Ridicule is the tribute paid to the genius by the mediocrities.
—Oscar Wilde
And there you have it. You can put a positive spin on anything if you try hard enough. That said, family have the weapons to cut through any armour. My father was an awful man for put-downs and ridicule. It was nothing personal really, he just did it for amusement. But even knowing that, I could never stop myself taking it to heart.