Thanks Joanne. I've been thinking about this! I was yelled at/scared a lot as a child, but looking back, my mom often used playfulness well, had a non-adversarial attitude, was proactive, and taught us a lot without threats or punishment. As my DS gets older I find myself drawing from the positive things she taught me (while working past the things I need to leave behind). It's opened my eyes to learning from all kinds of parents, even if I don't agree with everything they do.