My dad was like that - and mum was a bit too. I wasn't allowed to try things because they'd said I'd fail or disapproved - mostly both.

I wish I could have escaped from that environment earlier, because I've flourished since I got married and moved out.

I wrote a couple of pieces that give a sense of what life was like...

https://medium.com/illumination/my-dad-died-this-morning-af36244ebf31

https://byrslf.co/i-slowly-watched-my-father-die-2549afc45ab2