Can you imagine in your wildest dreams that I like prawns at age 37, even though I hated them as a child? My mother can not.

[OrangeAid]

My mom is an odd-bod.

It seems beyond her comprehension that people change as they get older, particularly as they move from children to adults.

Last night I told her I was having prawn curry for tea. She was genuinely shocked to the core that I eat prawns because I never used to like them.

I've always liked prawns, says I.
Nope, she says. And then recounts a story from when I was nine years old and I tried a prawn and didn't like it.

A while back, my dog was sick from both ends at the same time in the kitchen. I was telling my mom about the military operation to clean up and she was, again, really shocked that I did it because I was so squeamish when I was younger. I was lost for words. I mean aside from the fact there's no other option (I'm not just going to leave the kitchen covered in dog vomit and shit), I'm not the same person that I was when I was twelve.

Anyone else's mom or dad like this? She's otherwise a perfectly normal human being!

Your parents see you grow and change until you are 18/ leave home, and then they don't necessarily see all these little things after that, so I would be a bit more compassionate about it.

My parents have no idea about quite a few aspects of my personality now which have changed since I lived at home (I live quite far away). My mum often thinks I'm the same person I was 20 years ago even though in some ways it's clear that I'm not.

To be fair though, I probably do the same to her as I have not been there for all of her little changes either. There will be loads I don't know.

It's kind of sad I guess but that's life.

I'm so sorry to read this @HarridanHarvestingHeldaBeans

Would you be willing to share a picture of the turkey babies? I've never seen one, they sound adorable.

When I was about 17 went round my nans and she offered me a cup of tea. I said no thanks, I don't fancy one. I was 40 when she died and she never made me a cup of tea again. Always used to say "I would offer you a cuppa but I know you don't like tea". Even when I said that I do like it she would shush me and tell me I don't need to be polite.

At the grand old age of 42 I discovered that I am not, in fact, allergic to pineapple as my mum had insisted I was my entire life because she couldn't be bothered to chop it!

Like a kind of anti-Mrs-Doyle

My MIL likes telling people, and also me, that when DH and I met I was still at school. She's convinced of it, no amount of explaining that I was 19 and part way though my degree, will change her mind.

I'm not uncompassionate about it. And I do get it because, as you say, they don't see the changes that happen after we leave home.

What I find odd is, firstly, the level of surprise that some things about me have changed. It's not like "Oh, I didn't know you liked prawns". It's like "Oh wow, I had no idea you liked prawns. I'm really surprised you like prawns because when you were nine, you hated prawns. I really can't believe you like prawns now, that's so different from how I thought you felt about prawns!"

Secondly, the total mundanity of the things which I now like. I'd understand the level of shock and surprise if I'd rethought my opinion on the moon landings or the roundness of the Earth. But, dude, it's prawns. It's not even worth a comment, surely.

Thirdly, it's the complete lack of logic. If I say I'm having prawns for tea, its probably because I like prawns, rather than I'm forcing myself to eat a form of sea food I've vehemently hated since age 9. Same logic problem with the dog example. I used to be really squeamish. Now I'm not. But even if I was still squeamish, I've got no alternative but to clean up after the leaky dog. Because I'm a fully grown adult. Think it through, mother.

My kids were both terrible sleepers until the youngest was about 4. When I used to visit DM she would take them over as I walked through the door (❤️) and send me up for a nap.

From then till her death 25 years later whenever I visited she would shoo me off for a nap immediately. Would have been rude to refuse really.

God yes, my parents act amazed anytime I produce an edible meal because of one time when I was 15 and burnt a frozen pizza.

My dad also does this weird thing with music, if he hears me singing along to a song from before I was born he’ll ask how you I know this and seem totally baffled. Yes dad, how would I, an adult of almost 40 who lived through Napster and Limewire and now has Spotify and also just exists in the world, possibly have heard of Fleetwood Mac.

Yep my DPs are the same, convinced I hate all fish and seafood (just one example) so if I order it in a restaurant I'm mentally braced for all the gasps, pisstaking and old tales of how I used to refuse boiled cod in parsley sauce!

It's made me really conscious of NOT doing the same to my DC, so as and when their tastes evolve, I'm fairly casual and "oh, do you like x now? Cool" rather than making a huge deal of it.

I think that what makes me saddest about this with my mother is that it shows how she never really knew me even as a child.

God that is sad - and made me think about my 'childhood' and how shit it was

I think 'But dude, it's prawns' is my favourite sentence ever on MN.

I need to be able to use this sentence in my life. Maybe when DH is (like today) having a rant about BT customer service; 'But dude, it's prawns'.

Here you are,

@Version12 😂 she would have loved that description. Still wouldn't have made me a bloody cuppa though.

My mum was an awful cook and I hated many things she made from scratch- pork chops, roast chicken, pasta bakes. As an adult she's astounded everytime I eat something I didn't like as a child- it's because she overcooked everything and never seasoned more than salt and pepper!

My father was very surprised when he found out I go running. "But when I signed you up for a running club that one summer holidays you said no!" I had a broken ankle! and it was 20 years ago!

Lol. We are all destined to be annoyed with our mothers, it is the natural way of things!

Oh wow, they are absolutely beautiful 😍

LOL! Let us know how it goes!

I get the opposite.

I was wearing an off the shoulder top the other day which revealed a tattoo I've had for <mumble> years.

'Oh I thought you'd want to cover that up these days?'

Er no. Still like it. It's had a few touch ups & additions...

Then I explained I was off to a gig.

'Goodness, are they still going? But you liked them when you were 16!'

Yes, & I'm going to bloody enjoy the 40th anniversary tour. I'm going with a mate.

'You're still in touch with Claire? But you were at university together!'

Yes, & she's still lovely & fun to hang out with, so yes, still friends.

But then I also get '...you're getting a dog? But you HATE dogs!' based on me not liking our neighbour's yappy little bastard that bit me in 1979.

Since I definitely can't win, I occasionally wind her up by, for example, sending her a selfie wearing dd's Barbie tshirt.

'What are you wearing?! THAT'S NOT BLACK. Are you ILL, Corvus?!' .

If I say I'm going to walk somewhere - e.g. into the local village (1 mile) or across town (less than 1 mile) I still have to cope with my parents' complete shock. I don't like long walks you see, never have done.

(This dates from the age of 4 when I found it astonishingly difficult to keep up with my 10 year old brother and 6'3 dad who are basically mountain goats going full pelt up the local range of hills.)

There is hope though - only 20 years after leaving home my family have now come to terms with the fact that I eat vegetables. I'm not sure when it finally clicked for them but I really don't miss those chats (again based on a brief fussy phase during infant school).

Can only conclude that raising small children is so scarring these experiences are burnt into their souls.

I like to imagine that there's a parallel universe where Professor Brian Cox is being told by his mum to wrap up warm in Switzerland and remember to set his alarm in the morning, and his dad's telling him to put a good quality sun block on when he around all those strange flashing nuclear lights.

Brian Cox's mum: "Oh are you away to do some nuclear research in Switzerland? I thought you were in that rock band that Tony Blair likes"

Yes 😂 totally get this! Although my Mum also sort of does it in reverse as well...I've never liked raw tomatoes for example. If she has a salad out at a BBQ or something, I'll take the lettuce, cucumber, onion etc but leave the tomatoes and she is always so shocked...like 'are you not going to have any tomatoes?!', 'No mum, I've never liked raw tomatoes...ever!' que the shocked face from her 😮she knows this information but for some reason can't retain it.
She also gets really shocked if I do something in a different way from her eg cleaning windows with windolene, a microfibre cloth and then blue roll to dry. She will go on for half an hour that she uses these great magic cloths and all you need to use is water and they clean your windows so much better (they don't!! I tried them when she bought them for me and they didn't clean anything off). I think she is always trying to be helpful but it comes across like she's saying her way is the only/best way. I've learned to just nod along but DP is autistic and really struggles not to argue logic/reasoning with her 😂 she always just looks baffled that anyone would do something differently to her.

This is a different slant, but my mother was shocked that I ironed differently from her. I take the clothes straight from the washing machine (we do not have a tumble drier) and I iron them while damp. I find it gives a smoother finish and then Ihang everything on the clothes horse to dry off.

She watched me agog then tried it herself. The wail of ; 'How come I got to the age of 75 and never thought of doing it like THIS???!!!' made me laugh.

That was a nice thing. :)

My mum's the opposite - she still doesn't remember things that have never changed since I was a kid/teen. Eg I have never liked raisins, or any form of dried or cooked/stewed fruit - only fresh. Yet my mum still bakes fruit cake for when I go to visit (and an Xmas fruit cake soaked in brandy every year that I am told is incredible - I wouldn't know!) and tries to give me bags of apples and blackberries from the garden 'for crumble and pies'. Also always offers me sugar (or just adds it) whenever she makes me a tea or coffee despite the fact I have never, ever taken sugar - and always seems to be totally confused (i.e. 'Oh! Since when??') when I tell her I don't. It's like she has some weird kind of mental block!