Lynda Loveland: Generational paybacks

Do your parents ever tell you how much your children are just like you? And do they have a slight smirk on their face when they say it?

I call it “Generational Payback.” It’s where your children do the same thing to you that you did to your parents.

My dad tells me all the time that my 8-year-old daughter Campbell is just like me. Aside from being a tomboy, I apparently used to be very inquisitive. In fact, my dad said I never stopped asking questions. It was a constant barrage. Not unlike what I experienced at the Railhawks game with Campbell.

Twenty questions is nothing for her. It was more like 120! And it was about anything and everything. From the weather to the new stands being built at the WakeMed Soccer Park.

Here’s an example. “What are they doing over there? They’re building new stands. Why are they building them? So more people can come to the game. Why do they look like that? They’re not finished yet. Why aren’t they working on it now? Because there’s a game going on. When will they start working on it again? Probably tomorrow morning. When will it be ready? I don’t know.

(My head is starting to spin.)

How many people can sit there? I don’t know. Will the seats be like these here or those over there? I don’t know. Can we sit there the next time we come to a game? (Stick a fork in me, at this point I was done.) Not we, just you…I want to watch the game. I’m not taking any more questions. (Works for the politicians, thought it would work for me.)

I know it’s important to foster curiosity, but dang, everybody has a limit!

Are you experiencing a little “generational payback”?