# IX Commandment cont…

IX: Never forget you owe it to your child to squarely face your own particular generational curse.

Some people have rude fathers or mothers with sharp snide tongues. Others have darkly depressed parents. Some have hovering neurotic parents, or a cold and distant father—whatever.

Whatever it is that curses you  know this: You are going to pass on what you experienced and learned to despise when you grew up unless you make a huge effort not to.

You have a choice. If there was something you didn’t like in the way your parents behaved it won’t change in your family unless you get up every day reminding yourself what you will NOT DO and NOT BE that day.

If you act like a helpless victim, you’ll make your child one too.

Stop doing what you didn’t like that was done to you!

This is the only way to stop from passing on “heirloom” faults.

(to be continued in this space tomorrow…)

To book Frank Schaeffer to speak at your college, church or group contact him at Frankschaeffer.com 

Frank Schaeffer is a writer and author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back .