Turning into your mother?

[Sefka]

Is this something that happens to everyone as we get older?


In the last year or so, if I’m looking in the mirror quite closely, like putting on eye make-up or focussing on my hair, it’s like something shifts in the reflection and I realise I look exactly like my Mum. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – I think my Mum looks great – but it’s kind of unsettling to see her instead of me. I figured it’s because now I’m at the age she was when I was a kid and we do look a lot alike.


Then recently, as the weather’s been hot, I started tying back my hair. The first time I did it I looked in the mirror and almost screamed. With my hair pulled back tight against my head, I saw my brother. I mean, I was moving about, pulling faces, trying to make it look like me again, but I couldn’t. It was my brother’s head on my body.


And now it’s freaking me out a little because when I look in the mirror it seems like an equal chance that I’ll see myself, my Mum or my brother. And when it’s not me, ugh it feels so weird, like I’ve stopped existing.



I just wondered if anyone else had had that experience of looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘ARGH I’ve turned into my Mum/Dad/brother/sister/aunt/uncle’ etc?

[Bellatrix]

I hope not, my mother's dead. Trololol.

But seriously, yeah I get it sometimes... it's because you share the same DNA and will probably have learned mannerisms from your family. It's a bit of an odd feeling though!

[Stellata]

I look a lot like my Dad...[so much so I had to have my passport photo redone because it freaked me out too much!] and have a lot of his MH symptoms also.... It never helped that my Mum would bemoan "You're just like your father!".

[Isoverity]

One reason Michael Jackson got so heavy into plastic surgery is because he hated seeing his father in himself. He hated his father. I know a therapist who was close to the family

[psychadelicflowergirl]

yeah i do that all the time, it's only from a certain angle though i'll catch my reflection and it's my mum or my gran or my nana staring back at me :/

[Field Of Paper Flowers]

I think it depends on the person. A part of me doesn't want to turn into my Mom because of some of her aspects, but I know I already am turning into her because of the way she's brought me up... If that makes sense?

I don't think I'm turning into my Mom looks wise, we don't look alike at all and we certainly don't dress the same.

I look a lot like my Dad so at times I will look in the mirror when my hair is tied back and think, "OH **** IT'S DAD!"

Especially since I'm going grey... Which he is...

Now I feel like I'm turning into an old man! :|

[Sketchy]

My family say I have skipped turning into my mother and have turned into my gran instead. The sad thing is I can sometimes hear my gran when I speak. At least I have a cool granny!

[__T]

This is happening with me in regards to turning into my dad. Without my glasses, I look exactly like he did at my age, hair loss included :|

[Sefka]

Good to know it isn't just me, then :)

And I suppose on the plus side, I can now see what I'll look like when I reach 60 so there'll be no surprises! It's also a good incentive to wear my glasses.

[nowhereman]

I corrected my dad on something a few weeks ago and my sister in law said I was "just like my mam" that was in personality rather than looks though. My dad also said the same thing recently as well, I forget what I said that time.

[Slip]

Happens to me all the time xxx

[Jefferson.Meriwether]

When I was 17 I was the spit of my Dad when he was 17. I sometimes look in the mirror and see certain family similarities but haven't had a case where I've thought I'm looking at a family member.

One of my 8 year old nephews is the spit of me when I was that age.

[BridgesAndBalloons]

I think that becoming more similar to your mother/father/parents can happen as you get older, although my Mom is nothing in looks or personality like her mother, and I don't really look all that much like my Mom, I take after my Dad more. Although sometimes when I look at my hands I feel that they look like younger versions of my Mom's hands. I don't feel that's bad, just interesting I guess.

I think over the years I've developed a stronger sense of myself, so even when something I do, or how I look, reminds me of my Mom it doesn't bother me as I don't feel I'm seeing her not me, I feel it's definitely still me. So maybe that's why I don't really have a problem with it, if that makes sense?

[Anarchymummy]

I've always known I look a lot like my mum and as I'm getting older the resemblance is getting stronger (facially as I've always tried to make my hair different) though recently I was shocked to 'see' my dad more in my face.

I used to hate that I was so obviously my mum's daughter but now I'm a bit older and my own daughter is almost the double of me (despite having different coloured eyes and hair) I actually quite like that our genetics are quite strong.