Parents plant seeds

Our parents plant mental and emotional seeds in us -- seeds that grow as we do. In some families, these are seeds of love, respect, and independence. But in many others, they are seeds of fear, obligation or guilt. In general, parents try their best to do the best they can for their children. Even so, although parenting is one of our most crucial lifeskills, it is still very much done in a hit and miss way. Because parenting styles are so personal, and based primarily on what we learned from the model of our own parents, we often continue this history right through to the next generation.