What It's Like Growing Up With 'Youthfully-Blessed' Parents
People sometimes age like vampires and it's both a blessing and a curse. For the kids of those age-defying people, it's an agility course, dodging awkward first-impressions and uncontrollable laughter.
My mother is about half my size, coming in around 4'11" or 5'. For a woman her age, the only thing that really defines her age is the grey hairs attached to her head, and she loves them. Over the years, she has learned to love the thing that most women and men try to prevent from happening: aging. On the other hand, my father has appeared to stay exceptionally young as well with his lack of visible grey hairs and mainstream dad bod. Both of them go to the gym frequently as a hobby and go out during the weekends to go dancing at clubs. As a college student, I barely have the time or motivation to do these things. Seeing them do that (willingly) and manage two kids aside from me, work, and pay bills, it's hard to pretend that they're possibly not vampires.
Brushing past my theory, though, I admit having youthful parents has its pros and cons. You are often mistaken as their sibling or any other relation that you're obviously not. People in my situation have to awkwardly comply in these scenarios because it's too much work to really explain the whole situation.
The checkup at a new clinic turns into a cringy first impression as the nurse hands the clipboard to you or asks where is your parent is as they are sitting right next to you. But everything goes easy and alright when everyone laughs (you specifically half-heartedly because this has turned into a routine) and the nurse happily apologizes, sometimes simultaneously stating to your mother, "you look so young! You guys can pass as sisters."
Sometimes someone would go beyond those lines and say that my mom could pass as the "younger sister" or the "baby."
Okay, but she's my ma, and you're implying that I look somewhat older when I'm not.
But you don't say anything because every adult deserves a compliment about their aging. It's the least you can do about that funny situation.
On the other hand, going out and doing errands with my father have turned into a dread in the back of my mind as time moves on. People are more accepting and aware of sugar daddies and babies in real life, and it's taken a toll on my experiences.
Recently, my dad bought alcohol for a family party we were hosting, and I thought it would be fun to join him and get my own stash of food to binge on while I was staying at my parents' place. The lady at the register asked us for our IDs—my dad is 40, sitting almost two decades past the legal age of consuming and purchasing alcohol while I am 19 at this point in time.
My dad told her he was my dad and she roared, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't think that."
Never again, I thought as I bagged our groceries.
People outside your family circle make it difficult to compose yourself when these types of mistakes are taken seriously. Getting a library card really got to me because the person at the desk kept telling my mother we needed an adult or a person over the age of 18 to renew a library card. I was laughing as it was all happening so the person couldn't take my mother seriously even after she protested until my younger brothers came in, calling her "mommy."
Aging is such an interesting thing. I don't understand how my parents managed to slow it down immensely. I just hope I can maintain that kind of power over my body.
