Your parents.

[robvalue]

My parents are both still alive, although my father is very ill. I wasn't raised in any religion, nor was I "raised atheist". It just wasn't discussed.

Probably like everyone, I assumed my parents must be "good parents" because I had nothing to compare to. Looking back, they were good in some ways, and awful in others.

My father is certainly a narcisist; he appears lacking in empathy, but I'm not sure whether or not it reaches psycopathic tendencies. Somewhere close, but not quite, I think. He loved being a father when we were young and dependent on him (I have two brothers) but once we started becoming relatively mentally independent (teens) he no longer liked it. He abused his position with us to try and stifle our abilities to be independent, to try and retain dependency on him. He ultimately failed, but the damage he did to me is lasting. I fight it still today, when my first thoughts are, "I can't do this. I'm just a kid. I don't know what I'm doing. I need someone else to do it for me."

My mother... is somewhat of a mystery. I now see her as a very crafty and manipulative person, but she seemed kind earlier in my life. Whether she changed, or I was taken in, I don't know. She stood by and watched my father psychologically abuse my brothers and I. She refused to leave him, they "stayed together for us" even though the results were not at all in our favour.

All three of us suffer with severe depression as well as multiple other issues. We're all broken people, in one way or another. We all responded to the abuse differently.

I am still financially dependent on them to a degree, due to being unable to work and my benefits not being enough to cover the rent and bills. I hate this situation, but have accepted it. They are loaded and can afford it, and I manage to have very minimal contact with them.