My daughter and I on a road trip. She’s 12…

“Vidroid (her brother) is lawless like you,” she said. “He’s just like you.”

“Yeah, I agree. He is the family criminal.”

“He has a criminal mind just like yours.”

“Yeah, I don’t deny it. I don’t deny mine and I don’t deny his however I think his is like mine in that I doubt he ever gets in trouble with it. He seems to know exactly what he can get away with and he does not cross the line. This is a gift you know. It’s a skill and a curse. A curse you do not suffer from and I suppose you’re lucky for that.”

“You don’t think I’m a criminal?”

“No. You don’t seem inclined that way at all. Vid and I? We like to jump from buildings. We like to take our chances. We like beating odds and slipping out of nooses. You on the other hand seem totally disinterested in these type pursuits.”

“No, I don’t like that stuff,” she said. “I think it’s boring.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. Basically you’re the classy one in the family,” I said with a snort.

“I’m classy?”

“Oh yeah. You can’t help yourself. Anyone with one ounce of brains can see how sophisticated you are. It’s alarming, the degree of your sophistication. Meanwhile your brother and I sneak down the alleyways,” I said, quoting Paul Simon. “We fly down the highways” I said quoting him again. The song played in my head, so I snorted.

“Like you’re doing now? You’re speeding, Mom.”

“Yeah, I know I am honey. It’s my intention to speed, I can’t help it. I have to speed or I will break. I will fall apart and collapse. However I keep it in line these days. I’ve not had a speeding ticket in eons. No ticket in ages so I am much improved. But anyway you are the classy one in the family. You can redeem us all I imagine. But on the other hand it doesn’t hurt to grow up with all this color. Do you mind? Do you mind me or your brother?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Okay, well I don’t mind if you are classier than me. And smarter too.”

“I’m smarter than you?”

“God, yes. You are smarter than everyone. I have no idea how to be as smart as you, however I’m pretty good at this speeding gig.”

We both laughed.

“And I can jump off rocks and do some other things that are not important.”

“I like being smart,” she said.

“I bet. But you’re on your own out there. I don’t know what you are going to do with your mind because you operate beyond my orbit so I cannot advise you. You are simply too smart for your fast-driving mom,” I said with a shrug. “But I try, I guess you’re aware. I do my best.”

Do you ever think about which aspects of your parent’s personalities you’ve inherited?

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