I was terrified of my father growing up because he had a sharp tongue. It took me 10 years to grapple with the last few years of his life. I admire him now, because he stood by my mother when she was institutionalized and rallied family and friends to care for us. He wasn't rationale the last few years--and I didn't trust any adults to help me cope with what was going on. I think he had a form of early dementia and the alcohol abuse wasn't helping that.