MOO
At the risk of offering an unpopular opinion --
As I look at the Crumbleys, I'm struck by how ordinary they are.... yet awaiting sentencing for what their teen did. It's unprecedented and it's remarkable. How many homes are just like theirs? Too many.
Imagine if every set of parents was held to account for what their children did or didn't do, courtrooms plugged with parents charged with bad parenting. Maybe it's what we need. A revolution of parents exposed for negligence, laziness, distraction, ill equipment, etc, etc.
Being checked out carries a price tag.
I imagine it's a matter of degree. Nobody gets parenting exactly right, most parents are under qualified, many doing the best they can, others scarcely trying. It's not a crime to fall short. It is a crime to throw your child to the wolves, with a loaded weapon.
I recall a quote from Crininal Minds, fitting somehow.
They mess you up, your mom and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had, and add some extra, just for you - Philip Larkin.
Hotch