Just Like Me

As a kid, I talked a lot. I was annoying. Some would say I am still a chatterbox and annoying. My mom always told me that someday I would understand. Well... That time has come. I get it!

My son has every annoying habit I ever had plus the quirks he gets from his dad. Little Bear talks too much. He wakes up at what feels like the crack of dawn every day and starts his motor mouth. He chatters all day every day and sometimes he even talks in his sleep.

Photo by Fischelli Photography

During the school year, Little Bear regularly came home with an S for satisfactory or a U for unsatisfactory on his agenda for his behavior. Most days it was for talking and disrupting class. Papa Bear was always extremely concerned about this. I just remind Little Bear not to talk when he isn't supposed to and then we go on about our day. Papa Bear was at his whit's end one day about it and wondering why I was not more concerned. I finally tell him that I get it because that was me as a kid. Even into high school and college, I was regularly in trouble for talking in class. Even now, there are times I have a hard time not whispering to someone during church or a movie or a lecture if I have something to say. I try so hard to be quiet, but silence is not a skill I have acquired in my thirty-three years of life. So, multiple times a day Little Bear gets reminded to be quieter.

My Little Bear also tells it like it is. If he sees you doing something wrong he will tell you. It doesn't matter who you are. He has my habit of blunt honesty. At seven Little Bear is a little less blunt and a little nicer than I am in his honesty.

Little Bear also got my grouchy face. If looks could kill... His would and so would mine. I regularly get the evil eye and a mad face when I tell him to do something he does not want to do. Probably a normal kid thing, but the faces he makes are the spitting image of faces I make. Oh and the rolling of his sweet little eyes.

Little Bear got his listening skills from his father. You can tell him no and he thinks you said yes. He also gets his lack of attention from Papa Bear. He has a hard time sitting still and paying attention to his surroundings. Whether it is whose turn it is in a game, looking out the window in the car for wildlife, or listening Little Bear is not good at paying attention.

While my Little Bear is annoying just like me, he is also sweet and loving. He has a huge heart and cares about everyone. Even with all his good qualities, let it be a lesson to you that when your mother tells you that some day she hopes you kids will be just like you, it isn't usually a compliment. Try your best to be a little nicer and a little quieter and a little less of a pain in the butt because someday having a little person that is just like you will drive you nuts.