Does your family have something that has been around for generations? Has your family always had a dog? Has the oldest sibling always had the most responsibility? Are the fathers work aholics?
What effects do these patterns have in your life?
The interesting thing about family patterns is that they tend to stick around 3-4 generations.
Now I don't think we can make strong generalizations about patterns. Patterns are not forced upon us. We see both good and bad, and we choose to continue or end behaviors.The family unit shapes us and prepares us for many things to come.
I'm a big believer that we are creatures who learn from both first and secondhand experience.
Sometimes If an older sibling makes certain lifestyle choices that are "wrong" parents can then overcorrect to make up the difference. They do everything in their power to avoid those outcomes for their other children. When hello, those children got to see the consequences very closely. They watched their older siblings go through something impactful. In most situations I think this automatically leads them to try to stop and think, and avoid going down the exact same road. Sometimes it is tricky, knowing that the younger generations idolize older people's behaviors. And sometimes it has a negative impact. Unfortunately some people don't understand something until they go through it firsthand. Experience. This is called: Life. It is how we learn, change, and grow.
Whatever the "traditions of our fathers" are, we must remember the power of the individual. Most of the time we don't get to see the immediate effects of our efforts. But given time, generations will be effected by the choices we make now. You ARE making a difference.
"The past is to be learned from, but not lived in."- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
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