Why don't our parents drink water?

Meanwhile, we're as attached to our Stanleys, as we are our phones

Like, I’m sure, a lot of you, the disappearance of Michael Moseley, peaked my interest.

I’m aware that sounds awful, especially since he was found dead. But, I guess it unlocked a new fear of ways to die in some of us.

Before his body was found, I came across a lot of online conspiracy theorists, all who thought there was more to his disappearance than was being reported.

Their reasoning for this, was the fact he had left his phone in his hotel room and had only taken a small bottle of water, despite the high temperatures.

I scoffed reading their suspicions. If any of these online conspiracy theorists actually met a 67-year-old, they’d know that they have far healthier phone habits than those of us with the Reddit app.

Don’t get me wrong, my dad isn’t from the same generation as my grandparents, who kept their 1998 Nokia 5110 turned off, in its leather case, in the kitchen drawer. He loves TikTok (as you’d see, if you scrolled through the links on our WhatsApp chat).

But, still the missing phone never stood out to me as anything weird.

Neither did the lack of fluids, because the real conspiracy theory here is, why don’t people above the above age of 60 drink water? Unless it’s just my parents, of course.

Now, I do drink a lot more water than the average person, because as I discussed with you here, I don’t like fizzy drinks, squash, tea, coffee or much of anything else really.

My parents ridicule me for this and my half empty water glasses around the house, just as much as I tease them for their thimble of h20 once a week.

I can’t sit down to a meal if I don’t have a drink of water. My brother’s the same. It’s such a bizarre concept to me, like eating spag bol without cutlery.

Jan and Mick however, nothing. Occasionally a wine or a beer if it went with the meal, but barely even that.

Even if I’m not eating, I like to have a full Stanley or pint glass next to me at all times.

However, the only time I notice my mum drinking water is after exercise and even then, she’ll get a glass which I’d deem worthless thanks to it puny 250ml capacity.

My dad has an even smaller glass and that’s for swallowing his tablets. Even in summer, if I offer them a drink, it’s a tea they’d ask for.

It’s not just that I never seem them drink, it’s that they find our love of water bottles hilarious. I can’t turn up with my Stanley, without a joke being made.

My mum’s preference is the smallest size Chilly bottle. Anything else is deemed “Ridiculous”.

Maybe there’s two questions here.

Why don’t our parents drink water and why, do we drink so much of it?

Why do I panic if I don’t have water to hand, but my parent’s would head out for a 3 hour drive with nothing but a dry mouth.

Maybe it was the trauma of boxed milk cartons and shared fountains at primary school, because I don’t remember water bottles being a thing growing up. You just had that chewed up lunchbox flask, if you were lucky.

Somewhere along the line, water has become as attached to us as our phones and I’d love to know your thoughts as to why this is, whatever camp you’re in…