When Parents Become Friends

I realized something lovely last night. Slowly, without thinking about it, Flavio and I have become friends with my parents. Yesterday, we went out to dinner, drank wine and had a magical evening, just the four of us. Driving home after dinner, Flavio said the sweetest thing: "Mom and Dad are such fun people; I'd hang out with them even if they weren't related." I couldn't agree more. We love visits with my parents. We talk about movies, travel, and book recommendations. We laugh hard, tell stories, and truly delight in their company.

Of course, it wasn't always this way. As a child, teen and young adult, there was a clear delineation of our parent-child relationship. I suspect things started to change in my mid 20s, when I no longer needed their approval, when I was financially solvent, when we both realized my personal decisions had nothing to do with them.  I have come to discover my parents in a way my young mind would not allow - as whole people, with their own quirks, histories, relationships and ideas. They are no longer the flat, two-dimensional characters of my youth. They are friends.

{sangria at Cafe 21}