I can only hope that I am turning into my mom. she is the most wonderful person i know. she is honest and strait forward. if you ask her" do i look fat in this". instead of letting you walk down the street thinking you look good. she will tell you "yes". it may hurt ur feelings at the time, but in the end it was all for the best. She taught me how to cook, do my laundry and watch my manners. My brother and i were shown how to be independent children growing up. My dad worked from 6 am to 7 pm mon-sat and my mom worked from 7 am - 4:30 pm mon-fri. when we got old enough to want the piercings and phone and expensive clothes, we got jobs and bought them our selves. Nike didnt even come into our lives until we were adults buying them for our kids. I catch myself saying the same phrases to my kids that i SWORE i would NEVER say to them! I said i would never spank them, or even slap them for backtalking. but if my mom hadnt done those things to me or for me rather. i dont think i would be the mother i am today! she gave me all i have to give to my kids. realizing this came late in life, but the saying goes..."better late then never." My parents did the best they could. gave us all the necessities, and then some. she was team mom for my brother for YEARS, always there when we had school activities(plays, and so forth). both of my parents were always involved in our schooling. they didnt buy us cars, they gave us moral and survival methods to make it thru life. I wouldnt change what my parents did for 1 minute! My husband in many ways reminds me of my dad. he is always there to make sure we have food, a home, and clothes on our backs! with this beings said.... YES. i think i am becoming my parents! not just my mom!

I'm not a mom yet so the conversations my husband and I have about how we'll parent are merely hypothetical. However, I do know for certain that my childhood WILL impact what kind of mother I will be and how I will parent, even if I don't yet know for certain HOW my experiences will manifest themselves in my parenting and in my relationship with my children / family. For instance, the absence of my father plays a crucial role in my future as a parent. I want my childrens' father to not only be present in their lives, but entirely active. Equally, I feel its important that my husband and I make every effort to stay together. Sometimes divorce is a very good thing for the kids as well as the parents, but I will strive to be living proof for my kids that couples can still celebrate their 50th anniversary and that true respect can keep true love alive.

It continues to surprise me when I pull a Mom-ism.... something that my mom did when I was a kid that I do to my own kids. What I've come to realize about parenting is that my mom did the best she could. She was really great in some ways, and failed in other ways. Like everyone, she had strengths and weaknesses. I am the same way as a parent- there are things that I know I am good at, and things I know I am not good at. It's nice to have a "fallback" when I am not sure what I am doing or I am in over my head. My mom's version of parenting is my "congingency plan." Overall, I think I parent mostly from my gut, with specific things that I do or avoid, based on how my mom did her job. But when I am faced with a new or unusal parenting situation, I often find that what is there in the core of me has a lot to do with how my mom raised me. So she shines through in those moments. A final thought- as I grow older, I have come to appreciate how wise my mother was and is- wise beyond her years. So even though she has her failings, I know that those Mom-isms are never going to lead me astray in my parenting.

My mom is amazing!!! Sure she made a few mistakes and I'm trying to be aware and not make those same mistakes, but overall, I thank God everyday for her. I do find it rather terrifying as I see myself turning into a scary combination of my mother and father... it is bizarre to be on the other side of this whole parenting thing. Susan

I definitely think that I'm becoming my mother - and as I age, I've noticed that I'm now starting to look like her too. Over the years, as I look back on things, I've come to the realization that I was always a bit like her in the way I did things. Which only means to me that I'm not the 'better parent' that I was trying to be.

That was it for me, becoming a parent made me fully realize how clueless my own parents were. And how young they were when they became parents! They were winging it, from day one, and sadly botched their duties beyond belief. I don't even look to their example to do the opposite of it. Instead I disregard it entirely and go with what I think is best for my own child.

I think Rebecca hit it on the head: you'll never fully understand your parents until you become a parent yourself. You may be full of empathy or you may be horrified, but either way you'll gain new insight into who they are and why they do what they do.

Both of my parents were really great & really awful at the same time. Even though my Dad was absentee for most of my childhood he managed to teach me some pretty profound lessons. The post I wrote about him is by far my favorite: http://hoppytoddle.blogspot.com/search/label/Dad I HATE having Christmas without him.

My mom is kick-ass. After my parents divorced she raised my brother and I by herself. She even bought my dad out of the house and one of the cars - not an easy feat for her at the time - but she knew she had to do it. Even as a preteen I admired her for that. I also loved the fact that she was nothing like a Mrs. Brady mom. She was just cool. Tough as nails. Now she's an awesome mother-in-law and grandma. As soon as I had my daughter I knew I would be just like my mom. I'm not a stay-at-home, bake cookies, PTA kinda mom. I'm nontraditional all the way. Just like her. Tracy http://themoxiereport.blogspot.com

I parent the opposite, I didn’t want for anything material wise growing up but their attention would have been nice. Growing up with my dad was like walking on egg shells and my mom didn’t want to be bothered. I didn’t have the parents that would drive or pick up my friends and I for after school actives or to go to the mall. In fact I had a car before my 16th birthday and a driver’s license three weeks after. While my friends thought how lucky I was they didn’t know it was just for my parents’ convince. When I became a mom I went in the exact opposite direction. My life revolves around what my girls want and need, within reason of course. It bugs my mom when I make pancakes for breakfast or if I have a busy week driving the girls around. Right now my oldest is always asking for me to make homemade bread, so I make her a loaf a week and my mom thinks this is spoiling her. I do love my mom and dad but they should of never been parents.