I’m ‘THAT’ Guy: An Open Apology To My Family [OPINION]

Every family has "that" family member: the one who may bring slight (or extreme)  embarrassment to the rest of the family. Whether he or she is the loud one, the obnoxious one, the drunk one, or the one that has little to no social skills.

Well, look around your family. Can you identify that one person? If so: good, you are probably safe.

If not, then join the club that I just realized I'm in: you're the one. THAT one!

When I started thinking about my family, I realized that we're a pretty good family. We had good, hard-working parents who instilled those work ethics into us. None of my siblings are ever guests of the local parish correctional center, nor do they ever rack up tickets or other infractions. We all graduated high school and 5 of us went on to college (3 even graduated!). We've all held steady employment, held great relationships with friend and neighbors, and we get along well. What was missing? Well, none of my family members embarrass me. Not at family gatherings, nor in public spaces. That left me thinking: I must be THAT guy! Every family has one, right?

Think about it: I'm loud(-ish), I have what many people would consider a not-so-serious job (hey, I get to write articles like this one, no?), I've never been married nor have I had children (a sure sign of immaturity, right?), my sense of humor would/could/has made a sailor blush, and I don't eat potato salad. How have my siblings been able to stand me for so long?

Family, my apologies for being "that" one. I promise I'll try better! I'll start by running my jokes through our sister before blurting them out at the dinner table!