The ghost of fathers past just jumps out at you sometimes, springs on you and throws you to the ground. If you're a dad, you've probably had it happen to you. It happens to all of us, more so if we're repressing the memory of a troubled/troublesome father. 

My father generated fear, and I received a share of that fear. While being on the receiving end no doubt affects me as a father—in my hypersensitivity, in my worry—the biggest thing I have to wrestle with as a father is my own ability to generate fear in my children. 

That was a inheritance I didn't want. But it's mine and I can't extirpate it from my veins and flesh. I can only regret the fear I've generated, work to correct it, and not pump out any more.

1. "MAD" AND "DAD" RHYME, DON'T THEY?
2. A POEM ABOUT LIVING WITH ME