When you're younger, hanging out with your parents is never a cool thing. There comes a time, mostly during the teenage years, that you want to hang out with your friends and just "chill." The thought of hanging out with your parents can be sort of drab and dull. Now that I have kids of my own, there's been a shift in that thinking.
I have young parents, still in their early 50s. Hanging out with them, whether it be BBQs, holidays or just random get togethers, is always a treat. Here's why:
- My kids love seeing their grand parents. The excitement on their face and the anticipation they go through just waiting, waiting, waiting, to go to "Grammy's beach," "Pa No No's house to hear him play guitar" or "play at Na Na Pa's" is very cute. It's like the world is coming to end and the last thing they want to do is go visit their grandparents. They can't wait.
- When you get older and do have kids, you have more in common with your parents. You can share experiences and learn.
- You are more on the same level as your parents. You're an adult and can interact with them like an adult and not as "one of the kids." What does that mean? Well, you're not worried about throwing the occasional f-bomb around, asking them about all the crazy things they did as kids, etc. The parental-kid barriers are gone.
- Finally, there is so much you can learn from you parents: stuff about your family history; quirks that make you who you are; and, life in general. These moments are priceless for your kids and even more so for you as one day, you'll be the grandparents.
I'm hanging out with my pops this evening and this is what spawned this post. Going to try live tweet ideas, comments, quirky comments, etc. that relate to the above. Stay tuned. Class will be in session around 6pm.
What have you learned from your parents?