I was having a discussion with one of the many teenagers off the derech and looking for a derech. He told that he has been thinking a lot recently. I was very curious as to what he has been thinking about.
He said that he realized that all we are is the mirror of our parents. You can't escape it. Your upbringing is part of your essential identity. [He then related a certain behavior that he absorbed from his father against the behvior of all his friends - even though he doesn't exactly listen to his father...]
I told him that his words are filled with wisdom.
See Succah 53a:
As Rav Volbe pointed out - everyone is talking about their youth. You can't escape it. It is part of who you are.
