Thanks for this. It seems very true, that those who abuse are either ignorant or mentally ill. Both of my parents have emotional issues, and neither of them recieved a good example of how parents should behave. Unfortunately, the ignorance of parents goes back a long, long time, and was (for quite a while) considered the "right way" to raise a child: with a heavy hand and an open fist (or closed, or a stick, or a belt...)