My mom was more or less okay, except she was a huge enabler to my dad, a power- tripping, manipulative, controlling, narcissistic alcoholic.
He craved control; he needed it. And he needed to remind everyone that he had it. And when he didn't feel like he had enough of it, he searched at the bottom of a bottle. It was through that bottle he realized teenage boys are easy to control with your fists.
It was a predictable pattern. My sperm donor didn't feel like he was getting the respect he deserved, so he made some stupid ass rule off the top of his head (no hanging with any friends unless he's met their parents, no using the car without a way to track its location, must be home from work at 10:00 sharp, even though I get off work at 10:00). When the rule wasn't followed or we protested in the slightest, he'd get drunk off his ass and start hitting. If we gave up and acted weak, it was over quickly. If we stood our ground or fought back, the hitting got harder and the fists got more closed. Once he felt like he had showed everyone he's the boss, he'd walk away and act like nothing had ever happened... until the exact same thing happened next week.
My mom tried to stand up to him a few times, but then he'd turn his attention to her... so she quickly learned to keep her mouth shut and just let him hit us.
Bottom line, both my parents can get fucked. A big reason I want to suicide is it's one of the few things I can do to actually hurt them.