Many of us have tried to forget our adolescent days. After all, who wants to remember years of raging hormones (and the corresponding bad moods), pimples, and extreme awkwardness? After a decade or two, most of us have successfully suppressed a large portion of our cringe-worthy pubescent memories. So, it’s a bit unsettling when your toddler forces you to face your teenage self once more. It isn’t always pretty and it doesn’t make you proud but the following are all the ways that your toddler can turn you back into a teenager.
- You have to sneak eating candy and watching certain movies
Instead of having to hide the fact that you are rotting your teeth and brain from your mom, you now have to hide it from your little one.
- Your privacy is sacred and rare
Instead of your mom banging on your bedroom door, it’s your impatient three-year old.
- You hide in the closet to talk on the phone
Instead of your parents eavesdropping, it’s now your nosey four-year old who repeats the unrepeatable parts at the most inopportune time.
- Your driving skills are scrutinized
Instead of your dad reciting the road rules, your three-year-old bellows out the speed limit—every two minutes.
- You are constantly being nagged
Instead of your parents nagging you about schoolwork and boyfriends, your tiny tot nags you about, well, everything.
- You can’t go out with your friends when you want to
Instead of having to be home to do homework and go bed on time, you have to be home to do laundry, cook dinner, and fall into bed exhausted.
- When your friends come over they are subjected to endless questions
Instead of your parents interrogating your friends, your kiddo incessantly asks the one question your friend doesn’t want to answer. (Yes, no bathroom inquiries are off the table.)
- Most of your arguments end with, “Nuh, uh!”
Instead of lacking maturity, you lack energy to muster more than a monosyllabic response to most arguments.
- Someone else dictates your schedule
Instead of parents and teachers it is a much formidable and shorter force that dictates every minute of your day. Meltdown making you late for work, anyone?
- You’re moody
It was hormones then, it’s hormones now. And, oh yeah, you’re exhausted!