You’ve likely heard this quote from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: “The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.” It pertains to ancestral sin, in which children may suffer the consequences of their parents' actions in some way.
Many millennials, however, are going against this belief. They have vowed not to repeat the same mistakes their folks committed, which have caused them a great deal of trauma, pain, and sadness.
These people candidly shared their experiences in this recent Reddit thread. It covered a range of topics, from body shaming and forcing religion to sensitive issues like alcoholism. If you want to share anything, the comment boxes below are yours!
#21
1. Openly complain about finances in front of my children
2. Compare their academic performance to their peers or scream that a B- means they’ll be some kind of lifelong loser
3. Push college in any way.
2. Compare their academic performance to their peers or scream that a B- means they’ll be some kind of lifelong loser
3. Push college in any way.
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21points
#22
Bar my future kids from dyed hair or piercings.
I’d probably still make them wait until 18 for tattoos but that’s more for brain development/maturity rather than ‘you’re not allowed to because I hate alternative looks’.
I’d probably still make them wait until 18 for tattoos but that’s more for brain development/maturity rather than ‘you’re not allowed to because I hate alternative looks’.
21points
#23
My parents were very disengaged from my education. I'd like to be more invested in the education of any children I have.
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21points
#24
Have children when I can't financially or emotionally support them.
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18points
#26
Compare siblings. Especially when one has high functioning autism and does extremely well academically, and the other has ADHD and goes to school to socialize. Because I am only having one.
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18points
#27
Implant my fears and anxieties onto my child. Just because I can’t handle something doesn’t mean they can’t try if they want to. They can find their own limits and establish their own comfort zone.
Own-Emergency2166:
My 20s were basically a decade of “am I actually afraid of this or is it just one of my mother’s fears?”
Own-Emergency2166:
My 20s were basically a decade of “am I actually afraid of this or is it just one of my mother’s fears?”
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17points
#28
Pressure them to get perfect grades. Yeah, you should try but you don't have to be the *best.*.
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17points
#29
Work away too much.
OrganizedSprinkles:
This!!! My parents both worked about 60 hours a week with commute. It's great they have a lot of money for retirement, but never got to come to my games. Now I'm overcompensating by being my kids leads in sports and scouts, but still trying not to hover too much. It's tough to balance making money and making time for the kids, and like 5 minutes for yourself.
OrganizedSprinkles:
This!!! My parents both worked about 60 hours a week with commute. It's great they have a lot of money for retirement, but never got to come to my games. Now I'm overcompensating by being my kids leads in sports and scouts, but still trying not to hover too much. It's tough to balance making money and making time for the kids, and like 5 minutes for yourself.
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15points
#30
Gonna be graphic here but I'll never ab*se my kid or make sexual things be the forefront of their life. My looks, my body and who I could/would like to be with was a constant conversation and mix of shaming and pushing.
I was s*x trafficked from a young age. Sexual things were always discussed around me. It's hard to get it off my own mind and I will never do it to my kid.
I was s*x trafficked from a young age. Sexual things were always discussed around me. It's hard to get it off my own mind and I will never do it to my kid.
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15points
