They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
And, to be fair (or blatantly biased – I am a dad, after all), the rebuttal:
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth
To hear your child make such a fuss.
It isn’t fair–it’s not the truth–
He’s fucked up, yes, but not by us.
by Judith Rich Harris (also see “Do Parents Matter?” by Malcolm Gladwell)
