Hi Blaine: I read your post and it tugged at my heart as others who read it I'm sure. I too had a difficult childhood, not ANYTHING as the posting you described. I felt lonely and angry at my parents for many many years. I was angry mainly for the lack of love. There were other issues but mainly having unloving parents.
The reason for my replying to your posting is to share with you what the Lord (years back) shared with me which was: It was not my parent's fault for not loving me and doing the things they did. It was their upbringing. They treated me the identical way they themselves were treated. This of course was contrary to what I had always thought which was, they would know better since they were treated this way BUT, sadly a lot of parents do treat their children the same as they were treated when they were young.
I am not a psychologist but I am fully convinced now that some children when very young experience happenings in their lives that stick with them thus treating others as they have been treated, not every individual, but some. I prayed about this for I felt this was possibly from the Lord. As I continued to ponder these thoughts above, I continued in thought about my own children. How I would loose my temper (which in many many cases was so unnecessary for the trivial things they did and so on) It had been done to me. The hurtful things I would say (again as was done to me)
PLEASE UNDERSTAND I am not saying what was done to you was in ANY WAY RIGHT - IT WAS NOT! Nor am I saying it was because of the way they were brought up. I am only sharing some of what was revealed to me from the Lord.
Most IMPORTANTLY the Lord revealed I needed to forgive them. Now this was (or so I thought) something I was going to have a difficult time doing. I read Scriptures on forgiveness, I prayed and prayed yet still found the hurts I experienced beyond my ability to forgive. As the Lord again revealed, yes, it was beyond my ability BUT not beyond His unlimited grace, I only needed to ask for His grace to allow me to forgive. In other words, I needed to let go and let God. He reminded me of all that Jesus took on the cross for me, for us, the entire sins of the world. AND..... Since Jesus forgives me, (on a daily basis) who am I not to forgive.
As I prayed for God's grace it was freely given, as of course it always is, I needed only to ask. Then one day as I was reading God's Word I came across Scripture that I feel led to share. Its found in Psalms 27:10 "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close." I do not take the word abandon as literally "giving away" or "dropping off" but rather in cases as you discussed and also in mine. This Scripture brought me so much comfort.
I apologize for the length of my posting, I just wrote the thoughts that came to mind. One last one and I promise not to continue. God is so awesome, how He uses our circumstances to share with others. ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO HIS NAME.