Quiz: Are You Becoming Your Mother?

Mostly As: It should come as no surprise. You are a shoo-in for becoming your mother and this doesn’t bother you one bit! You guys get along well and appreciate each others’ differences, and you fully intend to employ her parenting tactics with your own kids. Just remember that it’s OK to deviate from tradition, to raise your own voice, and to occasionally make choices that wouldn’t necessarily emulate your mom’s.

Mostly Bs: Though you and your mom occasionally have moments of deja vu, you’re two very distinct personalities and that’s totally fine with both of you. She learns from your experiences as often as you’ve learned from hers. Disagreeing doesn’t unnerve either of you. As long as you respect each others’ differences, you’ll always get along just fine.

Mostly Cs: Becoming your mother really freaks you out. Whether her neuroses made you nervous growing up, she was overly critical of your choices, or her decisions confuse or alienate you, she’s not your idea of someone you’d like to be. Beware running hard in the opposite direction, however. Working too hard to avoid your mom’s mistakes is often a surefire way to come full circle and run right into them. As much as it may pain you, try to figure out what she behaves the way she does, figure out if the experiences that have shaped her are also the kind that shape you, and look for ways to channel your similar experiences in ways that will lead to better outcomes.

Mostly Ds: You’re nothing like your mother and neither of you would have it any other way. You may not get along or you may just be so different it’s hard to find common ground, even when you want to. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t find yourself saying or doing things that are uncannily similar to her. While that may annoy you or even make you downright angry, it’s practically inescapable, especially if she raised you. These moments may not occur for you as frequently as they do for others, but the best way to respond to them is to make your peace with the inevitability that the woman who gave birth to you is going to have some impression on your life.