I have to believe that parenting causes us to see the world differently. I find it hard to believe that anyone can remain the same once they have a child. Our goals change because raising a child easy child or difficult child requires it.
difficult child strained and stressed me. I was humbled. Once you let go of the arrogance that you can control everything and be everything you become accepting. Doesn't make life easier but it makes dealing with it easier.
Being at peace is a good thing. I'm glad you are doing better. We talk about putting the mirror up to ourselves when in turmoil to see what we do to contribute to the problem. Sounds like you did that and you saw things about your self that needed change. Very impressive. I always figured fixing what I was doing wrong was a way to keep communication open and improve our home.
It's so hard to admit that we aren't always right. Saying "I'm sorry, I was wrong" was one of the best lessons I learned early on in my marriage. It was very freeing.
Anyhow, glad to hear you are doing better.