I AM SO EMBARASSED IN FRONT OF MY PARENTS

[theholygideons]

Words cannot begin to describe the cringeworthiness of being with my parents in front of other people which makes me want to run away and never be associated with them. To give some context, my parents and i are staying at a peaceful, fairly remote private estate in normandy, france, with a nice lake in front. Anyways, we're having dinner with a couple of other guests who are staying at the same place, and i realise that my dad's slurping his soup so loudly that people start staring at him. So I start whispering please, and he decreases the volume to half but it's still audible. I let that incident pass in my mind.

However, after my dads starts to have a conversation with the people around him in his broken asian accent, he realises that the people are semi-famous writers and other professions. My dad asks whether we can take a group photo and i'm thinking, 'that's cool'. But then he asks one of the individuals to take a photo with him, and then another, and i'm starting to think, 'please don't go taking photos with everyone around the table, this is so embarassing'. Then he forces a 90 year old man to stand up so he can get a proper picture with him, and im thinking, 'are you *** insane?, why are you getting someone who can't walk properly to stand up to take a photo with you.' and soon my worst fears are confirmed as he walks to the last guy on the table to take a photo. Inside i'm like, 'ARE YOU A *** PLEB, CAN U RESPECT OTHERS' PRIVACY, THIS IS NOT A CIRCUS ATTRACTION!!! I'm so humiliated through association arrgghhhh.

[ted]

My parents embarrassed me in similar fashion many times when I was young. Now, at sixty-six, how I wish they were still here to do so. It is a universal phenomenon; I was exactly the same with my son, and still am to some degree. At one stage he refused to be associated with me in public. "A man of your age ought not to wear those shorts." He still considers my delight in farting everywhere most unseemly, my liking for Benny Hill offensive and my use of English erudite. But we are all right.

Rest assured, you will probably do exactly the same with your own children, just in different ways.

[senanserat]

While I concur with Ted, public decency and decorum should be universal and not only something expected of X age group. Be loud whiny kids, annoying shady teenagers or oblivious older people the fact stands.

I recommend you take this matter to your parents and explain why, while it is very likely they won't change specially overnight they might be more conscious of the crucible they're putting you through and that people in the state may want..I don't know relax, not be stalked my fans or something.

If he wants the pictures so badly he shouldn't overwhelm the guests but respectfully ask one of a time after some minutes of getting to know each other if they mind taking a picture.

Me? I abhor taking pictures with strangers or thinking someone may have one of me, that is why I always skipped album photo shooting days in school, but that's a whole other topic.

[j_menz]

I'm guessing that you're a teenager. Embarrassing you in public is the only joy your parents can expect out of this stage of your life, so be gracious about it.

[theholygideons]

I'm guessing that you're a teenager. Embarrassing you in public is the only joy your parents can expect out of this stage of your life, so be gracious about it.

so basically, i'm resisting what is a fact and nuance of life and should not let my ego get in the way... i guess you're right...

[j_menz]

so basically, i'm resisting what is a fact and nuance of life and should not let my ego get in the way... i guess you're right...

Oh, and take notes as to what's most embarrassing. It'll come in handy should you one day have teenagers of your own. 

[Bob]

That might one of those times to step in, "Oh!  Hey!  Everyone looks like they're comfortable right now.   Let's get a pic with everyone seated like this."  And then force it to happen.

You could imitate the loud soup slurping.  Make a joke out of it, but hopefully get the point across.  Or just tell him.  Maybe he's losing his hearing.

[rlpslp]

Normandy, France. Where so many gave their lives to liberate others from Nazi Germany, and you're thinking about such trivial things as slurping soup and photographs. My God, what has happened to this world.