ago. They, of course, can come and go and move and change but WE are supposed to maintain the status quo at home.
5. They still love the family pet (maybe that’s why they really come home)
The adult children still love the family pet the most. They can talk or text with us, so often the dog is secretly the real reason they have to come home. When they were young the first thing they did when they walked through the door after school was head straight for the dog for a hug and some play time. Nothing has changed. The dog still holds their heart, has the first call on their attention and we wouldn’t change a thing.
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