For the 'rents

32 years ago today my mom gave birth to me. I was born at 7:11 AM and weighed 7 pounds and 11 ounces. Any numerologists out there that can tell me what that means? It’s gotta be something good, right? Sometimes I like to just say that I was born at 7-11 and let people assume I mean the convenience store. Actually, I remember last year going shopping last year with friends for fabric for our Halloween costumes (Yeah, it was a very involved Halloween costume. That might be a post for another day. I’ll just say it involved a unitard and furry briefs.) I did the 7-11 joke and we carried the joke even further and said my mom just HAD to stop at 7-11 for a slurpee and some slim-jims on the way to the hospital and out I came.

My relationship with my mother and father has morphed over the years, as it should. They will probably tell you I was their easiest child. I never got in trouble. There was that one time in high school that involved the police (another post for another day), but they didn’t really punish me. We drove home after the police released me to my parents and they just said something like, “We probably don’t need to tell you how dumb that was.” Other than that though, I never gave my parents any reason to stress.

That kind of changed when I hit my 20’s. It all started with me dropping the gay bomb, followed by intermittent crises that most likely WON’T be other posts for other days. Suffice it to say, I more than made up for being a model child with the misadventures of my 20’s.

As I look back though, I realize that my parents have hardly, if ever, pressured me to date or marry a woman. They never really pressured me to try and change my attractions. As I look back, more of that pressure probably came from me. This isn’t to say that my parents are perfect. I’m sure they would be willing to admit that they’re not, as would my siblings. I think a difficult part of growing up is realizing that there isn’t a magical age when you suddenly know everything and become a perfectly responsible adult who knows how to handle every situation. Just like everyone else, my parents are no an exception to that.

So now I’m in my 30’s and I can feel our relationship maturing, especially over the last several months. I'm learning to let go of the ridiculous and unrealistic expectations of who I’d like them to be and to love them for the beautiful people that they are. Thanks for bringing me into the world. I love you!