Choices

Identical twin boys grew up in the same house. Their father was an alcoholic. He abused both the young boys and their mother. He had been in and out of jail. He couldn't hold a job. He slept around. He rarely had a kind word for the boys, and when he made promises to them he never followed through.

These young boys grew up. One of the boys grew to be just like his father. He was an alcoholic. He was abusive. He was in and out of jail, and his family which included a wife and children was a mess.

The other son was a happily married man. He had a wife and 3 children. He loved his wife, and told her so regularly. He loved his children and told them so too. He followed through on promises, taking his word very seriously. He had kept a steady job with the same company for 15 years. He was a man that many could and did depend on.

A reporter doing an article on identical twins interviewed both the men. Wondering how identical twins raised in the same family could turn out so different, he asked them both why their lives had turned out the way that they did. They both answered with the exact same words:

"With a father like I had, how could I be anything else?"