Things you notice...

I read on a blog the other day where the author said, “Sometimes I open my mouth and my mother comes out!” Isn’t it funny how true this can be? I have to admit, I don’t always notice, but sometimes it just hits me out of the blue. Like, for example, the other day when Emily got home from school and was telling me about her day. I wanted to stop her and tell her to slow down and breathe she was talking so fast and so much. This reminded me of a car trip with my husband where he said essentially the same thing to me after about a half an hour of driving and talking!!! Funny the things we notice coming out in our kids. My parents will always comment on how Emily slouches at the table when she eats…just like her mother did. Or, it’s funny to see how Emily is always saving tiny pieces of fabric, ribbon or beads. Anything that is pretty, just like her Grandma Lucille. Yesterday, Emily kind of laughed while she was telling me a story about school. Then, she stopped and said, “Oh, I sound just like Mom when I laugh like that, and that’s bad!” Ha, ha.


A funny thing that Carter likes to do is to play tricks on me. Just like his Dad. If either one of them can think of a way to trip me up, they take it!! Like telling me that he has to retake a test or something when he really got an A. Or Al telling me something came up and he won’t be home until late, when he is really out in the driveway. Both Al and Carter also “see outside of the box.” They can look at something, electronic or mechanical and “see” where things should go and how they should work. I, on the other hand, get frustrated on my first try and hand it off to one of them to make it work.

It’s ironic how when Al was a child, he loved Spaghettios so much, his mom got him a matching Spaghettios bowl and spoon to eat them with. And Casey could eat can after can, lunch, dinner, lunch, dinner. He definitely didn’t get that from me!

Another thing that is apparent in our children is their love for loud rock and roll music. Every time Al turns the stereo on they all come running and say, “Louder Dad!.” Emily even went so far as to say that Mom listens to stuff that can put you to sleep!!! Madonna will not put you to sleep thank you very much.

My co-worker, Kathy, notices food habits in her children. Her son Ian hates mayonnaise and pickles, just like his dad. But her daughter, Erin, loves them, just like she does! Erin also loves to go to Kathy’s parents’ farm and spend the day with all the little animals running around. Kathy said the barn and the baby kitties were always where you could find her growing up.

Beth comments that her oldest boy, Russ, from the moment he had the coordination to sleep with his arms crossed behind his head he has. Just like Dad and Grandma do. Her other son, Jedd, is a leg crosser, just like Grandpa.

Sarah’s daughter, Grace has such a tender heart for animals that she was upset after they hit an animal on the road last week. And even I’ve heard the story of Sarah playing with a woodchuck when she was little. Turns out it wasn’t really alive, but I’m not sure she knew that! She can’t seem to keep her son Ethan out of the puddles and dirt piles. All the stories of her husband growing up corroborate that he was like this, too.

Unlike me, Janette had two sisters growing up, one of which has children now, too. She says it’s funny to get together and see their kids together. She’ll be on the floor playing with them and her sister’s daughter will say or do something and Janette does a double take. She has to stop and ask herself, “Now where am I?” Or should I say, “When am I?” because it will be so much like being with her sister as a child that it’s hard to remember that this is her sister’s daughter she is playing with.

Of course, not all of the mannerisms and habits I notice are great. Sometimes I hear them say something or see them do something and think, “I must do that. They must have heard that from me. Oh, I don’t want them to be like that. I need to stop that.” Like, fussing at the dog or complaining about other drivers on the road, for instance. Our children can really be mirrors for us, reflecting some of best and worst qualities along with many of their own.

I love to watch my children grow and change and become more their own person every day. The part of them that is like me makes me proud and at the same time makes me want to do and be better for them. What do you notice passing on through the generations in your families?