One time I went out with friends and we were all having a blast, we were all laughing, singing to the songs we recognized and dancing our hearts out. We were at a LGBT friendly nightclub and the cool thing about those clubs is that they have gender neutral bathrooms so it was my first time being a guy walking into the girls bathroom freely It wasn’t too different as the men’s restroom it was a unique experience. The restrooms were packed with people and my friends and I were all waiting to use the toilets, while we were waiting I started to notice that this other partygoer walked up to my friend Mariah and offered her a free beer that this guy had bought for her and my friend Mariah took the beer with glee, I immediately declined for my friend Mariah to the girl who offered this free beer to her and I asked her to give it to someone else. Mariah got upset with me and was said to me “Why are you such a Dad?” I was not trying to be a Dad I was just trying to protect my friend I have heard stories about how people can get date raped, or receive harmful drugs in their drinks at nightclubs so I was trying to be protective of my friend because I didn’t want to see harm inflicted upon her. That’s when I realized that I am the Parent of the group. If you feel like you’re the parent of your social circle of friends here’s a list of 10 things that I have listed that confirms you are indeed the Parent of the group.

1. You are always volunteering to be the Designated driver, Yes when your friends go out you are not afraid to go out to a nightclub and bust some moves but you don’t need alcohol to have fun, embrace your difference and understand it does not make you lame it’s what makes you comfortable.
2. You always give the best advice, when your friends have an issue you are the first person they think of to contact when they need some helpful constructive advice. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them as well, you just happen to always know the right thing to say when they need to hear it.
3. Spontaneity is not always ok with you; you like to plan things out. Lets say your friends want to take a roadtrip to another state, they are all like “let’s go! It’s going to be amazing!” You know you’re the parent of the group when you ask “whose car are we taking?” “Who’s paying for gas and how are we going to handle the food?” “Have you gotten your car oil changed and your tires rotated?” “Where are we sleeping when we get to our destination and how long will we be there?” Yeah, you may sound like the buzz kill but you’re not trying to shoot the idea down, you just want to know how is this all going to work out, planning is your thing.
4. You’re overprotective of your friends, you monitor who they date and you make sure that they are always safe, you tell them the brutal truth, and you push them to be better people, You don’t mean to come off overbearing you just want what’s best for your friends. Also if you hear someone speak ill of your friends when they are not there to defend themselves you have no fear to step in and settle that disrespectful nonsense.
5. You enjoy cooking a big dinners for your friends besides going out to get some fast food, you always seem to know what’s healthy and what’s not healthy and you persuade them to eat their greens and fruits.
6. You enjoy a clean living space so you take pride when you clean your environment and when you are spending time with friends at their house you can’t help but want to clean up their space if you feel like it’s messy.
7. You catch yourself primping your friends, when you’re out and you notice your friend has something in their nose or face you have no problem invading their space and letting them know that they are in need of your parental services.
8. You are always late in the fashion trends, music, and modern slang. This doesn’t make you lame it makes you an old soul, and that’s ok.
9. You are always dependable, whenever your friends are in need you always try your best to go over and beyond to make them happy and comfortable. You are always on time, and tend to take it personal when others don’t respect your quality time.
10. You are very loving, you remember birthdays, anniversaries, and you are always their through the good times and bad times to cheer your friends up or cheer them on. You genuinely want to see your friends do well in life it brings you a since of honest joy.