I understand now..

I have to apologize to my parents. They are wonderful, loving, caring, supportive, fun, amazing people. They are also just a bit crazy. The crazy part I realize now, I am largely responsible for as are my two siblings. Let me explain.

See, growing up, I was a "good" kid. I didn't drink, smoke or do drugs. I didn't stay out til the wee hours of the morning very often and seldom broke curfew. Straight A student for most of my school career, national honor society, and graduated with a 3.92 GPA. Was a varsity swimmer and did photojournalism for the yearbook. I am not trying to brag about accomplishments in high school as they are really quite irrelevant, but trying to paint a picture of how I was back then. I was pretty square, or as my girlfriend would say, "preppy". Now I wasn't a total nerd or anything. It's not like I was in BAND or anything. But I was a good, normal, well-adjusted kid. For the most part. :P

Now I am sure you must be thinking to yourself, what a fabulous child! I wish my kids had been like that or will be like that! Its like every parents dream come true! Yet my parents and I still had our run ins. I still got myself in trouble. I still got grounded. I still drove them crazy. I didn't really understand it back then. How they could get upset over the little things that we didn't see eye to eye on when I was a good kid and didn't do all the other stuff that a lot of parents were having to deal with with their kids? I mean shouldn't they just be happy that I wasn't shooting up heroin and sneaking prostitutes into my bedroom at night?

I understand now. My kids are "good" kids too. They excel in school. They participate in sports and drama and choir at school. They are well behaved. I can take them anywhere and know they can be trusted to behave and make a good impression. Yet there are some things that we still don't see eye to eye on.. and they constantly do, or don't do when they are supposed to, that drives me insane.

Thinks like leaving their wet towel on the floor in their room after a shower. It needs to be hung up in the bathroom again. Even if they disagree on that point.. I told them to do it every day, so when I come home and there are the towels on the floor still, it drives me insane. They leave their radio on in their room. It doesn't matter if they are are home or not. It doesn't matter if they are in the living room on the computer with headphones on .. the radio in their room is STILL on. It doesn't matter how many times I tell them to turn it off when they are not listening or leaving the room.

When I was growing up .. there were two things I remember driving my mom insane. One was having drinks in the bedroom. I didn't agree with this policy. We were in a desert.. it was important to stay properly hydrated! So.. instead of listening and complying with this reasonable request from my parents, I snuck cans of soda into my room fairly often. Being the genius that I was, I didn't sneak the cans back out very often, so there were times my mom would stumble across my stash of empty cans.. and if I really think back.. I think I could actually see that level of crazy raising just a little bit more each time.

The second thing I remember driving my mom insane was me having the cieling fan on in the winter time. Now there are arguments for and against this.. circulating the air etc. My thing was I just liked the noise and the cool breeze. Even in the winter when the heat was on in the house. I am still that way to this day even living in WI. It could be -40 outside, I have the heat on pretty high, three blankets on the bed, just my eyes and nose peeking out of the blanket mummy wrappings I have made for myself, and I will still have a fan blowing right on me. For some reason though, I think just the though of a fan on in the winter time made my mom cold and thus drove her crazy when I would repeatedly turn it on all winter.

I am sure my parents could tell you many other things that drove them crazy that didn't seem a big deal to me and thus I didn't listen or follow what they said as often as I should have. Don't get me wrong, I did my fair share of stupid things when I was younger, I am just saying in general I was a good kid, as mine are today. Yet they still drive me crazy at times... sometimes over simple things.

So to my amazing parents, I am sorry for the crazy I caused. I understand now. The "I hope you have kids that act just like you" curse is apprently working. I hope you are happy :P