Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Emma Beddington

What have I learned from 20 years of parenting? Never to underestimate how wrong I can be

Father teaching his son skateboarding
‘It would be bizarre if the people who raise us had no influence on how we turn out.’ Photograph: Halfpoint Images/Getty Images

How alike are parents and kids? Quite, right? Surely we all play that game. I, for example, am competitive like my dad (but without a shred of his energy); my sister got my mother’s compassion and I got her lust for crispy potato products and staying in bed. My husband and his mum, meanwhile, share a lively debating style (I’m choosing my words carefully); it’s why their conversations get so … animated.

It’s an assumption that transcends geography: there are “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” equivalents worldwide – mostly tree-related, although I like the Portuguese “a fish’s child knows how to swim”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.