Parents

When I am with a group of people, and my mom is present, perhaps the scariest words she can say are, "Remember when..." At that point, it can go either way - good or bad. Those words can cause my blood pressure to rise like very few things can. On the one hand, she could say:

Mom: "Remember when you scored 46 points against Bayshore your junior year?"
Me: after a brief sigh of relief, "Yeah, I was feeling it that night."

But it could also go the other way:

Mom: "Remember when you cheated on your girlfriend with your best friend's girlfriend?"
Me: "Actually, I have spent the last 19 years trying to forget that. Thanks for bringing it up again, especially in front of my best friend."

What embarrassing things do your parents do to you?

Sons and Daughters

I have a pre-adolescent boy and a teenage daughter. Parenting them is pretty challenging, and sometimes overwhelming. I always thought that as a parent, I would issue a command, and my children would quickly run to obey simply because I am the coolest dad in the world and they love me so much that they always want to make me happy. That has happened at least zero times in my life.

But it is amazing to me how much I love my kids. I am proud of them, and I genuinely like them as people. I would hang out with them if I were their age. I was always a little worried that my kids might end up being like the people I can't stand being around, but that hasn't happened, and I am so grateful.