'Psychiatrists say girls tend to marry men like their fathers. That is probably the reason why mothers cry at weddings.'
Have you ever looked at your boyfriend or husband and realized he just did or said something exactly like your father? And then you break out into a cold sweat? Or you become completely dumbfounded? Or both?
This first happened to me several years ago. I'd always heard the old saying that women tend to marry men like their fathers, but I had never really put a lot of thought into that. On the surface, it would seem Ralph and my father are complete opposites.
To preface the story a little bit, my father was always a huge fan of the original 'Smokey and the Bandit' movie. I've seen it dozens of times myself, just from repeatedly watching it as a kid with my dad. He knew the whole movie by heart, but would laugh out loud to it. Every. Single. Time. Like it was the first time he ever saw it. Especially all of Sheriff Buford T. Justice's lines. My dad thought it was hilarious every time the Sheriff called someone a 'sumbitch.'
So one day several years ago, Ralph was watching 'Smokey and the Bandit' by himself while I was roaming around the house doing stuff. And he was laughing hysterically at the lines. Loudly. And I stopped dead in my tracks with a case of deja vu. It was like listening to my father watch the movie! Mind you, Ralph has never even met my father (I know, it's odd, but my dad is in Norway, it's a long story).
So I started thinking about what else do the two of them have in common? More than I had realized! Of course, there are things about them that are very, very different. But on the other hand, they are both car guys. Both of them are extremely handy and can fix damn near anything. They love Jack Daniels Whiskey (alcohol is very expensive in Norway and we'd always get my dad a bottle of JD when we came to the States to visit). If my dad were American, it's very likely he'd be a borderline redneck. And we all know Ralph has redneck tendencies. Furthermore, both Ralph and my father laugh fairly loudly at random things they would watch on TV. Or movies they've seen a gazillion times. In addition to 'Smokey and the Bandit,' they both love Clint Eastwood movies. I don't know if it counts that they both snore insanely loud, but hey, there's that, too.
I read in an article that when you grow up with a certain type of person, you're attracted to that same type of person later in life because it feels comfortable. Whether you like it or not. And whether you're aware of it or not. And the more I think about it, yes, that's probably true in my case.
So I'd love to hear other stories and examples...anyone else feel the same way? Anyone else have the same kind of epiphany that I did?
