Everyone grows up. Everyone gets Older. For some of us we continue to chase Youth by carrying on the way we did when we were young. Drinking, smoking and living in one's own filth. Some of us opt to live through our offspring.
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What is frighteningly true is that we are all slowly becoming slightly different versions of our parents. Don't try and deny it. In some dark recess of your mind you've already seen it happening.
Dancing
This realisation hit me last year at a wedding. I realised I was 'Dad dancing'. I then realised that I was dancing as I always had, now however I was a Dad. I looked at my friends, they were dancing as they always had. They were not Dads, yet they were still Dad dancing.
How had this baffling situation arisen? Of course the answer was obvious, I had always Dad danced, as had my friends. In essence, we all dance like our Dads, it just takes realisation to get there. It now makes sense, you do what you know. If the first person you see dance is your old man he will be your template in later life. That's how I inherented the 'stoic in a corner until shitfaced' technique. Thanks Dad.
Music
'I don't understand it', 'it's too loud', and, 'it's a bad influence'. Normally comments associated only with your parents. However over the past year i have used each when discussing music. I've found myself digging out music from my youth like a familiar security blanket. I even got goosebumps listening to 'Money For Nothing'.
I can no longer class myself as trendy as far as music is concerned. I'm no longer interested in digging out new gems and hidden bands, just give me vintage Charlatans. That's right Fizzle Dicks, get fucked.
Sayings Old People Use
I was playing cricket the other day. Prowling like a big cat at square leg, I was chatting with the umpire. He was some 10-15 years my senior (at least) and was commenting on the laziness of a teenage batsman. I couldn't help agree with him. Then he uttered 'youth is wasted on the youth'. I almost shuddered as I found myself nodding stoically and lazily mouthing 'wasted'.
I've always thought that this saying was bollocks. I don't think I wasted my youth (yet), I had a great time. Sure I could've done more, but I'm content. For all we knew this young lad now lives the kind of life I could only dream of (online of course, kids don't go out anymore).
Ambitions for my offspring
Somethings you can only dream of. For most blokes it swings between someone famous (film or rock star) or some type of professional sportsman. Even now I find myself day dreaming about scoring bundles of runs, or bags of goals. Only to be dragged back into reality by my complete lack of natural ability.
Not for my boys. Oh no. Nurture will win out. My household is an intense boot camp of sporting excellence. I've hidden this from the wife for the most, but there's a good reason I constantly encourage my son to throw and kick things despite my wife's objections. I've already given him a cricket ball, just to get used to the weight and size.
Taking the mickey
As a child I remember the innocence of playing in the garden or park with my Dad. I'd run frantically after a ball that he would punt varying distances. I can see his laugh and smile as I'd return with it, eager to repeat the process.
Little did I know that chuckle that graced his face was not laughing with me, but at me. How do I know? Becuase I do the same now. I'm that bastard.
Forgetting the joys of youth
It's very easy to sucked into your day to day life. The stress of work can weigh heavy on one's shoulders. We are too quick to forget that (in most cases) most things in life and not as serious as we initially think. It's not life and death. It may seem it at the time, but really it isn't.
This was illustrated at the weekend by my cousins playing a seemingly endless game that they had created called 'Square Wars'. The aim of said game was to repeatedly hit each other with inflatable cubes. That's it.
My friend remarked that it had forgotten about making up seemingly endless games in our youth. We chuckled wryly and sat down as our backs gave out.
Relating back to the old man
Everything is circular, as a youngster you just don't realise it. As a youngster your Dad is an infallible superhero. As you get older this facade slips away. If you have children yourself you quickly realise that your Dad is just another person trying to get by in life, in much the same way you are.
This revelation has lead me to appreciate my Dad that little bit more. I think he knows it too, and as is the circular nature of things, I'll now wait for my sons to do the same.
Not that we will talk about any of this. We're men.
Want to write for this blog? You can do so here.
Dancing
This realisation hit me last year at a wedding. I realised I was 'Dad dancing'. I then realised that I was dancing as I always had, now however I was a Dad. I looked at my friends, they were dancing as they always had. They were not Dads, yet they were still Dad dancing.
How had this baffling situation arisen? Of course the answer was obvious, I had always Dad danced, as had my friends. In essence, we all dance like our Dads, it just takes realisation to get there. It now makes sense, you do what you know. If the first person you see dance is your old man he will be your template in later life. That's how I inherented the 'stoic in a corner until shitfaced' technique. Thanks Dad.
Music
'I don't understand it', 'it's too loud', and, 'it's a bad influence'. Normally comments associated only with your parents. However over the past year i have used each when discussing music. I've found myself digging out music from my youth like a familiar security blanket. I even got goosebumps listening to 'Money For Nothing'.
I can no longer class myself as trendy as far as music is concerned. I'm no longer interested in digging out new gems and hidden bands, just give me vintage Charlatans. That's right Fizzle Dicks, get fucked.
Sayings Old People Use
I was playing cricket the other day. Prowling like a big cat at square leg, I was chatting with the umpire. He was some 10-15 years my senior (at least) and was commenting on the laziness of a teenage batsman. I couldn't help agree with him. Then he uttered 'youth is wasted on the youth'. I almost shuddered as I found myself nodding stoically and lazily mouthing 'wasted'.
I've always thought that this saying was bollocks. I don't think I wasted my youth (yet), I had a great time. Sure I could've done more, but I'm content. For all we knew this young lad now lives the kind of life I could only dream of (online of course, kids don't go out anymore).
Ambitions for my offspring
Somethings you can only dream of. For most blokes it swings between someone famous (film or rock star) or some type of professional sportsman. Even now I find myself day dreaming about scoring bundles of runs, or bags of goals. Only to be dragged back into reality by my complete lack of natural ability.
Not for my boys. Oh no. Nurture will win out. My household is an intense boot camp of sporting excellence. I've hidden this from the wife for the most, but there's a good reason I constantly encourage my son to throw and kick things despite my wife's objections. I've already given him a cricket ball, just to get used to the weight and size.
Taking the mickey
As a child I remember the innocence of playing in the garden or park with my Dad. I'd run frantically after a ball that he would punt varying distances. I can see his laugh and smile as I'd return with it, eager to repeat the process.
Little did I know that chuckle that graced his face was not laughing with me, but at me. How do I know? Becuase I do the same now. I'm that bastard.
Forgetting the joys of youth
It's very easy to sucked into your day to day life. The stress of work can weigh heavy on one's shoulders. We are too quick to forget that (in most cases) most things in life and not as serious as we initially think. It's not life and death. It may seem it at the time, but really it isn't.
This was illustrated at the weekend by my cousins playing a seemingly endless game that they had created called 'Square Wars'. The aim of said game was to repeatedly hit each other with inflatable cubes. That's it.
My friend remarked that it had forgotten about making up seemingly endless games in our youth. We chuckled wryly and sat down as our backs gave out.
Relating back to the old man
Everything is circular, as a youngster you just don't realise it. As a youngster your Dad is an infallible superhero. As you get older this facade slips away. If you have children yourself you quickly realise that your Dad is just another person trying to get by in life, in much the same way you are.
This revelation has lead me to appreciate my Dad that little bit more. I think he knows it too, and as is the circular nature of things, I'll now wait for my sons to do the same.
Not that we will talk about any of this. We're men.
Want to write for this blog? You can do so here.
