Sun & Moon: Which Parent Do You Favor?

When you look in the mirror, which parent do you favor?  I’m talking about your appearance, but also in terms of your behavior and your attitudes.

This comes to mind, because while my husband looks like his father, I notice a lot of commonality with his mother.

I always favored my father; his looks and his behavior, up until midlife.  That’s when I visited my sister; she told me I looked like our mother.

I thought this was impossible, but checked a mirror and sure enough, there was my mother’s face.  I have no idea when the switch occurred!

I was pretty much raised by my father, who chose me as his running buddy, his pinochle partner and such.  His influence seemed to overwhelm my mother’s influence. I still wound up behaving like my mother, in that she spent a lot of time, painting, when we were kids.  She painted, I write. I was astonished the day I realized I was acting the same way she did.

I think it’s common to associate yourself with the parent you prefer or admire.  However, if you really want self-understanding, it’s worth considering the influence of both.

Further, some people have another adult, influencing them.  My grandfather, Henry, had a huge affect on me.  He kept a carbon copy of every letter he wrote for more than fifty years.  The letters mention what he was doing and thinking at the time.  You can see the similarity, to what I do.  I also adopted quite a bit of his worldview or life philosophy.

Natal Moon: Denying Cultural Roots

Which parent do you favor? Can you see both parents come through in your life, your look, your behavior?