"Nothing has to be accepted just because we inherited it."
I learnt recently that I am 'pre-diabetic'. It came as a shock bearing in mind my healthy diet and weight and the amount of exercise I get. What came as a bigger shock, however, was learning that if your mother and father have diabetes (both of mine had type 2) your risk of being diabetic increases by 75%. That hardly seems fair, but then diabetes, especially type 1, is not fair. It seems though that neither type may be entirely genetically determined. Click here to find out more.
Similarly, I have my parents to thank for osteoarthritis; again it's to do with the genes. Click here.
Yet, as the quote above tells us, we don't have to accept something just because we have inherited it. Whatever it is, be it an illness, a short temper, a tendency towards low mood and depression, a fear of heights or a lack of confidence, we can always work to try and do something about it.
I like to think that there are also good things I've inherited from my parents - physical or personality traits that I'm happy to pass on to my own children, be it a love of nature or music, or the desire to care about other people.
Writing prompts:
- What have you inherited that you do not want to accept? Write about it and explain why not?
- What have you inherited that you are happy to accept? Write about it and explain why.
- Make a list of all the traits (yours or other people's) that would you like to pass on to the next generation.
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