I, too, cannot compare to previous years’ norms around here. I can’t recall what specific need brought me here, but I have learned a great deal about how other parents think. I believe that for many of us, this journey is somewhat isolating, in a way. Whatever your kid’s situation is, any parent is navigating this journey holding in a lot of confidential info. Your friends are going through the same thing, but their journey is different, by definition. And you can’t really talk frankly about much that is going on. So this was a place where I could protect my kid’s confidentiality if I need advice about a specific issue.
I haven’t seen much vitriol here, but I do see a lot of pigeon-holing which kind of drives me nuts.
One thing is for sure, CC is the best testimony to the quality of the educational system around here (as most posters are North Americans) because I am constantly impressed with the quality of the writing. There are some posters who are a real pleasure to follow simply because of the quality of the writing.
So…I guess what kept me here was knowing that there was always something to learn. What would shoo me away would be routine bullying of young people. Some here can be pretty snarky, but it is not routine. Just my 2 cents.