Becoming our own parents

Is it really inevitable?

That, as we continually decay towards being dust age we turn more and more into becoming our parents?

We'd just walked off the end of our drive this morning, when I saw the state of my son's face.

Obviously as I hadn't reminded him to wipe his face after breakfast and brushing his teeth there were remnants of toast, grapes and toothpaste. Beautiful.

I couldn't deal with the shame of sending him off to school like that.

For a moment I considered taking him back inside, but mindful of being late instead I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tissue.

What I did next gave me a flashback to my own childhood.

I moistened this tissue with my own spit, and then 'cleaned' my son's face with it.

It took me straight back to vivid recollection of a morning during my formative years.

We were off on our way to school, I was in the back of the car, which my mother had brought to an abrupt halt at the end of our drive. She'd been prompted to brake sharply by the vision of my dirty face in her rear view mirror.

She then did the very same as I did this morning.

Wiped my face 'clean' with a self-moistened tissue.

So, am I turning into her? Did that very brutal DNA transfer that morning cause my actions today?

Or was it something altogether more subtle?

What I'm asking is, is it more likely that I'm going to turn into my mother rather than my father, seeing as she was our primary carer, and I'm that for my own son?

Turning into either of my folks would be no bad thing, they are both awesome, and I don't tell them that nearly enough (but I guess they'll get to know I feel that way this week).

There are times I feel like I am my acting like my dad, but perversely I see actions akin to his more in my sister.

They are both beautifully stubborn, sometimes unapproachable yet both very good in a crisis, and people you want on your side.

Perhaps there has been some weird gender realignment in our family.

But there are traits we all share.

Considering the next generation, I love watching my son bounce off and clash with his very similar auntie.

Will be interesting to see what characteristics my boy inherits, and from who.

Are his behaviours and idiosyncrasies going to be learnt from those in his life, or will he be lucky enough to inherit some charms via the genetics of his mother?

I certainly hope so.

But it will make me laugh- and possibly cry - if I ever witness him spitting on a tissue to deal with a mucky face of one his own.