Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

But they probably do more than I think.

Neither of my parents really understood me. They understood parts of me. They never knew what to do with me, neither has anyone else in my entire life, including me.

YES !!

YES !!

i really don't care. they are toxic people and i don't 'need' them to understand me, just to respect my boundaries...

My mum does and I am quite close to her but I was sexually, physically and emotionally abused by my dad so he obviously sees me in a different light and not sure how he feels about me.

My dad did understand me as we were so alike but my mum didn't understand me, she told me I was a disappointment to her.

I was always a disappointment to my mom too. Wasn't until I was 26 that I found out she'd had my whole life planned out for me from before I was born. So I didn't know I wasn't 'following the plan' until it was too late to do anything about it. Apparently she wanted me to become a big successful something or another so I could get into the upper classes and she could ride my coattails to the social position she aspired to but didn't have the guts to go after herself.
Used to tell me as a kid how she used to have money and be able to go places before I was born. Don't know what she meant when she said those things but I always ended up feeling bad that she couldn't do things she wanted to because of me. She certainly never went out of her way to make me feel better about it.

I only have a mom. And no, she will never understand me. She is too caught up living her life in misery because the "world" hasn't taken care of her how she want's. SHe is a miserable person to be around, whom clearly had a sh*tty life but chooses to live in that and dwell it.

I cannot and will not EVER live my life like that.

And she'll just never get it. But that's ok. Im good.

I find it really sad that if parents decide to have children that they then don't love them or take responsibility for them. My husband was alright with the kids for a while and then when my son was about 7 he didn't seem to want to bother with them, it was like he got bored. Some of it was that my son was diagnosed with ADD at that time and I don't think he knew how to deal with that but the other part was that he decided that he wanted what he wanted and didn't really care about how what he did affected me or our kids, even now he is no better and it makes me mad and we are not even together but he still manages to upset them, especially my daughter. I am just glad that I was and still am there for my kids even though my son is still very hard work, I can't give up on him.

My Mum and I are really close and we think the same and share the same opinions, values and decency...My Dad was a good dad growing up, but we dont have that much in common..I stick to the things we do have in common, and try to meet him half way.. he had a bit of time of it with his Mum who was very domineering and had favorites, he wasn't one, so he keeps his emotions hidden.. i roll with it, he has never caused me any problems in the whole of my life or been mean or anything, we just dont have the same bond as my Mum and me..he is a good person though, very much so. XXX

I feel very strongly that people should only have children if they REALLY WANT them and have an idea of how to take care of them. I once worked security at a health insurer and they had evening classes for about to be parents. I remember one couple leaving a class, the woman was ready to pop any day and as she waddled by my desk I heard her mutter 'I wish I'd known all that 8 months ago.' A little too late I'd say.
My dad's mom was a perfect example of a bad parent. When he got to be 7 years old she decided she didn't want to be bothered with him any more and put him in a foster home where he was further abused, bounced from home to home until he was 16, dropped out of school and enlisted in the Navy. Years later all his kids (myself included) have scars from his bad parenting. Not really his fault, he didn't know any better because his mother had been such a bad example.

I'm with you whiskeytangofoxtrot.... my biological paternal unit was NEVER a dad, i will NEVER call him dad... as far as i am concerned he is NOTHING. and my mother is exactly how you described yours. i love her, but she chooses to live her life in misery of the past. i can't enable her anymore. im done.

Yes, my mum is always there for me and she understands.