Dear Annie:

I often read essays about how parenting comes full circle, and how the greatest accomplishment of all is raising children who grow into capable, successful adults. That sounds fine and wonderful, and I am truly happy for those families. But I cannot help wondering, what about the rest of us?

Some of us have worked just as hard, sometimes harder, to raise our children with love, structure, and purpose. I spent years going without sleep, working long hours, showing up at every school event, driving to practices, and trying to guide them toward a better life. And yet the results look nothing like those glowing success stories. My children have stumbled, struggled, and, in some cases, rejected the values I tried so desperately to instill.

For me, heartache and disappointment hav

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