I go to a lot of teenagers' houses in order to further their math education. And I hear quite a few of them blurting out, "Dad (or Mom) will you stop that!?!", usually in unabashed embarrassment and shame at their parents' behavior. Personally, I find the parents amusing, but the teenagers usually don't.
I was recently trying to think if I'd ever experienced such a moment in my teenage years, and the one that came to mind, and made me smile, is this:
The family was gathered in the living room of a Friday night, listening to music and dancing and generally having a good time. Daddy was leaning in the kitchen doorway, merry in his cups, and watching us all have fun. Then the phone rang. "Joe's Pool Hall," Daddy answered, "Your nickle, shoot." To my embarrassment, it was a babysitting client on the other end of the line, calling about a weekend engagement. Fortunately, the woman couldn't see my red cheeks, but when I hung up I said, "Daddy, would you stop that?" I later discovered that the woman found Daddy's little bit of humor utterly charming.
I honestly don't remember being embarrassed by their behavior very much; or maybe I've just blocked unpleasant memories!
1 comment:
Well, I remember being embarrassed by our parents, and now I have the good fun of embarrassing MY teenagers! It's just the nature of teens to want to be accepted, even if that means hiding who they really are, and even though they might think we're hilarious at home, they definitely don't want their friends and acquaintances to know how weird their family is. I say, "Be weird! Normal is boring." :-)
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