Father Knows Best

Ask most people, they will tell you that they did not have "Father Knows Best" growing up. For you young readers, that was a TV show from the mid-50s through 1960. Everything was pretty small scale problems that could be solved without any yelling and dad always imparted his wisdom to make the kids see the right decision to make.
Most of us, including me, had a much different life growing up. My parents fought a lot and it should have been no surprise when they separated when I was in the 7th grade. However, it was a huge stigma for me because I was the only kid in the 7th grade of a Catholic school with divorced parents. Back then, you suffered and stayed married, no matter how loveless or awful the marriage was.
Many people love to blame their less than wonderful life on their parents or their upbringing. You know what I say to that? GET OVER IT!! When do you stop blaming others and take responsibility for your life? When do you decide to be the kind of person you want to be, not the victim of circumstances? I have joked many times that I should have been a drug using prostitute. I chose not to let my rearing make me the person I wanted to be. It has not always been easy, but what worthwhile thing is?
I have come to realize that sometimes our greatest gifts in life grow from what we were NOT given. It makes us stronger and able to make decisions on our own. It causes us to turn away from the past and face the future as we want to build it. When we stop blaming others and own our own existance, we have given ourselves the most important gift; one that cannot be taken away.