Note that an outsider is likely not going to have the full picture at a glance, so even if it seems like a "wow, this parent is irresponsible and bad" situation

Note that an outsider is likely not going to have the full picture at a glance, so even if it seems like a "wow, this parent is irresponsible and bad" situation, give some leeway. There are plenty of bad eggs, but also just people having bad days or something else entirely.