17 People On The One Inherited Trait They Wish They Could Let Go Of Already
Last night I went to a Moth Mainstage story slam in Brooklyn. The Moth is an event where people tell true stories live that are centered around a certain theme. Before they told their stories, the show’s host asked each storyteller the question: “What is something you’ve inherited that you wish you could let go of?” and read their answers out loud to the audience. This question thoroughly intrigued me and lingered in my mind as I left the event. So, in true writerly fashion, I took to asking my friends and family members the same thing and here’s what I found:
1. “My dad is bad at storytelling and so am I. I’ve been working on it though and my boyfriend says I’ve gotten at least a little better..” – Julia, 27
2. “Men in my family go bald, if I could just keep my hair for life I’d be a happy camper.” – Mark, 22
3. “I don’t like to share dairy products. When I see couples sharing ice cream I get jealous because I wanna be cute and share. But I find it so absolutely disgusting that I don’t think I could ever do it.”- Ciara, 24
4. “Asthma. Thanks dad. And grandpa. And great grandpa.” – Toby, 25
5. “The need to be right all the time. My dad’s family (when they were all still alive/in good health) would argue for hours over the most trivial bullshit, and my dad ended up passing that on to me. He and I have both worked to get better at it over the years, and we’re incentivized by the fact that it annoys the hell out of my wife, mom, and sister, but I still sometimes get the urge to argue or dispute things just because I think it might be wrong.”– Julian, 26
6. “My family is Croatian and it’s typical of the culture to be late and loud. And that’s exactly what I am.” – Nika, 22
7. “Growing up my mom was always so paranoid about germs and would never let anyone sit on her bed. It always annoyed the shit out of me and now I’m exactly the same.”– Mimi, 25
8. “My conservative family instilled the belief in me that I’m not going to be able to provide for myself and am going to be a miserable, poor adult if I don’t have a stable job like being a doctor of a lawyer. I don’t want to believe that money drives everything but because of my parents, I sadly do.” – Bill, 20
9. “Just like my mom is, I’ve found that I’m super controlling in the kitchen and won’t let anyone do anything because I think I can do it better but then I resent having to do everything on my own. It’s ridiculous and SO my mom.”– Tatiana, 23
10. “Not being able to stand up for myself— got this one from my mom.”- Akachi, 22
11. “Over-sensitivity. I let minute things affect me too much. Thanks to my overly sensitive mom. -___-”– Heather, 24
12. “Eczema ; red pain.”– Liam, 21
13. “Not having an imagination (from my dad).”– Gabrielle, 26
14. “Road rage. But because I’m incompetent and can’t drive I have bike road rage. My dad and I only show our anger on the road.” – Bianca, 21
15. “I’m very, very forgetful and can never remember when or where anything I’m planning to do is. My mom definitely passed that down to me”– Patrick, 22
16. “I inherited a hatred for loud chewing from my parents for sure.”– Hunter, 23
17. “I see the glass half-empty in most situations. That’s what I get for being my grandpa’s grandson.” 
