Married couples should have common characteristics and interests, but they also need to have their differences, don’t you agree?  Think about it like this:  if two people are married and have only similarities, their marriage will eventually get boring.  On the opposite end, if two people are married and have only differences, their marriage could include many fights and possibly not last for as long as they hoped.  My parents, for example, definitely have their fair share of both similarities and differences.

My parents have both differences and similarities in how strict they are with my sisters and me.  One subject they do agree on is: my sisters and I should be allowed different freedoms depending on our ages.  This usually means I have more freedom than Liv, and we both have more freedom than Annalise.  My parents also agree that all three of us kids should have more freedom when spending time with female friends than we should have when spending time with male friends or boyfriends, when we grow old enough to have a boyfriend. 

Although my parents agree on the basics of the previously mentioned facts, they have different opinions on issues like the specific time we will be expected home and what kinds of activities we can do with female friends versus male friends or boyfriends.  My mom likes to see me home between 11 p.m. and 12 p.m. if I’m somewhere with a female friend.  If I’m with a boy, however, she requires me to be home between 10p.m. and 10:30p.m.  My dad usually tells me he doesn’t care what time I arrive back at home if I’m with a girl and usually agrees with my mom in thinking that I should be home between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. when I’m with a boy.

My parents also have very different trust levels.  My dad usually tends to be a little more trusting in my sisters and me than my mom is.  These trust levels affect what my parents allow my sisters and myself to do.  My mom caught Liv on her iPod one night when Liv was supposed to be sleeping.  Because of this, Liv is not allowed to keep her iPod in her room overnight.  My parents found something on Annalise’s iPod and they were so astonished that she even knew about it that Annalise is no longer allowed to use her iPod, or any other device that can connect to Wi-Fi or the internet, without someone’s supervision.

Because I try to fall asleep when I’m supposed to at night, my parents let me keep my phone in my room overnight.  Since I have proved to my parents that I can be a safe driver, they let me drive my car and both of their cars if needed.  Also, since I have proved to my parents that I will only be driving where I tell them before I leave, they let me drive anywhere I want at any time I want, within reason, of course.  My dad thinks that since I own a car, I should have to pay for my own gas.  My mom, on the other hand, thinks it is okay for her and my dad to pay for my gas, as long as I’m not using too much gas on long car rides with friends.  If my parents pay for my gas, they usually do so for one of two reasons.  Either I do not have the money to pay for it myself, or whatever I used most of my gas to drive places for were things that they asked me to drive to for them. 

My parents and I have many interests, ranging from interests we all three share to some that none of us share.  My parents both like to help my sisters and me practice sports that we play.  Neither of my parents have a very high skill level in volleyball, for example, but they do their best to try to help us when we need help.  My dad had some skills in basketball to start with, but I think we have both been helping each other to get better since he started helping me.  My dad is good at helping with many different aspects of basketball.  If I want to improve my ability to shoot longer shots, my dad will stand under the hoop to rebound the ball and pass it back to me.  If I want to improve on shooting over someone taller than I am, my dad will stand a foot or two in front of me with his hands straight up, forcing me to shoot over his hands.  When I want to better my ball-handling moves, my dad will teach me a new move or help me refine and try to perfect the moves I already know how to do.  When my sisters want to practice softball, my dad is usually the one to help them as well.  He has somehow found a way to pitch to Liv, so she can practice batting.  However, he can play catch with Annalise at the same time, so she can practice throwing and catching.  My dad also enjoys to play football, so my sisters and I try to make some time to throw around the football.  This way my dad can play something he enjoys instead of just helping us with what we want to do all the time.  Although my dad is better at helping with most sports, my mom definitely gives better advice for track.  This is probably because she ran track when she was in high school and my dad didn’t.

Although they like to help us kids with all of our different interests, my parents’ interests differ greatly in what they choose to do during their free time.  My mom likes to read books.  My dad would rather be doing something outside or going hunting or fishing.  My dad and I enjoy hunting many animals together.  Animals we hunt include bear, deer, turkeys, squirrels, and sometimes birds (when my dog is willing to cooperate with us).  My mom would rather shop for clothes or shoes for herself than for groceries or clothes or shoes for my sisters and me.  On the other hand, if my dad has to shop, he would rather shop for sports equipment or hunting and fishing items than shop for any type of clothing or food. 

Speaking of differences, my parents also have very different tastes in foods.  My dad likes to eat spicy foods, whereas my mom would much rather eat something sweet.  My dad can eat almost any foods he likes.  On the contrary, my mom cannot eat many foods that she sometimes would like to eat.  One of the drinks my mom cannot drink that she would like to drink is milk.  She is not lactose intolerant, but milk still makes her sick.  When our family goes to a restaurant to eat, my parents could both choose to order a steak.  My dad will simply order his steak and whatever food comes with it.  My mom, however, has to order her steak cooked a certain way, as well as ask to have it cooked without any spices.  If she doesn’t order in this way, eating the steak could make her sick.  My dad sometimes likes tease my mom about things that she is unable to eat, but she usually doesn’t think his teasing is very funny.

Judging by their senses of humor, my dad seems to have a lower maturity level than my mom has.  My dad’s sense of humor is a lot like Liv’s, which means some “jokes” that they both find to be funny are “jokes” that most people would probably find to be stupid.  My dad really likes to tease people, and sometimes I think he doesn’t really know when to say “enough is enough” and stop teasing the person.  My mom also likes to tease people sometimes, but she usually seems to understand when to stop better than my dad does. 

Although they both enjoy teasing people sometimes, my parents both try to be very understanding people.  At times, they do a better job at understanding my sisters and me than they do at other times.  Both my mom and dad try to be there for their children as much as they can, but there are only so many things a child can really talk to their parents about.  In the times that I have asked my parents for help with something, they have always tried their best to help me with whatever I asked them to help with.

Even though they try to help us as much as they can, my parents sometimes have a weird way of showing their love for my sisters and me.  My mom and dad will sometimes tell my sisters and me that we cannot be involved in an activity we had planned with our friends.  At the time, we may not understand why our parents said no to that particular outing, but eventually it starts to make sense.  My parents are also very different when it comes to them saying no to my sisters or me when we ask for their permission to be involved in something that we would enjoy.  My mom usually has a reason, but refuses to tell us, no matter how many times my sisters or I ask.  On the other hand, I can’t remember a time when my dad didn’t give a reason for why he said no to me doing an activity with friends. 

Despite all of the differences between my parents, and between everyone in my family, we all love each other (most days).  I wouldn’t change anything about my family because, we may have many differences, but we all “click” in a certain way.  This “click” ensures that our family gets along well and is able to enjoy activities together.