Are My Children DOOMED?!

....AKA Have I ruined my kids forever?

I think this is a question that every parent asks themselves.  Especially while raising teens.

There are some things that are truly beyond my control.  For instance, we gave them the gift of long, strong bones.  Neither of my (geneticaly related) kids has ever had a broken bone.  Okay, maybe a broken toe here or there... but I don't think that counts.  All of their long bones are solid.  That is not for a lack of opportunity, either!

And their teeth?  Not a single cavity... ever!  That must be genetic from their Dad (whew!).  Granted, I have taken them to the dentist religiously every 6 months of their lives.  Still, without the gift of genetically strong bones from their Dad, they would have mouths full of fillings (like me).

Oh.  And they seemed to have inherited Bill's skinny genes, and Helena got my artsy genes, and there must be a compassion gene in there, too.

But what I am really talking about is the nurture side of things.  Have we doomed them to live out the same bad habits we have packed along as baggage our whole lives?  

For instance;

• none of my kids are good at holding onto money.  Me, too.  Paying attention to finances is my LEAST favorite chore.
• when I was a teen, I was convinced that I did my best work under the pressure of a procrastinated/last ditch effort.  I still wait until I HAVE to do something before I will do it.
• I don't like to cook, so I avoid it as much as possible.
• I hold onto frustrations and let them fester until they erupt in ugly ways.

Those sorts of things.

Here is where the spin doctor comes in and tells me that it is not all bad.

• While paying more attention to finances would definitely be a good thing... learning that there are more important things than chasing after the idol of wealth is very valuable, too!
• I have learned that procrastination does NOT equal genius, but there are times when necessity is the mother of invention; and it is good to know that I CAN push myself to the limit if I must.

Okay.  I can't really spin the last two.  I guess that shows where I should put in more effort to not ruin my kids, eh?

Oh!  Wait!

• My lack of cooking has forced them to learn to fend for themselves in the kitchen, so they know how to survival cook!

Pathetic...