You Know You're A Parent When...

[Deetee]

...you have someone else's underpants in your purse.  And you're not in college.

This.

[ladyknight1]

You instinctively know whose shirt that is, without looking at the size.

[MommyPenguin]

You instinctively know whose shirt that is, without looking at the size.

I am ridiculously bad at this, for a mom, because with 4 girls, many of the kids' clothes have been handed down 2 or even 3 times.  I can look at an item and distinctly remember when I bought it for my oldest in advance and it seemed *so* big, like she'd never grow into it.  And now my littlest fits it.  I'd say I can pick out about half of the clothes without looking at the sizes, because the item is distinct enough that my strongest mental image of somebody wearing it is for the kid who it currently fits.  But the other half of the clothes are either not worn frequently enough or aren't distinct enough (plain yellow shirt, or plain blue jean shorts) that I couldn't tell you without giving it a long look to estimate size or checking the tag.

My oldest has a ridiculous issue with confusing her underwear with mine, because we happen to wear the same size (hers is toddler six, mine is adult six).  I'm not entirely sure why it isn't obvious based on the size, or the fact that has a My Little Pony on it, but so it goes.

[Gwywnnydd]

You instinctively know whose shirt that is, without looking at the size.

This worked for eleven years.
It no longer works. My DS is close enough in size to me, and has similar enough taste in clothes, that I have to actually look at every shirt.
And if he is sent to the pile of clean laundry to find a shirt to wear, there's an even chance he'll end up wearing one of mine.

[ladyknight1]

You really need to keep your MLP undies separate! 

[MommyPenguin]

You really need to keep your MLP undies separate! 

lol.  I don't think they make them in adult sizes.  But!  I do have a few with penguins on them. 

[mmswm]

When you reach into your purse for your phone and pull out three hot wheels cars, 10 Lego bricks, a couple of Lego mini-figures, athletic wrap, and a spare pair of socks instead.

[Jones]

-You plan out shopping with the stores that have public restrooms at the top of the list.
-When you meet new neighbors you wonder if the teenager babysits.
-Veggie covered pizza is the healthy everyone's-exhausted-and-hungry option.
-You have at least one toddler game app on your phone...and you catch yourself playing it even when your child isn't there (hey, dinos are awesome).
-Your toddler comes up from behind to give you a sneak attack hug.
-You say "You've got my bum!" after the hug, the child says "Got you bum!" and you both collapse to giggling.

[Frog24]

We were in the park yesterday for a free music in the park event.  A man walked by our blanket wheeling a bike with a trail-a-bike attached.  His family was sitting on the blanket next to ours.  My 18 month old toddler saw male legs, saw the trail-a-bike and followed the man back to his family's blanket. 

He sat down next to his family and said hi to his folks and daughter (age 5).  My toddler went right up to him, turned around and plopped into his lap.  We were all astonished. "She's never done that before!" I told them before I introduced myself.  She contentedly sat in his lap for 20 minutes listening to the band play, and when she finally stood up, she turned to him, said "Dada!" and gave him a hug.

When his own child climbed into his lap for a hug, my toddler started crying, pulling at her shirt and waving her hands agitatedly.  (She was very jealous!)  As soon as his daughter moved away, my child ran back into his arms.

Thank you, sir, for being so kind to my daughter.  For holding her so patiently, for reassuring me that it was okay with you that she took up your time (and your lap!) and for making her feel so at ease in your presence.  Thank you to your generous family for sharing your snacks with us (I also shared with them), and for always asking me for permission before offering my child something.

It was the oddest and sweetest thing I'd ever seen.

[Gyburc]

Frog24, that's really lovely!

As to the thread, you know you're a parent when...

...your instinctive reaction to any bad smell is 'Time for a nappy change!', whether your child is with you or not.

 

[Frog24]

... you burn your mouth on some luke-warm food because it's been so long since you've had a hot meal.

[Bobbie]

... you burn your mouth on some luke-warm food because it's been so long since you've had a hot meal.

Ding ding ding ^^^^^ winner

[White Dragon]

... you burn your mouth on some luke-warm food because it's been so long since you've had a hot meal.

Ding ding ding ^^^^^ winner

The only food that parents get to eat warm is ice cream!

[Peppergirl]

When an ear-piercing shriek is emitted from a kid's mouth in a store, and you don't even flinch. 

I should add: even when your kids are 26 and 24!  Even after all these years, I don't even notice. Scary.   

[Hollanda]

... you burn your mouth on some luke-warm food because it's been so long since you've had a hot meal.

Ding ding ding ^^^^^ winner
 
I cottoned on to this one quickly.
 
When in hospital after having DS, I always ordered sandwiches, a drink and a yoghurt.  DH asked how the food was and I owned up to what I ate (and sometimes he was there).  Only once did I ever get to try one hot meal, which I swiftly had to abandon to feed a very hungry baby.  Since then, really, I've got used to not eating hot meals (they're interrupted by x, y or z) and rarely drink tea or coffee hot, even when I can!

The only food that parents get to eat warm is ice cream!