We were both blessed to have had good parents of the old school. When we casually related to our children as our parents had related to us, we were usually doing the right thing. When we had a problem arise with one of our children, we usually found the answer in our own past experiences as children. By the time most parents have had enough experience to appreciate the issues and make adjustments, their children are already parents. Parents can mature and repent of their mistakes, but meanwhile their children are passing the same mistakes on to the grandchildren.
Western culture is in the midst of a cycle of degenerating family structure.
Parents with young children must reverse this destructive trend while their children are still young enough to be programmed. The way farmers used to get new chickens was to allow the hen to sit on her eggs until they hatched. The proud mother would lead the little chicks around the barnyard, teaching them what it meant to be a chicken. But unknowingly she was teaching them how to be good mothers when they grew up. When they grow up and are capable, they too will find a nice place to lay a dozen eggs and incubate them into chicks.