Monday Musings: Swore I would never repeat my parents words..........

As my children get older, I hear myself more and more often saying things that my parents used to say to me. Usually it's my own variation on what they said, but quite often it is word for word verbatim of what they used to say to me. Every time I find myself doing it I try hard not to laugh, for fear of ruining the crucial teaching moment I am having with my children, but the laughter is there.
How many times growing up did I SWEAR to them that I would NEVER say those things to my own kids? How many times did I tell them how horrible of parents they were because they dared to hold me accountable for my own actions? How many times did I yell and scream at them for being unfair or hypocritical or mean or they I knew they were just doing it to pick on me? How many times did I scream that I couldn't wait to have kids so I could show them how you were supposed to raise a child?
Well here I am, 36 years old, with 4 (sometimes 5) children in my home, children that I am responsible for until they are at least 18, but most likely longer, and I catch myself saying the things to them that I was so sure I would never say.

-"Are you the parent? No, I am, so stop bossing your brother around."
-"Did you even use your eyes to look for the shoes that are sitting 5 feet away from you?"
-"Hi hungry, I'm Dad."
-"Did you do your homework? Prove it!"
-"Don't you dare slam the door on me in MY house."
-"My names Dad, not Dude."
-"I know you don't believe me, but I do know what you are going through, and I promise things will get better."
-"Well I'm sorry you feel that way, but as long as you're in my house, you'll live by my rules. No, you're too young to move out. No, you wont be able to get a job. You can't even keep up with the 3 chores you have here, and you think you can go get a real job?"
-"I know fractions are hard, but yes you will use them in real life."
And on and on and on and on and...............................

So to my parents I say, thank you. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for raising me to always be the best version of me that I can be. Thank you for giving me the tools to raise my own children. Thank you for giving me my sense of humor. Thank you for always loving me, even when you don't like me in that moment. And mostly, thank you for never giving up on me.
-Daddy (Byron)

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