Hey Rainboy, I'm new here and have been enjoying reading some of these discussions. I appreciate your thoughts in particular. You seem level-headed and well grounded; you don't seem too quick to justify sinful behaviors. Anyway, I thought I might mention that your experiences growing up mirror mine exactly with one slight difference: my dad was never distant; he and I just don't connect like my mom and I do. He's absolutely great, but we think very differently. Otherwise, your eighth paragraph describes my development very well also.
-Magnet55