> Why is our story so common, it’s really not hard being a half decent parent.

It's harder than it looks. Plus, there's a shitload of generational trauma rippling through, especially if your parents were born close to postwar (say up until about the early '60s). Hell, my dad literally told my mom that she was going to have to handle the kids because he "had no idea how to be a parent."

Best we can do is try to avoid the same mistakes with the next generation and give our parents what grace we can for their transgressions.