How I Escaped Generations of Family Chaos
Twisted family dynamics can poison you and your most cherished relationships
Every family is dysfunctional to some extent. No family gets along perfectly. Competitions, expectations, betrayals, resentments, and illusions come with the territory. I would claim that my family is more toxic than yours, but that would be arrogant. There’s no limit to how twisted families can become.
In some families, being seen as a bad son or daughter is a sin higher than murder. To avoid this accusation, you’re required to have a slavish devotion to the mother and unquestionable respect for the father.
Being honest about your family is emotionally forbidden territory. You might feel grumblings about your true feelings now and then, but the underbelly is often pushed down for the sake of keeping things above board. Turning over these stones feels like playing around with Pandora’s Box. But confronting them effectively can completely reorient your psyche and how you relate to people.
Children learn by watching. How your parents treated each other is likely how you treat people, or are treated, in romantic relationships.
“You either marry your parents or become them” is great news for some people, hauntingly true for others.
In this post I’ll share how I broke the cycle with one painful, irreversible decision.
