My father was a tyrant in many parts of his fatherhood. Uncouth, uneducated, brutal and irascible. But then there was something gentle, kind and very generous about him that could only be discovered if you met him with an open mind.

You could twist him around your finger if you knew the right strategy. Of course, as a child you also come to terms with the unpredictability at some point and see the signs even before they manifest themselves. Some children develop strong personalities BECAUSE they had very difficult parents, others break down because of it, depending on how you choose to look at it.

The biggest favour you can do your parents is not to create them.

The relationship you can't get from your father you can get from other people and actively seek. You will succeed, sometimes precisely because in your own house the father is not fully available.

Just don't envy us Europeans the way of modern parenthood. It has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. It is never really ideal. Hard times make children grow up faster and turn them into artists for hard times. Children who can have it all (as in this country, yet) are totally unprepared for tough life circumstances. They are gullible and easily influenced. Well, it's nonsense, of course, to try to turn snowflakes into hard steel and tribal warriors into tender saplings.

I probably became exactly the mother I am because of exactly the parents I had. LOL! A completely foolish statement, but maybe it carries a meaning for you?

I am fifty and life has taught me that I have succumbed to many errors and parroted what was put in front of me. Reconciliation with parents usually comes late, sometimes never. That's just the way it is.

You too, have a good weekend.