The only time my mother offered unconditional love when I was ill with pneumonia at age six and seven years old. I felt cared for.

When I was a teen and well into my 30s I was constantly criticized by my mother. When my mother developed dementia in her 70s I felt she loved me unconditionally.

My father used rage to exert control over my mother, sister and me. That's not to say that my parents didn't love me - they did.