It’s official: I’m already becoming my father and mother, Clair and Kristene Maxwell. I did not think this would happen until I went through a midlife crisis, but I suppose that my life is flying by more quickly than I could have imagined. 

The moment that I realized this was this past Saturday night. When most other college freshmen were hanging out with their friends or at parties, I was in Campion Hall working on my cross-stitch project. While stitching a rose, I was watching a rerun of “Glee” and talking to some of my friends on the phone who still live in my hometown. My brother, Owen, was also on the phone with my mom as he is currently home for spring break, and he turned the camera to unveil my mother sitting and doing crafts while watching “Aquaman.”

All I could think was that I had already become a young version of my mother at the ripe age of 18, which I suppose cannot be extremely surprising because many people have told me that I remind them of a mother or grandmother, even when I was in middle school. However, this is the first time I have recognized it for myself. As this revelation began, it continued to become more and more clear over the past few days that I act like an almost 54-year-old woman who loves crafts, sweatpants and her cats. 

I seem to be an almost 53-year-old man who loves music and dad jokes. For one, I have always had an affinity for music and frequently evaluate each song I listen to, which is a Clair Maxwell staple. I am proud that I do not follow in my dad’s footsteps when it comes to skipping songs halfway through. I always give the whole thing a chance, but my father cannot share that sentiment with me. 

I tend to be impatient when it comes to other things, especially when I am driving a car. My father and I are world-class road-ragers, even if we would never admit it to our family members. I like to think that I am simply getting rightfully angry when someone rides my bumper or forgets a turn signal here and there, but other drivers would say that I am overreacting. 

However, when it comes to music, I find myself singing songs when people say anything that slightly resembles a certain lyric within the tune. My dad has always been a fan of doing this, no matter the situation. I have to say: I thought it was a funny dad thing to do, but it is surprisingly quite enjoyable. I also cannot escape dad jokes in the slightest. Do I make them? Not yet, but I unfortunately do think that some of them are really funny (don’t ever tell my dad I said that). I even followed an Instagram account during high school that is dedicated solely to dad jokes and was so worried that people would find it weird when they saw it on my screen that I unfollowed it. 

Even though I like to make fun of both of my parents, there are definitely worse people I could look up to and act like throughout my lifetime. Both of my parents are extremely supportive of my siblings and always want what is best for the people around them. They are loving and caring, and will always be there for their families, even if we poke fun at them occasionally (basically all of the time). 

Do I wish that I could wait a little longer before turning into my parents? Sure. Do I still want to be like them when I grow up? Definitely.