How does Melinda feel about her family (her parents and herself)?

Melinda's guilt creates a barrier between her and her parents. Everyone seem to go through the motions, and Melissa even believes that her parents would no longer be married if she weren't around to keep them together. Her relationship with her father seems to be closer than the one she shares with her mother. Melinda's mother is preoccupied with her business and seems to put her family on the back burner.