More tales about the underchlorinated gene pool

I found myself in a position to overhear conversations between some of the very parents I am concerned about. These people hadn't met before the situation that brought them together, but they must have sensed a kinship because they talked freely for quite a while: One spent 3 1/2 years in jail, losing custody of a child born when she was 16; both had been in drug rehab--more than once--both had experience with spouses in jail and divorce. It seemed like they were trying to get their lives together, but I wondered how successful they would be. On the edge of the conversation was a teenager who, although not involved in drugs, had divorced parents she traveled between and a mom who got her boyfriend's name as a tattoo. Then, surprise, they broke up. She had a couple of stories to add.

It was all extremely sad. How do people get so messed up, and what is it doing to the children?