Have you Noticed Yourself Acting Like Your Parents?

[Wildest Bill]

Or worse yet other people noticing that you are acting like your parent(s). My wife says I look just like my dad sometimes when I get angry. The other thing I noticed is that I pop my two girls toes and fingers just like my Dad did to me when I was little. They use to hate it and now of course they pop their own knuckels. I feel terrible but is it my fault or my dad's fault I did that? And now will they do the same thing to their kids? Is popping you kids toes and fingers now a Wildest Bill family tradition?

Well anyway sometimes I catch myself saying the same things my dad did that were so corny like "up and Adam" I hated that expression I mean hated it but a couple months back I said it to my kids and I felt like such a dork swearing to never say that again. What is up with this? Have you noticed or has other people noticed that you act like your parents?

[SoMoMom]

No. Never. Why would you think so?

"SoMoKid get your...*biting tongue* self down from there before you break your neck!" (I think that was the very first thing that flew out of my mouth directly from my mother's.)

[kasuo]

From dad: quick temper and nonsensical expressions.
From mom: tendency to repeat things or say again.

[Angkins]

Been there.... done that!

Promptly ran screaming from the room when I realized I had become my mother..... frantically searched the yellow pages for a therapist. Gave up my seach and accepted my fate.

[AuntiePam]

Not me, Angkins. I'll be kicking and screaming, begging for drugs, liquor, anything -- before I'll pick up some of mom's habits.

Actually, it's not that bad, but like Kasuo, I have a mom who repeats herself. She does this two ways -- she'll say the same thing twice, once and then again, right away, for emphasis, or to be sure I heard. (?)

And she'll repeat the other way too -- same anecdote, over and over again.

And she always has to be in charge, even though the people around her are quite capable.

Another trait that bothers me is she never fails to let everyone know when she does something nice or gives someone money. (With her, it's usually money.)

I'm making an effort not to bore people with repetition, and to let others (including my grown kids) take charge and lead the way sometimes. And I try not to toot my own horn when I've been generous to someone.

[Anti Pro]

No! :eek:

[poohpah chalupa]

I'm slowly turning into a combination of my boss and my father, to which I can only say:

"YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eo Echo]

I am taking on my parents' characteristics, but thankfully only the worst ones.

[JosephFinn]

I rub my face and then my chin, looking over my hand as it covers my mouth and chin as I wonder why this person is saying such a crazy or inane thing.

I get that from my father, who has the benefit of taking off his glasses with his other hand to complete the gesture.

[2sense]

I don't notice it but I probably do act like my father. I find that my wife is acting more like her parents now that we are getting into our 30's. That's OK, I checked her mom out before we got hitched. If you can't stand the mom, be careful with the daughter.

[JavaMaven1]

I act quite a bit like my mom, a combination of good and bad traits. Same smile, make the same "hmmmph" sound when we stop to think in a conversation, and even say "Gaaaawddammit!" the same way when we're pissed.

[Charley]

Horrible confession...

I see this happening to me more and more often. Typical example - when I was a child, travelling with my mum in the car used to irritate me because she didn't like music playing. She always used to switch to the talk stations (play for today, lots of news, discussion programmes etc.). Now if I am driving a long distance, I find that I prefer to hear speaking voices, rather than music, a lot of the time. Yes, at the grand old age of 30 I like to listen to old politicians debating morality. aaaaaargh.

[Duke]

My dad always moves his hands around in the air when he's talking ("talking with his hands" we call it). I managed to exist 26 years without doing it...but now I'm doing it. Eventually I'm going to have to tie my hands down to stop myself. At least I haven't degraded myself as far as my sister--she "talks with her hands" WHILE SHE'S DRIVING--needless to say I won't ride when she's driving anymore.

[SoMoMom]

Gesticulating...Yes, I got that from my dad. But since I started doing it as a youth I feel it is my own atrform now. :)

[DavisMcDavis]

Originally posted by Wildest Bill


Well anyway sometimes I catch myself saying the same things my dad did that were so corny like "up and Adam" I hated that expression I mean hated it but a couple months back I said it to my kids and I felt like such a dork swearing to never say that again.

My father always used to say "Up and At 'Em!" every morning, but I always thought he was saying "Up and Adam" - which, apparently, you think as well. I never thought about how stupid and meaningless it was, thinking that it was just some corny thing my dad said in the morning, but never pausing to wonder what Adam had to do with the morning. Then when I was about 15 or something I finally thought about it and realized that it did, in fact, mean something, because it was "Up and At 'Em" as in, "Get Up and Get At Them!" which is corny but not entirely meaningless.

Anyway, I'm glad to see someone else made the same error. Or maybe you were being funny, ida know.

As for me acting like my parents, as I've grown older I've noticed that, but I also realize how great my parents were, and I'm glad that I inherited some things from them, like the politeness and thoughtfulness of my mother and how she treated houseguests has also been second nature to me via Mom-osmosis, so I think that's a good thing. And my father's easy-going nature, as well. I've managed to avoid saying "Up and At 'Em [or Adam]" though. ;)

[Tzel]

Originally posted by Duke
My dad always moves his hands around in the air when he's talking ("talking with his hands" we call it). I managed to exist 26 years without doing it...but now I'm doing it. Eventually I'm going to have to tie my hands down to stop myself. At least I haven't degraded myself as far as my sister--she "talks with her hands" WHILE SHE'S DRIVING--needless to say I won't ride when she's driving anymore.

Yeah, that's bad. My father gesticulates while driving too, but I think I can even do you one better. He talks with his hands on the phone.

[Olentzero]

Mrs. O has never met my father, but she knows much about him. She has standing orders to divorce and then shoot me if I ever start down that path.

That having been said, he and I do share many of the same characteristics, and that's a self-awareness I find extremely unpleasant. But I'd rather have that self-awareness than not! At least now I can do something to cope with it :)

[mk9kahr]

Yep. I got the heavy drinking and smoking from my dad, and the total lack of organization from my mom. Sh!t. 26 years old and doomed....

[Michi]

My father is a the type of guy who never lets anything bother him, and he has been living as a beach bum for the last 10 years in Hawaii. I WISH I acted more like him.

[herownself]

The thing that really scared me was when I started talking to strangers. In the store, usually. Or in any kind of line. When I was a teen, I thought my mom did that on purpose to humiliate me.

The funny thing is that she felt the same way when she was a teen about her father. So, not only am I turning into my mom, I'm turning into my grandfather!

[ReservoirDog]

I definitely have the same sense of humor as my father, and the same quiet manner. Neither of us particularly like to be asked the question, "So, what are you thinking?"

If I thought that my thoughts were worth sharing I would verbalize.

Of course, I've always been like that.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I sound more and more like my dad as time goes by, but as he was a pretty cool pop who died way too young, I don't mind a bit

[tatertot]

I'm always singing goofy songs to the kids, just like my dad did when we were little. When people ask me what I want for birthdays/xmas/ect. I reply "peace and quiet", just like he does. I'm also a very generous tipper and host, just like my Dad and Mom. I find myself making way too much food for parties (like Mom) and forcing huge plates on people when they leave. I also make it a point to talk to every little child I see, just like my parents do.

On the negative side, I'm very impatient, just like my father and compulsively on time. And I take on way too much work, just like my mother and sometimes blow up when it gets to be too much. I hated it when she did that...I'm working on not doing it anymore.

And now, it's trickling down to the third generation. My son is always saying "Would you turn that down? We're not deaf here." Just like Mommy (and her Mommy and Daddy). Drives his rapidly going deaf father nuts!

[Duke]

Originally posted by Tzel
My father gesticulates while driving too, but I think I can even do you one better. He talks with his hands on the phone.

Phew! Not only does my dad gesticulate (why couldn't I think of that word before? *smack*) on the phone, I swear that he does it in an even more exaggerated manner while on the phone. Dads, eh?