For those with children: Do you think you’re a better parent than your parents were?

[ThaVirus]

Discuss

[trndobrd]

My kids are too young (teens) to know how they will turn out…but so far so good.

To say I am a “better parent” would be an unfair comparison given the vastly different circumstances of having kids at 19 vs late 30’s. I was more deliberate about getting established, getting married, then having kids. My parents went in the reverse order. But….they stayed married, emphasized good grades (college was never considered growing up), hard work, and we always had a roof over our heads. My Mom graduated HS, my Dad did not, but both were voracious readers, mostly westerns and romance novels…the example of seeing my parents reading all the time stuck with me.

I set better conditions for my kids (graduate degree, career, married 4 years before kids etc.) and more experience in life than my parents. But I cannot say I would have done better if I had their starting hand.

[ChiefsFan63]

Originally Posted by loochy

It has definitely declined. As their mental capacity has waned greatly, it's really hard to have conversations with them because they no longer understand most of what I talk about. My mom can follow basic normal stuff, like talking about grandson and whatnot, but she can't follow along with complex things like me talking about what I do for work or political discussion or stocks and finances. My dad is very far gone and he remembers pretty much nothing from my childhood and can really only speak in sweeping generalities most of the time. It's like I've already lost my parents even though they are still here.

That's rough man. My prayers go out to you and your family. I see mental decline in both my mom and step dad, but nothing to the extent you are going through. Stay strong my friend.