You may find that you’ve changed a lot since you were a kid. As life went on you became more responsible and wiser.
I certainly find that the older I get the more socially astute I’ve become.
You learn through trial and error what is polite conversation and what’s taboo.
You can draw strength from those tough social moments you navigated through.
But then you visit your family and all that wisdom goes straight out the window.
You find yourself mindlessly slipping into old habits. You can’t help but turn into an annoying brat again, winding them up at any opportunity.
It’s easy to correct a new relationship because it’s still forming and the norms haven’t been set yet.
But, an old relationship, now that is a challenge to change.
It requires showing up consistently over a long period of time, resisting the urges of the past and creating new norms.
It’ll be awkward, it’ll be uncomfortable but it’s important work that won’t do itself.
Thomas Duggan 