When I was younger, I blamed my dad for all of the fighting, blaming especially his beer drinking.  I thought my dad was mean and that my mom was merely defending herself. As I got a little older, I couldn’t understand why my mom put up with it.

Now that I am a lot older, and my dad has “mellowed out,” I can see more clearly what he gives her, what she gets out of it.  I'm not so caught up in my own fear and can be more rational about it.  Or, I could just be justifying my own behavior, as I am a lot like my dad.  I have his temper, his mood swings, and his pessimism. 

 

© Salahub 2003