Re: Question: Whose childhood was completely 'normal'?
I don't personally know, nor have I come into contact with, anyone who's childhood was "normal," though there are no guidelines (in my experience) as to what "normal" really is. A respondant to the post used the term, "healthy," which I think is far more accurate, though I've known people and families that experienced dysfunction but seemed to have "healthy" aspects to the dynamics of the unit: communication, accountabilitly, goals, or other points that were acted upon in a "healthy" manner.
One of the truths of human nature that I had to refer to (sometimes, on an hourly basis) as I was working through my Survival was that Life is not fair. None of the spiritual or religious philosophies adhere to a belief that "Life is Fair" - quite the contrary! Life is not fair, by any means, and people are fraught with all manners of challenges and inequities. What makes us stronger and wiser human beings is the ways in which we face and cope with these inequities and how we evolve as a result of having Survived them.
Whenever I begin feeling sorry for myself for one reason or another, I make myself consider all of the young men and women who will never have a chance to throw a pity-party: they've lost their lives serving in a wasteful war half a world away. Or, I'll consider the people who, through no fault of their own, are facing a daily challenge to just attempt normal, everyday tasks because they have a physical handicap. Or, I'll look down the road and see a family that is worse than mine was. Or, I'll remember some of the abuse victims that I've known over the years who had it much worse than I did.
There are many things in this world that seem so unfair - children who step on landmines, women who can't conceive a child, people who lose limbs in industrial accidents, etc., etc. For the sakes of those people who truly deserve my empathy, I have to place their challenges before my own.
Then, there's the very apt proverb that I often refer to: "It's not what people call you that matters. It's what you answer to that does."