There is a time in everyone’s lives where we think, “I’m not going to be like my parents.” Whether it’s their thoughts and opinions on something or how they disciplined us when we did something wrong, everyone thinks they will be different. Of course, in some ways, we are different from our parents. We were all born and raised in different generations, had different life experiences, and for the most part, we have different tastes in everything. At the end of the day though, we are our parent’s children. Whether we have different personalities or not, we had to have gotten something from them, right?
For me, it is inevitable that I will turn into my mother. We have different taste in music, clothing, and even in people in general. Our personalities have clashed a lot in the past because we are very similar, and thankfully, I have my dad to break up our petty arguments. Not that I consider myself much older now, but when I was a teenager, especially around 15 and 16, I couldn’t wait to get out of my house and be away from my parents. I thought all they did was nag me and they were always complaining that I was doing something wrong. I hated listening to their advice because I was too stubborn to realize that it would help me in the future.
Somehow, some things got through. I have many similar values that my parents have and am very thankful that they raised me the way they did. The more people I meet in life, I grow even more appreciative that I have the parents that I do. My mom would always tell me stories about when she was in her teens and 20s and how she was the more mature and responsible one that all the parents trusted. I somehow managed to end up the same way. She taught me what to do or not do in certain situations, what to be careful about and overall, how to stay out of trouble. Of course, many things I had to try and learn for myself, but I always have my moms voice in the back of my head.
Christina Zullo, a sophomore communication major, said, “Every time I yell at my boyfriend, it might as well be my mom yelling at him.”
Keri Mullin, a junior accounting major, also agrees that she is turning into her parents. “It’s silly, but I used to go in and out of stores when I went shopping. Now, I take six hours in just one store, just like my mom does.”
Mullin added, “I have a very similar personality to my dad as well. We can both be stubborn, I like things to go my way.”
Rebecca Stanford, Associate Professor of communication, said, “Families of origin have a significant influence on our behavior. We often revert to those patterns of behavior that are most familiar for us without even realizing it. So, our parents’ behaviors, types of speech, references, and so forth are familiar and likely to pop up in our own talk and behavior for that reason.”
At times, I will be doing or saying something here at school and I think, “Wow, it’s like my mom came down from North Jersey and said this.” How I react and deal with things are almost identical in how I know my parents would react in the same situations. Of course, I have my own personality and my own life, but it is apparent that how I am is very much shaped by them.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized that you are absolutely a product of where you came from, and I could never express how glad I am to have come from where I did. I don’t think my parents could have done a better job raising my brothers and I, so I guess it’s not that bad ending up to be just like them.
