Yeah, me too, Sawzaw. There have got to be 10 billion different reasons why some kids turn out great and others don't. I can't possibly track them all down, but I think some of them are a result of good parental guidance (or lack of it) while others are a result of the intrinsic character of the child, regardless of the parental guidance or lack of it. Still others may be a result of societal forces around the child.

We can all think of examples at either extreme.

Parenting is the most complex job and the biggest responsibility in the world, in my opinion. A lot of people have children who probably shouldn't...because they're just not mature enough themselves yet. I don't know what anyone can do about that. It's just the way of the world. People like to have sex...

One of the things one has to deal with and learn to accept, not just now but since the world began, is that things aren't perfect out there. Or "in here". ;-) And they never will be. That gives us something to aim for, eh? It's a good motivator.