90% of all this stuff is having some self-awareness. Sounds like you’re in good shape. Parenting is really, really hard, which is why this country needs to start having a serious conversation about why there are literally zero requirements for having a child. My argument is that it should be as least as difficult to have a child as it is to adopt a dog.

I’d also argue that the vast majority of all social problems in the country began with crappy parents, so this is a much larger conversation about the roots of crime, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness.

There are some truly awful people out there having kids with no thought given whatsoever to the financial, educational, and emotional needs of the children. It’s appalling to me that we tolerate this as a society. Years from now, we’ll look back on this complicity with shame.