In what way are you most/least like your parents?
… and what would you change?
Have you ever heard yourself say, “I’ll never be like my mother.” or “My dad used to tell me…”? We bring lessons of our childhood to our children. Some good, some not so much.
We, as adults, get to decide what we liked – and bring it with us to give to our own children and grandchildren. We also get to determine what we didn’t get from our parents and make sure we give that to our children. Maybe it’s more hugs, more time, more encouragement. Following that thought, we can perhaps do less of what we didn’t like our parents doing. For instance, maybe your mother was overly protective or your father was militant strict, you can take the intent and lessons from those actions but do less of the behavior with your own children.
Your childhood in one way or another is a gift from your parents. It is sort of like Christmas – you get a gift, but it might be underwear or a puppy. The point is you are an adult and get to decide what it means to you going forward.
Go be your best parent!