Parent and Child: Partners in Crime?

Celebrity teen Justin Bieber is a troubled young man. His father who abandoned him in childhood showed up when Justin became a star. Instead of being an example, the father joined Bieber in strip clubs and bars, objectifying women's bodies and engaging in addictive booze and sexual behaviors. Today, at age 19 at a height of stardom, Justin constantly faces police arrests and jail for recurring counts of lawbreaking.

Speaking of children (young or adult), it's sad to see how toxic parents "recruit" their children to be "partners" in their crime. Clinically and in real-life, there are countless cases of individuals who break down or become mentally ill due to parents who earlier conditioned them to unhealthy behaviors. Such parent-triggering unconscious "crimes" include addictions like pornography, adultery, sex addiction, rage and violence, stealing, greed, drugs, depression, among others.

If this reality applies to your own life, I feel for you. If you work diligently to heal from earlier parental wounds and negative childhood deprivations, you can begin a new and better life. Seek help. Instead of waiting for the "crime" to continue or fix itself over time, you can take the opportunity to stop right now to look inward. Take the appropriate redemptive steps to experience as much personal healing and growth as possible.