With Mother’s Day come and gone, and Father’s Day on the horizon, now is the time to answer the question hanging over young adults’ heads: Is it weird to hang out with my parents, even though I’m an adult now?
The answer: of course not.
If you’re like me, the cycle of appreciation you have for your parents has been more like a long, dragging trek the older you get. As we grew into our tween and teen years, the same people we had always depended on became “uncool” or “embarrassing.”
If we’re being honest here, it was really the other way around.
Teenagers are a little lost, to say the least, and most don’t comprehend how amazing their parents can be. High school days are just memories of how we tried so hard to create distance between ourselves and them.
Sometimes this continues into the next years, usually college. But now, the older I get, the more I enjoy time with and around my parents.
If you open yourself up to the perspective that your parents are people in addition to their roles, you can get to know them as relative equals, and build a stronger relationship.
Chances are, you have so much in common with them that it won’t even feel like you’re going to dinner with Mom, but with a kind of friend.
Case-in-point: My family and I celebrated Mother’s Day by spending the afternoon and evening hanging out, shopping, and visiting some of our favorite places. It was a relatively simple day, but there wasn’t a single moment when I felt like I had to be there, or that I wasn’t enjoying myself.
Having what my dad calls “Memory Days” as a family now means that I get to spend time with some of my favorite people. People who understand me, who I am comfortable around, and who love me unconditionally.
If you can, imagine all the references to inside jokes and past experiences that only they know about. Almost nothing is off-limits, and what is can always be pushed…
No, I don’t consider my parents my friends. They are so much more.
This isn’t to say that all parent-child relationships are great, good, or even okay. So, if you weren’t as lucky as I was to get such supportive and loving parents, please substitute in your version or representation of parents.
Regardless of your specific situation, the people that took care of us and loved us have had to put up with attitudes and issues they didn't deserve.
I am so thankful that it is just a phase, and that the other side of it all is even better than I could’ve imagined.
I know that the future isn’t certain and that there is a good chance that I won’t always be able to see and spend time with them, but that just motivates me to appreciate the time we do have.
Our parents shape our lives, usually for the better, and will, after the designated amount of time, no longer be defined as “uncool” or “embarrassing.” They will be and should be, acknowledged as the hard-working role models they are.
Here’s to drinking wine with Mom to unwind, and joking around (trying not to cringe at all the puns) with Dad. Trust me, it’s all worth the wait and stress of growing up.
