La Texican,
Before my husband and I had children, we decided that it wasn't in our control whether the kids were going to need therapy, only the kinds of stories they'd have to tell their therapists. Our choice was whether we got labeled as the draconian, overbearing pushy parents who doomed any chance they would have at happiness, or the overly permissive and disengaged parents who doomed any chance they would have at happiness, or the meddling and over-protective parents who never let them fail or make their own mistakes and doomed any chance they would have at happiness, or the aloof parents who didn't offer enough guidance on how to navigate problems and doomed any chance they would have at happiness...
We understood that no matter what we do, both we and our kids can find a way to make it seem like the worst of all possible choices, and us the worst of all possible parents. It was a tremendously freeing realization. We do the best we can, and we're sure to let them read stories of parents like Amy C. whenever we can
