‘Help! I’m Turning Into My Mom!’ 10 Women Describe How It Feels
1. I’VE COMPLETELY TURNED INTO HER. IT’S SCARY.
“Oh my God. I’m totally turning into my mom! I was on Facebook a couple of days ago, and my friend put up an album and I ‘liked’ 30 pictures in a row and was commenting on all of them. It was so something my mom would do. I’m always getting 100 notifications from my mom, and I’m like, ‘You need to chill out.’ And now I’ve completely turned into her. It’s scary.”
2. WE BOTH USE WEIRD VOICES WHEN TALKING TO KIDS AND DOGS
“I am completely turning into my mom. Me, trying to be stern, is her. Or when I make silly voices. My mom always uses weird voices if she’s talking to a kid or a dog. I’m the same person—completely my mother.”
—Eve
3. BECAUSE I SAID SO
“At the very moment the phrase ‘because I said so’ crossed my lips, the deal was sealed—I’d crossed over to the mom side. I promised myself it would never happen, that I’d be a cool mom forever, but it happened just the same. Now that I’m officially in mom world, I realize how transformative motherhood is and I celebrate it every single day.”
4. MY KIDS ROLL THEIR EYES AT MY JOKES
“I utter cheesy (and sometimes inappropriate) phrases under my breath. When watching an episode of Law & Order: SVU, the opening credits indicated one of the actors was named B.D. Wong. Without even thinking, I yelled out ‘He B.D. Wong guy for the job!’ Is that joke hilarious? Of course it is, which is why I began cracking up immediately after I said it. But then I looked around the room and saw the expressions I knew so well: the eye rolls, the moaning in irritation. I know them because that’s my standard response to my mother’s jokes that aren’t really that punny. (Ha! Punny! I’m on a roll!)”
—Lisa
5. UNTOUCHED, UNCREASED, AND PERFECTLY CRISP
“We’re both completely OCD about making purchases. Case in point: I went to four different drug stores to find the perfect birthday card for my mom. When I finally found a card I liked at the fourth store, I obsessively inspected every envelope to make sure the one I selected didn’t have any fingerprints or creases. Where did I learn this? Mom, of course. As a child, I remember watching my mom carefully inspect book after book at Barnes and Noble before making a purchase to make sure we found one that was untouched, uncreased and perfectly crisp before bringing it home.”
6. SOLIDS AND NEUTRALS AND PLEATED PANTS ALL DAY EVERY DAY
“It’s official. At the tender age of 25, I’ve started to become my mother. All I’m interested in wearing are drawstring linen pants and basics (like my mom). I drool over Eileen Fisher and get way too excited about the items at Paper Source (like my mom). I’ve even started taking ice cubes in my wine (Duh, Mom). My most prominent symptom of this transformation is a distinct change in my personal style. A few years ago my closet was kooky-print mini dress central, and now it’s solids and neutrals and pleated pants all day every day. Which basically means I’ve booked a one-way ticket on the Mom-express.”
7. NOVELTY NAPKINS MAKE ME HAPPIER THAN THEY SHOULD
“Here’s a few things that have already started for me: My desire to decorate for holidays is quickly getting out of control….Give me ALL THE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS. There’s no such thing as too much. You hear that, Chris? I’m covering every wall/ceiling this year in lights, glitter and cereal chains….I get way too excited about going to TJ Maxx….I hate an unmade bed….Before I leave for vacation the house has to be clean….I say things like “why is every light in the house on right now?”…I drive with my knee more than I drive with my hands….Novelty napkins make me happier than they should….I like throw pillows. A lot….My nails always have to be painted. And if they’re not, I’m constantly talking about the fact that they’re not…I love sending and receiving holiday cards/photos. It’s my favorite time of year for mail. If you have my address, please send me one. It makes my day.”
—Tay
8. I FIND CATHARSIS IN SCRUBBING THE BATHTUB TILES
“It didn’t happen all at once for me, but the transformation has definitely been gaining momentum of late. It started with her colloquialisms, like the time ‘Bless her li’l heart’ slipped out. It’s a hiccup that rises so unexpectedly: You raise your hand to your mouth, as if to keep it from escaping. We started showing up at parties wearing matching outfits. Granted, I had always wished to be the matching mother-daughter duo, but that was in first grade when it was cool. I’ve recently been known to do such shocking things as praise the local grocery store’s meat counter in everyday conversation and find catharsis in scrubbing the bathtub tiles. I’m helpless to this, as so many of us are, yielding without a fight to the tide of their idiosyncratic habits or sayings, wearing their clothes and looking in mirrors and seeing their faces look back at us.”
9. I SAY GOODNIGHT TO THE DOG IN GERMAN
“The other day I found myself laughing three or four sentences before finishing a joke. Even more terrifying, I find myself picking flowers and offering myself as a shoulder to cry on. The worst? I always say goodnight to the dog in German….As I struggle now to make some of the decisions that someone entering their twenties does, I can’t help but admire my mother for her strength in dropping comfort and choosing to pursue her dreams. When I wake up too tired to straighten my hair, I think about how my mother even made time for the dog.”
10. WHITE WALLS ARE SO RESTFUL
“Come into my house and look around. What you’ll find are white walls. Every room in the house is white. In fact, my favorite decorating scheme is white on white with nautical blue for accent. Just like my mother did years ago, I find myself saying, ‘White walls are so restful.’ If you look in my closets, you’ll find they are packed with clothes. Now, I’m a clotheshorse, just like my mother was. The first time my daughter Andrea called me a clotheshorse, I said, ‘No way! The only kind of clothes I buy are kayaking and exercise clothes,’ I insisted. How then, did I get two walk-in closets jammed with all kinds of clothes? I blame it all on genes I got from my mother.”