ALL it took was a lick of the finger and a smudge on a cheek and I knew.
I knew I was on track to becoming my mother.
It’s a grievous insult to many people, to compare them to their parents.
But it’s usually taken lightly, just a joke, until AC (after children).
Then the comparisons become embarrassingly obvious. Crushingly predictable.
It started with me grooming my small sons face with my own saliva, then progressed to the severe and brutal punishment dealt to my daughter (read: braiding her hair).
But what’s done is done, I am committed to looking forward, and hope to turn around my parenting trajectory before it gets to crisis level — claims of preparing “s*** on toast” for dinner.
Professor Jake Najman, from the University of Queensland, is currently heading research into whether anti-social behaviour is passed down through families.
Now, while I wouldn’t describe the constant correction of personal pronouns ‘me’ and ‘I’ by my mother as strictly anti-social or criminal, I can’t help but wonder if the same thinking applies.
