Many parents, today and in years past, do not possess the tools to teach their children how to live a satisfying life. Because such parents have little knowledge of how to provide a good example, family dysfunction often runs through succeeding generations like a snowball rolling down a hill, gathering speed and power as it goes. Growing up and learning to be responsible for yourself is often like standing at the bottom of that hill and stopping that huge snowball. The legacy of dysfunction ends with you. In over 35 years of counseling people in recovery, licensed psychotherapist Tina B. Tessina Ph.D has worked with many clients struggling with similar problems: anxiety, depression, feeling out of control, relationship disasters, and a pervasive feeling that they don't know what "normal" is. No matter how old they are, they don't feel really grown up. They never learned the confidence, self-motivation, and emotional management tools they need to live healthy, happy lives, because their families didn't provide good role models, structure, and information. The exercises and guidelines in this book will help you finally understand what a functional family is, how its members are still affected by early experience, and how to develop the skills necessary for successful living and loving.