Still making my way through this teaching's Top 10 List - Friends and Family: When We're All Grown Up

#9 on my list is Be Honest.

One of the topics my adult daughter is happy we have been honest about is our gene pool.

What weirdnesses might she have inherited?

On a light note, she inherited my brown eyes, her dad's speed and her grandfather's penchant for the law.

On a more serious note, it helps her to know that I suffered post-partum depression when I was 27.

It helps her to know that her grandfather on her dad's side has dementia.

It is good to know that any anxiety she experiences probably comes from my side of the gene pool; my mom and I both have a bit of what we call "the double clutch" of anxiety around all kinds of topics. She probably will, too.

What kind of stuff in your family pool might your young adult children want to know about?

Does your family have a tendency to "hide" or try to suppress family struggle, illness or genetic tendencies? Why?

How might being honest about your gene pool help your adult children release any shame they may feel about things they are struggling with that are simply part of the genetic lottery in which we all participate?

Be honest with your young adults about their gene pool.

We are all human.

Our families are our own special version of crazy.

And therefore, so are we.

Kind of takes the pressure off, doesn't it?