I was out with my family this afternoon and took notice of something very particular. It seems that without even trying, I’ve come to mimic and repeat some of the things that my parents did in my youth. It took doing some of these things to realize it, as I had forgotten most of the little details. They say that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. But this isn’t always a bad thing.
We were out at a local fast-food restaurant this afternoon so that my son Nathan could burn off some energy in their play structure. I’m certainly not trying to endorse the consumption of fast-food, but sometimes you need to mix it up and do something different. That, and it was too damn cold to play at an outdoor park. And Nathan genuinely does enjoy meeting new children and climbing through the play structure.
I remember that as a child, we used to hit up our local fast-food chain restaurant once a week. In the early 80’s it was considered “the thing”. I honestly used to dread having my father come home and all of us hopping in the car. I had a strong dislike for the routine and the monotony of always eating at the same place.
The irony is that once I reached my twenties, I actually worked at that location and ended up managing it. The important lesson is that I didn’t know enough to appreciate those outings or how important it was to my family as a whole.
But I’ve noticed some of the similarities in my life to my parents and it’s almost a bit creepy. My mother is French-speaking and married to an English-speaking redheaded man. I’m a French-speaking man who married a redheaded English-speaking woman. That’s only one example.
Our parents do their best to pass on the better parts of themselves while raising us. That’s not always easy and as children, we don’t always understand how much of an impact the little things in our youth may have on us later on in life. ☯
