Childhood Flashbacks

I don’t know why, but I was sitting here tonight, reading something on Facebook in a parenting group about a defiant teenager with a cavalier attitude and I totally flashed back to my childhood…

When you are a teen, you NEVER think you will end up like your parents…I mean my gosh, they are SO uncool, and irrelevant and just…..STUPID!!!  Okay, I never thought my parents were stupid.  But I DID think they didn’t understand “my” generation!!! (insert sarcastic laugh here).

Boy, isn’t it funny how life bites you in the butt?!

Having kids turns your world upside down.  It levels they playing field, is a huge wakeup call and makes you see things in a whole new light.  I’m glad I have children, but there are times I look back at my own childhood and wonder how my parents did it all… But I have to admit… those were WAY simpler times and we had WAY more freedom and the rules were NOT negotiable….

For some reason, this Facebook post I read threw me RIGHT back to a time when my little brother was being..well… a SHIT!  He was about 16 and got a ticket and was put on restriction.  HOWEVER… having kids who drive is also a luxury to parents, so they sent my brother to the store to go pick up something.

He was gone a while, but no one said anything, and when he came home, he told my dad he got (another) ticket.  My dad said for what?

….now, before I go on with this story, I have to interject… My parents had FIVE children.  We lived in a super small, exclusive town and at one point, the town sheriff was harassing us.  And did I mention my dad was an attorney?

So, when my dad asked my brother this question, “For what?” I believe he assumed that Officer Moody (yes, that was his real name) was on the prowl again.  Only, my brother said, “for speeding” and my dad asked, “Where?” (and here is where it gets ugly).  My brother answered “Camelot”. (I’m laughing as I write, because I haven’t thought of Camelot in maybe DECADES).

Camelot was the Catch ALL play place.  Miniature Golf, bumper boats, batting cages, etc…   The kids would “cruise” there (looking for chicks/dudes, whatever).

Apparently, instead of just going to the store, my brother decided to cruise Camelot which was a good 10-15 mile drive from our house.  And when my dad said, “CAMELOT? What the hell were you doing over there?”  My brothers attitude was less than desirable and that was NOT okay!!!

MY DAD CAME UNHINGED!!!!

Now…if you ever knew a Romanian Family, you’d know the crazy that was about to be unleashed.

In that moment, when I saw my brothers crappy attitude, I was fit to be tied worse than my dad!  Before my dad could do anything to him, I flew at him in a fit of rage (I know this is shocking to hear for those of you who know how docile I am).  I screamed at him while SHOVING him in the chest all the way down the hallway.  I screamed at him for being a jerk and taking advantage of mom and dad’s trust and he never once lifted a finger at me.  He was so mad, he told me how he was going to kick my dad’s butt (okay, he said ass) and I said, “NO! You’re NOT.  Because you are in the wrong”  (okay, the words might have been a little harsher, but for the sake of the readers, I’m dialing it down).

I shoved my brother into his room screaming at him all the while.  After a bit of time, we both calmed down and we had a more civil conversation.  I think I convinced him to apologize to Dad.  But I made him stay in the room for a bit.

When I walked down the hall, my dad sat on the couch, looking at me.  I had no idea what he was thinking, because he was pretty livid at my brother.  When he finally spoke, he looked at me and said, “Remind me never to piss you off, because you are SCARY!”

I still laugh thinking about this story.   But as I am a mom now, I see it all so clearly.

My family was pretty volatile.  I have been in a physical fight with 3 of my four siblings.  And to see “the guys” in our house rolling down the hallway in a ball of fists and feet, was nothing unusual. To this day, my first instinct is to jump in!

I can’t imagine raising our kids in the same manner, but at the same time, our kids have missed out on the freedoms we had as kids.  Times are a’ changing that is for sure.

But I have no regrets from my childhood.  I don’t mind the fights, or arguments, because at the end of the day, we did love each other as a family.

I’m just glad I had a moment down memory lane.  It’s interesting looking back at it all from a parents perspective.  And truth be told… if I were my dad, I would have gotten to my kid before the sibling did.  But that’s just me!