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Ever heard the joke about the young man who calls his mother and asks her how shes feeling? With a moan, she replies, Oh, I havent been doing well at all. Whats wrong, Mom? he asks. Well, I havent eaten for thirty days. How come? She replies, Because I didnt want to have my mouth full in case you called. Why do we laugh at that joke? Because it makes it easier for us to think about unpleasant experiences with our parents, experiences weve all had and that may have had a negative impact on our emotions and behavior. In that particular joke, the young mans mother makes him feel guilty for not calling more often by showing him how hurt she is. Imagine the impact on the man in the joke if his mother had treated him this way from childhood on up. Maybe hed feel guilty about not being attentive enough to her. And maybe hed then go on and live his life . . . all his dealing with others . . . feeling it was wrong to put his needs first. Ultimately, hed end up being angry with himself for doing just that. Imagine living life this way. People often dont give much weight to the impact their parents and siblings guilt-provoking behaviors have on their lives. Yet, the repeated comments and actions that make us think that weve wounded and threatened them just by being ourselves add up to affect us deeply. The joke above, along with its possible lifelong repercussions, makes us think that we should give our parents influence more weight. Your childhood probably had its share of carefree fun, exploring, risk-taking, sports challenges, I dare yous and I double-dare yous. But carefree fun can quickly become guilt-provoking events when, for example, your parent cries out Youll kill yourself! as you skateboard down the hill in front your friends house. Or Youll get pneumonia when you get home from school with your jacket off and sweater tied around your waist. Then theres the Youre giving me a heart attack when you miss the bus from the mall and get home twenty minutes later than you said youd be home. What are the results of these repeated bombardments of parental anguish? You, the child, start believing that being carefree, playful, and adventurous, threatens your parents emotional well-being. And what do you do? As a loving child, you try to protect your very worried parent from more suffering by curtailing your normal childhood activities. Where does this leave you? Becoming a grown-up with a very cautious, inhibited attitude about sports specifically and life generally. And if it is sports youre overly cautious about, youll be reluctant to ski, hike, bike; moreover, youll have trouble overcoming your caution no matter how frustrated you feel, how hard you try, and how much you will yourself to master a sport. Fact or Fiction? Where Theres a Will Theres a Way Where theres a will theres a way. Sound familiar? Every day I hear people dismayed at their inability to control some behavior. And they blame themselves . . . I cant find a way to make more money, I cant figure out how to lose more weight, I cant understand how to have a lasting relationship. You yourself have probably made a New Years resolution (or two, or two thousand) vowing to change something you didnt like about yourself. And you failed, right? And so you felt frustrated when you noticed you were repeating the same mistakes over and over again, and you felt panic-stricken when you realized they were the same mistakes your parents made. You felt worse knowing youd vowed that youd be different than they were when you grew up. Comedians often make us laugh about guilt trips our parents lay on us. But the truth is, theyre no laughing matter. Their negative effects are long lasting and their guilt-provoking behaviors hold us back from achieving our dreams, whatever those dreams may be. |
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