Parental Guidance

Well, as of August 1st my birthday month officially began, and as I slowly creep towards 29, I have to admit that I've started feeling something...old. Okay, okay, so I'm not that old, but what I have noticed is something that we all fear as we are growing up. I'm going to tell a little story to illustrate this.

This is my father.

And yes, the little cutie patootie on the right is me. Anywho,when I was home for the holidays this year my dad had a sliver. He came into the kitchen and I watched him remove said sliver. He started by pouring peroxide into the cap of the bottle and dipping a needle and tweezers into the liquid to sanitize his tools. He then winced in pain as he worked to pull it out. Once the sliver was removed he poured the remaining peroxide over the wound, cleaned his tools, and all was good in the world again. This was the look that was left on my face:

At this point you're probably wondering why I'm telling you this story. Well friends, I was left with this perplexing look because this is EXACTLY how I would've handled my own sliver situation. What this small act made me realize was that I have become my parents (dun, dun, dun). I know. Scary right? 

There is an ongoing debate in psychology that is commonly referred to as nature vs. nurture. In other words, are we born with certain traits and characteristics or do we acquire them from our upbringing? Traits that I believe I have acquired via the nature path are as follows:

• Short Buddha legs- thanks Mom and Gung Gung
• Hairy legs- thanks Dad's Italian side
• Hong chin (which is a chin that looks like it just got smacked on your face, just look at all of my cousins below)- again from Mom and Gung Gung

• Curly hair- brought to you by Mom and Dad (not sure what happened in BV's DNA)
• Freckles- again from both sides of the family tree

But as I think more about my personality and beliefs, it becomes easy to see how my parent's nurturing has created the monster that is me :)

• Intellect- I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but yes, I consider myself to be smart. I know that I owe many of study habits and my love for devouring new knowledge to my parents. Both of my parents have worked in the education field, but more important than that is they instilled in me the idea that knowledge is power and learning is important. They've taught me to be curious which is something I am truly grateful for.
• Creativity- My dad is a writer, my mom is a chef and a quilter. Therefore, my sister makes costumes for a living and I have a closet overflowing with cake decorating supplies. Not only do I love to learn, but I love to be creative and explore (much to the dismay of people that get forced to craft with me like my cousin below). Kudos Mom and Dad!

• Political beliefs- I think most everyone knows how I feel about politics. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that your parents have an influence on your political beliefs, but my family apparently took things to the extreme because we had a teddy bear named Clinton and a stuffed beaver named Algore (all one word, mind you).
• Bargain hunting- Say what? That's not a family trait. Well, it is if you're in my family. For pretty much anything I own you can say, "Hey, I like your ________." And my response will be, "Thanks, I got it on sale for $____." I can't merely tell you that I appreciate your compliment, I must also let you know about the bargain/sale/coupon/additional percent off clearance that allowed me to purchase this product. And guess what? The whole family does it.
• Humor- I think my parents gave both my sister and I a very good sense of humor rooted around the idea that you should never take yourself too seriously. We like to have fun- to tease my Dad for his sweet dance moves and inability to whisper, and to laugh at my Mom's ridiculous charade abilities or random one liners. Our ability to laugh together is among my favorite family traits. (PS- Sorry Mom, I had to post this.)

• Sports enthusiast- Everyone knows the Pickle Family are Dodgers fans, but that's not all. Our neighbors could hear us yelling when the Utah Jazz were playing for the Championship, my Dad danced on the desks in his classroom the last time the Broncos won the Superbowl, and my mom's caller ID photo is still of her doing her best Tebow. The last time my sister was over at my apartment I watched her transform into my parents as she screamed at the Dodgers on T.V. "Are you eff-ing kidding me!?! What are you eff-ing swinging at!? That's a ball!" Yeah, Dad would've been proud. 
  

Well, what can I say? I am truly a product of my parents. But luckily, I think my parents are pretty fantastic and have instilled in me beliefs, values, and bits of personality that I am proud to say make me who I am. So the next time you see your dad taking out a sliver, or another act that reminds you frighteningly of yourself, don't worry, you're not the only one.