Mother to Mother

In what ways are you like your mother? And if you’re a mother, how is/are your kid(s) like you?

Oh dear.  There are so many ways to respond to a prompt like this one!  Here we go ..

To start with, Mom and I both like to write.  She is much better than I am and she is an inspiration to write more frequently.   As a child I would be lulled to sleep by the sound of her typing in the next room on her blue Selectric.   As a preschooler I remember typing up a page full of random letters.  I then handed it to her and asked what I had written.  If she were a few years younger I’m positive she would’ve been one heck of a blogger!

Family Portrait circa 1975:  That's me in the dorky Peter Pan collar and the bad hair cut

Mom raised independent children.  To this day I’m not sure if that was really her goal, or if 70s –style parenting was just a lot more hands off than today’s style is.  In any case, I’ve done my best to give my kids a Diane-esque upbringing like I got.   Participate in scouting and school activities.  Take academics serious (but not too seriously).  Take responsibility for yourself, ESPECIALLY when it hurts.  And every now and then randomly sing “Oh ee oh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang” in the kitchen.

 

I sound like Mom a lot too.  Her words can fly out of my mouth without warning at any moment.  When angry I will call out to my child by their first, middle, and last name plus “get down here right this minute!”  When one of my darlings tells me something isn’t fair I respond without missing a beat with “Nobody ever said life was fair.”  When someone says they’re cold Mom says in my voice “Well put some clothes on, Dimwit”.    

Add caption

My own kids follow in my footsteps in their own ways.  They’re all analytical with mad-skills in math and science, plus they each write well.  Two of the three take their lives very seriously, self-monitoring their own progress and achievements, just like me.  The third will get there eventually.   They are all driven batty by inefficiencies, just like me .. that’s our overly analytical side at work, always seeking out the better way to do things.   Luckily they got the best traits from their Dad too, including humor and resiliency, two things I lack.