Many Americans worry they’re becoming their parents – habits they’re adopting and age they first realize it revealed

A SURVEY has revealed the tell-tale signs Americans should look out for if they are concerned they are morphing into their parents.

One in four Americans worry that they are becoming their parents, new research has revealed.

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A survey of 2,000 adults – evenly split by gender – delved deeper into this feeling, finding that the average person first realized they act like their parents at 30 years old.

People started noticing these habits even earlier than this – at around 20 years old.

When it comes to acting like their parents, results found a quarter of those surveyed don’t mind picking up certain traits.

However, 38% try to avoid it entirely.

The survey asked respondents in which categories they see similarities between themselves and their parents.

The top three categories were their food habits (cooking and eating), their daily lifestyle habits and their language .

Travelling habits were also in the top 10.

Of all the generations, Gen Z is the most likely to see similarities between themselves and their folks, according to the survey.

18% of Gen Z respondents confirmed this.

Conducted by Talker Research for Progressive, the survey dug further into these similarities when traveling.

AIRPORT DAD

They do this by arriving at the airport early, coming prepared and keeping track of their luggage.

Waiting until the last minute runs in the family , with Gen Z (17%) and millennials (16%) revealing they get food right before or during flight boarding.

While Gen X (15%) and baby boomers (19%) admit they hit the bathroom at this time.

“Travelling is an experience that can unexpectedly trigger our inner, parent-like behaviors,” said Sade Balogun, senior business leader of brand experience at Progressive.

“So this summer , as millions of Americans prepare to travel domestically and abroad, we’re launching a campaign filled with helpful advice from Parenta-Life Coach, Dr. Rick.

Travel habits respondents may have picked up from their parents

A new survey has revealed some of the habits American get from their parents:

• Getting to the airport early – 25%
• Forgetting something at home – 19%
• Finding the gate before doing anything else – 18%
• Going to the bathroom right before/during flight boarding – 16%
• Making friends – 15%
• Purchasing too many snacks – 13%
• Getting food right before/during flight boarding – 12%
• Talking too much – 9%
• Leaving the plan window shade up – 9%
• Pointing out landmarks from the window of the plane – 9%

“Over the next month, those looking to un-become their parent when travelling can find help with some useful and funny tips from Dr. Rick on our social channels and in airports such as New York’s JFK, LAX in Los Angeles, Atlanta’s ATL and Miami’s MIA.”

When it comes down to it, 38% believe they have better travel habits than their parents, with baby boomers feeling the strongest about this (43%).

If there were awards given out while traveling, the competition would be steep — but baby boomers are most confident in winning “the suitcase weight is right” (49%) and Gen Z acknowledges they’re most likely to get lost in airport crowds and have the worst sense of direction (41% each).

On the flip side, those surveyed said their parents would win the award for acting like a tourist (33%), being the biggest complainer (30%) and falling for tourist traps (23%).

THE CITY OF LOVE

The survey also asked specifically about Paris, France — knowing people from around the world may be traveling, or tuning in from home, to see another type of prize awarded this summer .

Thinking back, nearly a quarter of respondents recall their parents wanting to visit Paris (22%), and 35% share that desire.

Americans know their parents well, predicting that if they visited Paris, they’d say “bonjour” to locals (27%) and take a picture with the Eiffel Tower in their hand (27%).

Maybe they’re more like their parents than they think – a third of respondents admit they’d do the same.

Moments respondents realized they were becoming their parents

Here are some examples of the activities that sparked this though in Americans' minds:

• Working on cars with my dad
• Trying to bargain shop to the max
• Giving the same advice my parents did
• When I started waking up really early
• I use an envelop to write down what I need from the store

Still, respondents will fight against these engrained habits from their parents.

A majority of Americans said it would be a priority for them to have different travel habits than their parents when visiting the city of love (62%).

“While the data shows ‘Parentamorphosis’ — a condition that describes the moment individuals start mirroring their parents’ outdated behaviors — is prominent when traveling, there’s still hope to un-become your parents,” says Dr. Rick,

“I will be here for you every step of the way, providing you with useful guidance and easy tips on how to un-become your parents when traveling.

“And don’t forget, you really don’t need to clap when the plane lands.”

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