Family Traditions and the Inheritance of “Madness”

Family Traditions and the Inheritance of “Madness”

In many families, traditions are cherished as the glue that binds generations. They’re passed down like heirlooms: recipes, rituals, phrases, and values—shared touchstones that offer identity and continuity. But not all traditions are benign. Some are invisible threads of control, shame, and conditional love. Some traditions, quietly handed down, teach us not how to live, but how to comply, how to hide, how to endure. How to succeed in an unfair…