Do you believe that parents and the household a child grows up in has anything to do with how they turn out?

Question

Does a persons childhood affect them into adulthood? And do you think some people are more affected - positive or negative -than others, according to their individual personality?

Answer 1

That is hard your discussing nature vers nurture
To some extent your parents and your experiences make you who you are but your individual personalty has some say also. If your personalty played no part then siblings growing up in the same house with the same rules would not end up being completely different people.
They both could be raised in a home where things were always clean and tidy and one child may be a slob and one a neat freak.
How does that happen ?
One child takes the lessons and uses them the other hates having to clean up everyday and says to themselves when i am older i won't have to do this so they don't. So parents can shape their children and most of us do, but you never know how they will end up

Answer 2

Many good answers have already been provided on this, but as it is a subject I feel very close to I wanted to put in my two cents.

Yes, how you are raised affects you, it's part of the foundation of your characther, but it's not the only factor, your personality which I believe you are born with is also part of the foundation.

It's become to much the thing nowadays to use the pass as an excuse for any type of behavior, as if a bad childhood was a licence for a bad adulthood.

Good or bad childhood, you know right from wrong and ultimately it's you who decides what to do.

After a certain age, you should no longer be allowed to blame every thing you do on your upbringing. Because out there there is surely someone whose had it worse and hasn't reacted as you.

So personality in my opinion counts for much more in how you handle what life throws at you, then the influences themselves.

Personality is what allows you to survive a bad childhood and come up on top, it's also what stops you from getting over a bad childhood.
It's why two children born to the same abusive family, one can "get over it" so to speak, and the other "can't"...
Different personalities.

Answer 3

Yes but at the same time when does the blame end? Where is it no longer the parent's fault? Can we go on blaming our parents for thing until we are eighty?

I think my parents were very much a positive influence in my life. What I believe people should stop doing is blaming parents for things. Where does blame get a person? No where. I could sit on my but all day because my father called me names and hit me when I was in his home. I don't because that's not an excuse. It's up to the person who was negatively affected by their parents/family to do something about it and not dwell on the past. If a person who beats their wife because their father did that--it's up to them to own it and seek help. I hope this all made sense! To sum it all up in a nutshell--yes, parents do effect their children all throughout life but it's up to the individual affected to do something about it if it's negative.

Answer 4

Of course it can.

But then you grow up and see how the rest of the world behaves and you make a choice, do I continue to let my past flavor my future, or do I break away from my norm and make a conscience decision to do better.

I was raised in a house with pessimistic, fighting parents. My first marriage followed that path, then I woke up and realized living miserably is a choice, not a destiny. I choose every day to be optimistic, and to not scream and yell when I don't get my way.

Sometimes it's tough, somedays it comes easy. All I know is I make the choice, not my childhood of 30 years ago.

Answer 5

Of course, if a child is brought up in a abusive household or a drug household, of course it will affect them-chances are they can turn out like that themselves. Most abusers come from an abusive childhood. If a child is brought up in a healthy happy secure environment, chances are they will turn out to be secure confident kids. But either way, the childhood can make them NOT want to be like that and strive for more or it can turn them in the opposite way. I think it just turns out the way it turns out.

Answer 6

It is absolutely crucial! That is not to say that children are not born with personality or characterlogical issues. For example first borns, and others tend to have dominant personalities. They need constant supervision and correction in order to mold their character positively. Leave them to their own resources and you quickly find an out of control selfish tantrum throwing monster.This is why laissez-faire and dotting parents of one child families seem to have more than their share of this breed.

Answer 7

Yes is the answer for the vast majority of people. However, sometimes people manage to want to avoid what they deem as the unpleasant aspects of their childhood and grow up outstanding people. Their indivual personality has a lot to do with it.

Answer 8

Of course. But if they have a difficult childhood, that doesn't mean they don't have a chance in life. Many people have been able to put that behind them. You can't change the past.

Answer 9

Who we are as adults is TOTALLY influenced by how we grew up and our households!

It's something we were talking about at the Kimkins Diet site the other day. Why we pick certain foods, why we overeat, why we use food for affection. Very complicated!

Answer 10

Yes i think that a persons childhood makes them who they are in adult life..but its not just based on that...its what they go through there whole life that make them a whole... say there dad beats them up every night then once they get out on there own...they dont do that. they try to make a better example of themselves for everyone else..say they get with a guy or girl who's on drugs that od's and kills themselves..there going to reach out to people more and feel the need to help more people because they couldnt help there significant other......the more you've been through the stronger you are if you've made it through it in your life....