I think that when children are bound too tightly, they're more likely to rebel and go looking for trouble. We, on the other hand, had the freedom to do pretty much as we pleased and rarely got into any.

Living with my parents' chaos meant we were always wondering what would happen next. Would we still have electricity? Had they paid the rent, or would we have to do a moonlight flit to avoid the landlord? Would my mother's latest black eye prompt the neighbours to call social services?

I resented my parents for a long time, but, as you say, the older I got, the more I realised they were only human and every bit as confused as I was.