Your upbringing and mine sound similar. My parents ranged, seemingly on a whim, from rigidly controlling to vindictive indifference. I actually reached a point when I thought I might never marry, and children weren’t even on the radar. The fact that I was beyond grateful for my husband’s presence in my life and the the children we had made me determined that my parents’ lunacy go extinct.

I’m very glad that you’ve been able turn your tide as well. Nothing about raising children is easy.