Tonight I had the opportunity to connect with college kids. I was supposed to be a “wise adult” and give them post-graduate advice. Clearly someone made some type of clerical error in allowing me to be a wise adult, but I faked it okay and I even learned something along the way.
While talking to a student about the uncertainty of her life after college, she commented that life works out for the best because she always listens to her inner voice. Hmm, smart girl but this made me think…
I know that I have a ‘Good Erin’ voice that tries to always steer me in the right direction, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I haven’t always listened.
Flashback to high school
‘Good Erin’ voice once said, Hey Erin, maybe a singing role in the school play isn’t really your cup of tea.
But I didn’t listen. I sang. I humiliated myself. And I allowed my parents to buy the video. Great.
And just when I thought I buried this skeleton, I started dating Denny and he found the video. Then he watched the video and he laughed hysterically for hours. Oops.
Nile Drama Club presents… A big fat mistake
Flashback to my years at Ohio University
The ‘Good Erin’ voice came with me when I lived in the 45701 and frequently spoke.
Erin, do you really think glitter jeans are cute?… Hey Erin, do you think it’s smart to steal those police barricades and put them in front of the RA’s door?… Hey Erin, a beer bong, really?!?
But just as frequently as the voice spoke, it was ignored. And in turn, I paid for it dearly through fashion blunders, through getting busted by the RA and through hangovers of epic proportions. Ugh!
Do not cross, especially if you are dressed in sparkly jeans!
Now fast forward ten-ish years to present day
‘Good Erin’ is still alive and well.
Do you really need to eat those chips?… Wouldn’t it be a good idea to clean the floor during naptime?…. Shouldn’t you keep on Makenzie’s schedule instead of letting her have a dance party?
Luckily I’m becoming slightly smarter and listening more often. I guess that’s all part of growing up and being an adult and a Mom.
But I also think it’s okay to sometimes ignore the ‘Good Erin’ and have a little bit of fun. If I listened to myself all those years ago I would have missed out on some good experiences and some even better laughs.
So when the time comes and I have to be a “Wise Mom” and give Makenzie advice about the next step of her life, I’ll be thankful that I had this practice round tonight. Now I can tell Kenz to not always listen to ‘Good Makenzie.’ Life’s too short, and I have a feeling she’ll be able to pull off glitter jeans a little bit better than I did.
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Do you think you’re a wise adult? You’re probably not.
Why not connect with other unwise adults like you on Facebook?
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