What's in a name?

Besides my obvious obsession with all things Bruce, I chose my blog title to reflect the never ending struggle between the past and the future. Some days I wake up and fear that I'm becoming my mother. Some days I look around and realize my mother is definitely becoming her mother. But is it really such a bad thing to become that dreaded person who showed us nothing but love and devotion our entire life?

This fear of living my mother's life has really evolved since becoming a parent myself. This has been my time to take things that have worked in my past and bring them forward to my daughter. It has also been a chance to try some new brilliant ideas of my own and see what happens. More often than not a version of "the way my mom would do it" works out for the best but Josie certainly hasn't been harmed in any of my half witted attempts at parenting either. I'm definitely not a fan of following the same path for the sake of comfort but I have discovered that taking advice from someone who's been there before can save a lot of headaches along the way.

Our ties to the past can be a stumbling block. They can remind us of the evil we all face and the hardships that we all endure. Those ties can also be the very things that give us the wings to fly. When I look at a recent 4 generation photo taken over Thanksgiving I can't help but see the physical traits that Josie will inherit over the years. What I can't see in that picture is who she'll become and what parts of me she'll want to take with her along the way. I can only hope that she can see the wisdom of my ways (even if I can't!) and have very few "I will never do that with my own kid" or "what was she thinking" moments. No matter which path she chooses I do know that she will have my support just as I had my mother's and she had hers.

Sure, there are quirks I'd love to un-inherit from my family but the bottom line is that these quirks make me who I am. And I'm one of them so we all can't be that bad, right? These are the Ties That Bind.