Both my parents came from abusive families, more or less. My mom’s dad was a classic violent abuser, while in my dad’s case, things were more subtle but still far from ideal.

Both my parents recognized that, though, and they worked hard on it, or so it seems to me.

They made plenty of mistakes, but that’s OK. We kids always felt loved and valued, and never bullied, even when they messed up.

What a difference self awareness makes.

Thanks for writing so well about how that works!