The Mother’s Curse

"May Your Children Be Just Like You!"

The Mother's Curse is simple, but powerful. I've known practically since the day he was born that Scooter is the fulfillment of my Mother's Curse against me. I was a very difficult child to raise: never particularly obedient, too smart for my own good (sometimes literally), always challenging authority. My parents went through a decade of frustration, expense, and tears on my behalf.

Nevertheless, I think I turned out OK (eventually). When we were expecting our first child, my mother could sometimes be seen cackling with glee: payback time was here.

And my mother was not disappointed. Scooter is everything I was as a child, and I expect it will be a difficult few years.

What I didn't appreciate, though, was just how powerful the Mother's Curse is, and how many generations it spans. It hadn't occurred to me before, but last week I asked my mother the obvious question:

"Mom, was I the fulfillment of your mother's curse against you?"

I think the question caught her off guard. Mom's eyes widened in surprise, and she laughed as she realized she was trapped: "Yes, you were, and your grandmother never got tired of reminding me."

And thinking back on some of the family stories, my mother was most likely the fulfillment of my great-grandmother's curse against my grandmother. I come from a long and distinguished line of problem children.

But somehow, we turn out fine. My grandmother, as a single mother in the 1950s and early 1960s, focused her energies on traveling around the world and making documentary films. My mother turned towards public service, with 12 years in the state legislature--well-respected on both sides of the aisle--followed by her current stint on the Twin Cities' Met Council. I hope that I enjoy equal success in my chosen path as an entrepreneur and businessperson; and that my own children do likewise, however difficult their first ten years may be.