I HAVE found as I’ve moved through my twenties (and into my thirties before someone pulls me up on that one), more and more people tell me: “you do look like your mum”, or “aren’t you just like your dad!”
I can think of worse things to hear.
The one thing I’ve noticed recently is the ever inevitable arrival of my ‘mother voice’. I find myself saying things to Erin that I have never had cause to say before, but have heard many times:
“The sooner we do this, the sooner we can go and play,” (obviously!)
“If you finish your carrot, you can have your pudding,” (bribery never fails!)
“Erin, I’m going to count to three,” (when in reality I can get to at least ten before she even considers cooperation!)
“Don’t look at me with that face,” (what face do I expect her to use exactly?)
I suppose it’s bound to happen. The main point of reference most of us have for childcare is our parents, and the way they cared for us. It’s almost scientific fact that we’re going to end up like our mum and dad, it’s in the genes.
In fact I do think for Erin that me, my mum and sister are almost interchangeable. Our voices are very similar, and our mannerisms are often the same, we say the same things, and it’s almost like a straight swap sometimes.
The first few times I used the ‘mother voice’ I almost shook my head as if to shake the demons out of me. But since then the slip of the tongue has become habit, and now: “a kiss and a snug will make it all better” and “big girls don’t snatch things”, however inaccurate - see ’24 hours in A&E’, ‘One Born Every Minute’ and ‘Crimewatch’ for further details - are almost involuntary responses
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