Of course it matters! And yes, there are many aspects of who your kids are that just are. Nature is powerful. Nurture matters too.

When I first became a parent I thought that all the things that I would do would build them up and make them great. This isn’t the right viewpoint. As a parent you have much more power to screw them up than to make them great.

Why? Because parenthood is subject to the same principles as all constructive endeavors. The most important to remember as a parent is that it is far easier to destroy than to create. Of course they are resilient and they are strong, but your ability to screw them up is stronger than your ability to mold them into your vision of success.