I think the love b/t two adults is more mature. At least that's the expectation - that things will be mutual, back-n-forth, give-n-take. When it doesn't turn out that way, or when the love a person tries to give us isn't well-received or is misunderstood (think 5LL), then we're left with unmet expectations. When a WAS goes back developmentally, perhaps to an adolescent MLC mode, they surprise the LBS with an even lessened ability to give mutually, and the self-centered focus often heightens to leaving the LBS receiving virtually nothing in return, especially once the bomb is dropped.
A parent-child relationship ought to include the assumption that the parent will do much more in the R than the child. That's just developmentally appropriate, so we tend to expect it. No surprises when it ends up that way. Maybe the bootcamp of having totally dependent newborns/infants sets parents up well for a lifetime of skewed Rs with their kids. But the payoff of love is incredible, isn't it?
