You’re right, of course. We just had a long discussion here last week about Ted Koppel’s son, who just died last week.
Your post and words are wise and important; I hope everyone reads them. While we cannot control the predispositions of addiction or violence, we CAN control how we parents deal with those things.
And enabling them, (or far worse) making excuses for them or covering up for them, seems like parental ass-covering to me, when a bold line in the behavioral sand is called for.
If you’re not willing for your offspring to be so mad at you that they can spit (out of sheer anger), I suggest getting an aquarium and some fish, rather than become a parent. Everyone benefits that way.
Better be careful. Wife said couple she knows went through the ringer.
They disciplined their little brat and she told the nurse at school they were beating her
and not feeding her. (she's a fat little butterball)
On the kid's word alone, with NO EVIDENCE, parents were called in.
Social Services got involved, BULLSHIT GALORE.
The system is broken because the left-wing lunatics are running the asylum.