CFA (an official member)

It's happening to me.

All these years I've been suppressing it, keeping it in check in every instance that it might show its ugly head.

I was proud of myself. I thought I was one of the few who would overcome it.

I was wrong.

I'm officially a control freak.

I never paid attention to it growing up. Kids usually just deal with whatever they have, as far as parents go. It wasn't until an outside "parent" of sorts came into the picture that I realized how controlling people can be.

I didn't understand it at all until I had kids, and I think thats when I really felt the onset of having to have things a certain way, of just doing things myself to avoid it being done "wrong".

A few years ago, I noticed what I call "the mom look." Other people who have children have given it to me if I say, for instance, "my kids just stayed in their pajamas all day today!" (which happens to be something we do a lot on weekends around here.) The mom who insists that her children be dressed to laze around the house would look at me with her eyes kind of squinted halfway and...I don't know how to describe it all...its just a look that could only come from a mother. No words are needed to accompany it.

I, myself, give that look, like in a situation where my oldest child would say, "I'm too tired to clean. Can I play outside?" or the middle one after not eating her lunch would say " i know you gave me food, but you didn't give me anything I could eat!"

At one time I reserved that look only for my kids. but now...anything goes.

It really takes a lot to be a control freak. It goes way beyond simple preferences. It is one of the few traits that gets applied to every situation life throws at you.