I really do love my father-in-law. He’s a terrific man and a lot of fun to be around; it’s just that he talks. A LOT. Whether he’s addressing the new parents of his youth football team or telling a story at the Thanksgiving Day table, he’s like a carousel, coming back to the same spot over and over, but never going anywhere. I don’t consider this a character flaw, just one of those quirks we all have. Maybe it has something to do with aging.

My husband swears he wasn’t always like this, that he used to get to his point much faster. I know my husband isn’t at all like this.

That is, until recently.

My husband came home from work one day, and was visibly upset. “I am turning into my father,” he said, and began to tell me what had happened. He was conducting a meeting for his employees; he’s a well-liked manager, with excellent communication skills. It seems he realized that he’d been speaking for 30 minutes and still hadn’t come to the point of the meeting. He laughingly apologized to them, and gave them strict instructions to interrupt him if he ever again channeled his father in their presence.

We all do it, whether it’s delaying a decision your child desperately needs by saying, “I’ll think about it,” or giving a waitress the third degree about the ingredients, taste and nutrition of a burger you’ve eaten a dozen times before, we've all had the moment when we realized we have become our parents.

My first experience with this came when I was in my 20’s. Our bank branch had “50’s dress-up” day, and of course we all looked the part. I had my hair in a high pony tail, with drop earrings and bright red lipstick. Our receptionist was wearing some tortoise-shell cats-eye glasses, on a chain, no less. Every picture of my mother in her 20’s and 30’s shows her with these style glasses, both with and with out the chain. I tried on the glasses, took one look in the mirror and saw my mother! Mom wasn’t a bad looking chick in her day, but really, who wants to be their mom?

My parental channeling these days has to do with money, specifically the wasting of money.

“I guess you’re the one paying the electric bill, leaving all the lights on!”

“Close the door- I am not heating the whole neighborhood!” This one gets modified to:

“Close the refrigerator door- are you trying to cool off the whole room?”

“Don’t slam the door!”

“Get off the phone!” Not so much these days, that one has more to do with excessive texting.

The one I heard the most, and rarely ever say, is about turning down the music. This is because:

A: at 44, I adhere to the age-old wisdom, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.”

B: my kids and I generally like the same music. (My eleven-year old loves both Slipknot and Atreyu, as well as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Aerosmith.)

C: we live in a technology wonderland, where children have their own iPods with headphones, and a set of headphones for the computer. We can interact or ignore each other at will!

My daughter has two boys, 6 months and 3 ½ years. The one phrase she hated above all others was “Because I said so.” She vowed that she would never use this, that children would be more cooperative if they understood the reason for what was requested.

I am pausing while parents everywhere spent a moment in hysterical laughter.

She called me one day, saying “I hope you’re HAPPY!”

It seems after 30 minutes of “reasoning” with her son, probably about picking up toys, wearing clothes, or perhaps, eating his own boogers, she was forced to say those hateful words.

It seems one of my mother’s favorite litanies is true - “Someday, you’ll have kids and you’ll see what I go through!!”

Gotta go, my husband’s babbling about something!

I leave you with someone who is a hero to moms everywhere!