our parents were kids once too…

Ever since I had Penny I’ve been having these weird relatable moments to my parents.  I heard this a million times…you never really understand your parents until you become one.  I mean I find myself saying things my mom said in the same tone, which I expected.  More than that, I see these old photographs of my mom and dad holding us as babies.  My mom was 22 when she had my brother…that is SIX years younger than me when I had Penny!  What the crap?  I think of myself at 22 and im like “oh dear Lord, thank god THAT girl didn’t have a kid!”.  My mom was 30 when she had me and im only 2 years away from that age.

My point is…brett and I are taking a billion family photos and sometimes I step back and think about how one day penny is going to look at them and be like “whoa! look how young mom and dad look!”  “Look at moms hair!”  “Dad was so funny!”.  We’re just a couple of young pups carrying around this baby girl.

Our parents were there too.  they were young pups, and then there it is this strange moment where I realize that my mom and dad weren’t always JUST mom and dad.  They were Teri and Richard and im probably right in saying that when we went to bed at night they were goofy and weird and themselves.  more than we will ever know.

I hung out with my mom today and she gave me something I have been lusting after for a good portion of my life.  she gave me a box of her old 45s from when she was a kid.  After we hung out I busted the box open and began to play through each LP.  I got through about 2 before I got a little weepy.  There was something about sitting and listening to these singles that my mom loved WAY before she ever knew me.  Then I realized I was bobbing my head in that sweet Motown groove the way my mom used to when I was a kid and a song came on that I distinctly remember her singing and i probably said something like “you made that song up” to which she replied “I did not, its a real song” and probably told me who sang it, but I thought my mom was too much of a nerd to listen.

knowing that these records meant something to my mom during her teenage years made me feel oddly connected to her…and I cant wait to share them with penny.  I wish I had something cool to hand down to her.  here penny, this is my iTunes username and password? and Ill probably have a much harder time convincing her that “mr. bombastic” was in fact a hit song when I was in jr. high.  sad.  things just aren’t as cool anymore.

all of that to say.  sometimes I get a glimpse behind the scenes and it makes me know my parents in a way that is special and new. and I like it.