All we can say, when it comes to human personality, is that nothing is a sure thing. Not even love. I ve seen people grow up around love and get spoiled. I ve seen other kids grow up around patient and understanding parents and turn out to be selfish and demanding to get their own way on everything. You see it in friendships and marriages where love gets exploited, taken advantage of, manipulated because of somebody s good nature.
People learn right early what buttons to push to get their way.
AA s know this. Where there is an alcoholic in the family, you will usually find somebody else who enables them to continue to be an alcoholic. Where there is abuse, there s usually someone who aids and abets the abuse simply by his or her compliance to the point of cooperation. But we do wonder how such a loving, forgiving Father could have 2 such different sons. Surely the repentant prodigal didn t learn his approach to life from his Dad.