by Danyelle Little

Are You Turning into Your Mother?

Tell-tale signs you're becoming more like your own mom than you ever dreamed you would

Last week while talking to my daughter for the umpteenth time about the importance of cleaning up her room, I felt a bit of familiarity that was too close to home.

I began to have that dramatic shrill that my mom used to have when she chastised me about something. My hand was placed firmly on my hip and my finger was moving to-and-fro as if I was painting in the air, and I had to pause. These are the same exact things my mom used to do when she chewed me out.

I'm turning into my mother!

I promised myself when I was younger that I wouldn't be the mom my mother was. Not that my mom wasn't a great mom -- she was. I guess I just was determined to do things differently. Like the time she made me sit at the table for three hours because I refused to eat the microwave cheeseburger she made me for dinner. I totally thought to myself then that if my children didn't want to eat their food, I would make them something else, because they have to eat something!

Now, I have never starved my daughter or made her sit at the table until she ate everything on her plate, but I have inherited some of my mother's nuances. I've developed her repeated rambling, her finger-pointing hand gestures, her whiny scolding voice and her neck twist. My mother could twist her neck like no one's business, and I have it down pat as well.

My mother also had the tendency to snap her fingers a lot to physically illustrate her point. Just the other day, when I was talking to my daughter about our summer plans, I found myself snapping my fingers just like my mom did when she was getting frustrated. I instantly stopped myself because I know how annoying that could be.

So yes, I have a confession. I think I am turning into my mother, and I don't like it one bit.

I am not sure if there's anything I can do about it at this point, but I am willing to certainly try. Then again, maybe our turning into our mothers is a way of life showing us that our mothers weren't all that bad after all.

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Woman to Woman: "Are You Turning into Your Mother?"