Your parents are human. Honoring them doesn’t require pretending they’re perfect.

Honour has been confused with pretending, which makes it impossible for anyone whose parents are visibly ordinary. You can see the flaws clearly, name them honestly to yourself, and still treat them with respect. They are people who got handed an enormous job without training.

Try holding both this week, the accurate view and the decent treatment. Say one true appreciative thing without editing out what is difficult. If something genuinely needs saying, say it to them rather than about them.