I come across this a lot lately as part of my work, which sometimes involves what might loosely be described as "counselling."
Breeders have hellspawn children, frequently on the autistic and/or mental illness spectrum (there is a SHIT more of this going on than you can even imagine; seriously, something in the water or whatever; massive amounts of people with children not even remotely functional).
The child at some point has their psychosis, mental disorder, or mental illness kick in.
The parent usually does all the "right" things -- therapy, evaluations, blah blah blah I'm bored even typing about it.
Then they wail, "I'm worried that I'll never have a real friendship with Bratleigh! And s/he doesn't seem to appreciate everything I do for him/her!"
Have you ever heard such fucking nonsense?
Children are fucking narcissists, even if they aren't mentally ill, until about the age of 25.
None of us has the capacity to "appreciate" what our parents do for us until our "self" is completely formed, and that takes a long fucking time. Only then are we mentally or emotionally able to notice others around us in the world and perhaps see that our parents did indeed do a lot for us.
Breeders today need their children to be their friends, their mirrors, their therapists, their lovers --- they want APPRECIATION for, what, making them mac and cheese for 20 years or whatever.
Fuck that.
YOU CHOSE TO HAVE KIDS.
YOU TOOK ON A JOB THAT HAS NO PAY, NO REWARDS.
You don't get to change the agenda mid-stream just because things have gotten tough with your little special snowflake/autard/oppositionally defiant little shit and they're in their teens now, so you can really SEE what a fucking monster they are. You don't get to then demand that they LOVE you and APPRECIATE you, because, to a kid, all you are is a teat that they sucked from or a wallet that gives them money, lodgings and food until they come of age.
When did parunting become promoted as "FUCK, BREED, MAKE INSTANT FRIEND."
My mother and I, while we have a decent enough relationship, are not friends.
And I'm glad she never put that pressure on me as I was becoming a young adult.
I'm hearing SO MUCH LOWING these days from moms who secretly want a post-natal abortion because their kids didn't turn out to give a shit about them at all; yet they act like this is a SURPRISE!
KIDS DON'T CARE ABOUT THEIR PARENTS . IT'S NOT AN EQUAL RELATIONSHIP OF PEERS. AND IT CERTAINLY ISN'T ONE DURING THE TERRIBLE TEEN YEARS.
Get the fuck over it, already. Stop looking to your child to satisfy your every emotional, sexual, personal, creative, spiritual need.
YOU REALLY CAN'T BE THAT FUCKING STUPID.
* end of rant*