We’re One of Them Now

When we were children growing up, we watched our parents and thought, “Why do they do those silly things they do?” The music they listened to was drab, boring, or just plain comical. And please don’t let them get up and dance. They looked like broken dolls or machines that were in need of oil. Sometimes we would laugh and other times we would hide in the closet or under a table and close our eyes thinking maybe if we couldn’t see them, they would just mysteriously vanish.

And what about those outlandish rules to “help us fit in and cope with society.” Is there a way to cope with society? We wondered why we had to be home by 10:00 just because it was a school night. They could get you there and make you go to bed on time, but who said anything about sleep, right? You had your lamp and television. Once those older people fell asleep, they would never know the difference. 

Speaking of older people, do you remember how old you thought your parents were? They would try to play frisbee or football with you, and you could hear their moans and groans across the field. Why did they do that to themselves? They should have stayed inside and relaxed. Maybe they could have read a book. They always told us to. Or maybe they should have been doing their homework.

And what of friends coming over? You ran in the door with them, and you tried your best to become invisible as you slipped past the living room. Halfway down the hall, just when you thought you had made it, you hear the voice. “Honey , aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend?” You slowly saunter back to where your mother is and say, “Oh, Mom, didn’t see you. This is Karen from school. We have to go now.”  She takes you by the arm and says “You and your little friend should come into the kitchen and have cookies and milk.” WHAT! We are too old for cookies and milk, and we are too young to be hanging out with this old person talking about how pretty and sweet we are and how we need to let her take us shopping. But we silently shuffle into the kitchen and flop down into a chair, my friend glaring at me the entire time. She won’t be back.

As life goes on and you marry, you ponder all these things in your mind and think to yourself, “I will never, ever embarass my children that way. Kissing them in public and wanting to hang out with them. Why, that’s absurd! Why do parents do those silly things?” Then you put it to the back of your mind and your life rolls on.

One sunny day, you pull up to the high school to drop off your son. You lean out to give him a big hug and kiss and he shrugs you off and glares at you like you are the devil himself. You leave the school feeling somewhat sad and bewildered. How could your baby do that to you. As you are driving slowly to work( don’t want to get into an accident or get a ticket, you know) you find yourself scanning radio stations.  Suddenly you hear an old, familiar tune. Your feet start tapping on the pedals and your body starts to move. Then you find yourself singing at the top of your lungs. At the end of the song, the radio announcer reminds you that this is the oldies. No way!  This is what I’ve been listening to since school.

As you pull into the parking lot of work, you think of the things you do now. You tell your children when to be home. You miss them terribly because they no longer want to hang out with you. You make them eat carrots because they are good for their eyes. And yes, you try fitting into their group of “little friends”. And suddenly it hits you like a great big asteroid right out of the sky….you are one of them now!