My mom is still living and my relationship with her is good.  For most of my life I lived relatively close to my parents…within an hour drive.  9 years ago I moved to another state and now live about 7 hours away.  Since I moved away I primarily talk with my dad on the phone.  In many ways my dad and I have grown closer since I moved away.  That is not to imply we were estranged before because we were not.  But, we talk a lot more now.  My mom typically lets my dad talk to me because I think I am the only sibling that talks to him on almost a daily basis.  My mom said he really looks forward to us talking.  My dad has been pretty huge during my darkest times since I moved away.  Last winter he was calling me daily just to check on me because he knew I was struggling.  A couple days ago we talked for 2 hours and probably would have talked longer but the battery on his phone was almost dead.  About 5 years ago I was about to drop out of my doctoral program.  I actually went home for winter break and took dress clothes with me because I was intending on looking for a fulltime job so I could quit school.  During that break I was having a really difficult time sleeping…very similar as to how I am struggling this week.  While I at my parents that winter I would usually fall asleep super late at night on their living room couch watching tv.  My dad would actually stay up with me until he saw me fall asleep.  He said he did not want me to be alone.

That was a long winded response to your question and I ended up telling you even more about my dad being there for me.  In a nutshell, I have a good relationship with both my parents.  They are not perfect, but they do the best they can.

Thank you for your post.

Richard