family sunday

2.5 years ago when I finally moved out of my parents house for good, and in an effort to mend their broken hearts, I declared that every Sunday would be family day. Nothing special, just my going over there, spending time, and having dinner.

Now that I'm an adult and I look back at these 28 years, it amazes me how the relationship with them has changed. My teenage years were kind of rough to say the least. I've always been pretty calm and quiet but I definitely became an asshole kid when I was 12. I had a smart mouth [some things don't change I guess]. I made my mom cry once. I thought my teacher was a jerk and I always defied him. I also always had a boyfriend and was always on the phone. Not good.

I was never a daddy's girl. My dad was always hard on me and gave me tough love. I feared him, not because he hit me [he never ever did] but because he was no nonsense and just intimated the shit out of me. I always ran to my mom for everything. The first time I ever traveled without my mom I was 13 and I cried on the entire plane ride. That's how much I was NOT looking forward to spending a week with just my dad as the parental around.

Fast forward to now and I can't even fathom my life without them. In college I started to understand why my dad was how he was and this level of appreciation just started to grow. I am his child, no doubt about it. I have become incredibly close to both of them and talk to them about hundreds of things [some stuff is still a no-no. They are still my parents and NOT my friends]. One of my most favorite things has become sitting at the dinner table for hours and just talking to them. I feel like that makes me sound old, but whatever. Being able to sit down and have long convos with someone has always been an important factor in my friendships and relationships. I totally get that from my parents.