mom & dad

Day 19 of the 30 day challenge is about disrespecting your parents. I feel like my brother and I were pretty good kids. We didn’t really give my parents a whole lot of problems. I mean don’t get me wrong, we weren’t angels by ANY stretch of the imagination but we never got into any major trouble or did anything truly horrendous. I like to think we were both typical teenagers. Although my brother admits now (he is 27) that he was tad more wild than any of us thought at the time! ha! But all-in-all we were pretty dang good kids.

But with that said, do you ever have those moments that you wish you could take back? I can think of a couple. This one time my Dad had come home and had a very large box in his trunk. He asked me to help him get it out. He lifted the box out of the trunk and handed it to me. It was so heavy and I could feel myself buckling under the pressure. I called out to my Dad but he didn’t hear me. I called out again but he was distracted. I yelled really loudly…”Dad I hate you!” He immediately grabbed the box and the hurt in his eyes was so raw. I immediately said I was sorry and didn’t mean it. I honestly didn’t even known where it had come from. All I know is that the box was so heavy and I he wasn’t listening to me and I said the first thing I knew would get his attention. It still makes me emotional to think about his face looked that day. It was literally like someone had died. I know I didn’t mean it and honestly my Dad probably doesn’t even remember that incident but I do. I want that moment back.

This is my all time favorite picture of me and my Dad.

I definitely grew up a “Daddy’s girl” and I gave my mom a lot of typical teenage sass. I had a mouth on me…no doubt. I was the princess of back talking.  Goodness. But my mom was always there for me. I got myself into some messes that she always helped clean up. When my parents got divorced (I was in college) and I shut my mom out completely. I, at the time, blamed her completely and I spent a long time punishing her. I remember that first Christmas and my mom had me and my brother over. She showered us with amazing gifts and I was such a shit. I was apathetic and uncaring. I acted like such a brat. In truth I was just confused and hurt and I didn’t know how to handle it. I really really really gave her a hard time for a very long time. I regret that Christmas and my behavior. I was awful. But, as cliché as it sounds, I matured as I got older. I understood, I forgave and I apologized. My mom is my best friend and I am thankful that through it all she patiently loved me and waited. Waited for me to be the Kelly she needed me to be.