Adulting: How We Perceive Ourselves...

My husband cracked me up with a meme the other day that essentially said (paraphrased):

Having kids makes you realize how stupid your lies sounded to your parents….

I haven’t physically given birth children, but I certainly “have” kids in my life. Even today, I love observing how they attempt sneakiness but TOTALLY miss the mark.

I still remember years ago (when I was first entering adulthood), I would see children trying to be underhanded, and I would giggle and think to myself, “When I was young, I was so much better when it came to being devious. They are just so obvious!”

Ha! What a laugh. Because then I quickly remembered how my Mom or Dad ALWAYS found me out. So my belief in my covert capabilities quickly died a needed death. I was like most every other kid. There was nothing sneaky about me at all. Like them, I only thought I was.

Why am I even writing about this?

First, I found it comical. Second, I’ve realized how easily (at any age) we can think we possess certain qualities, and then we learn we absolutely don’t. It’s a little bit discouraging because I like to think I know myself: that the reflection in my mirror holds no surprises.

BUT! (There’s almost always a “but”) I now stay more open to the idea that how I perceive myself and how other people actually see me might not match up. Which is a good and humbling reality check for all of us, at any age.