Posted by Dinah on January 4, 2008, at 11:52:05
In reply to Re: Loss of a sense of self » Dinah, posted by Sigismund on January 3, 2008, at 14:56:03
I guess most families have their own idiosyncratic forms of dysfunction. My family handled conflict horribly, with huge blowups and long held grudges. But each of my parents certainly showed an interest in my thinking, and encouraged me to think for myself at an early age. My father's family used to get mad at my mother for not just saying "NO. Because I said so!" and instead explaining to me *why* and allowing me to decide that the rule had a pretty good reason after all. They thought I was a spoiled and willful child. :) When I got old enough to develop reasonable critical thinking skills, my father spent hours and hours talking to me about everything under the sun. Or at least everything that interested him at all.
I'm sorry you didn't get that from your parents, and I'm glad you're giving it to your children. In the end, that's all we can do I suppose. Create in our families what we wished for in our families of origin.
poster:Dinah
thread:803833
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080101/msgs/804180.html