I can relate to some (but not all) of this Jason. Thankfully, I never suffered abuse but I realized in my 40's that my parents didn't really know me (who I became as an adult) any more. My mom, who passed away this past summer at 85, as defined by her job, money, and status - things that fortunately I didn't ascribe to. I did a lot of volunteering and she didn't understand that. Fortunately, I think she finally got me - at least a little bit before she died. I hope I learned some lessons that I haven't repeated with my own kids.