[IvyRose]

My Father put me down all the time when growing up. The few times I see him as an adult, he still says that I'm worthless.

My Mother praised me some, but would get frustrated and forget she was trying to break the chain of abuse.

I think I've praised my son too much in some areas while he was growing up. I'm a realist, so in some areas I don't think I praised him enough. We all have our limitations, but it doesn't mean we can't try and reach for the stars.

I took a totally different route in raising my son than my parents did with me. I caught a lot of critical comments from both of my parents for it as well as other people. In the end, my son is happy and that's really all that matters to me.

I don't care if he is never the President of the United States, how he wears his hair, how he dresses or how smart a test told him he was. As long as he has a warm bed to sleep on at night and is content with who he is, I will be happy.