As I am now in my seventies I can appreciate what you are saying, but it is not always that easy. I have things in my past that I now regret, but at the time they seemed to be the correct thing to do. With hindsight I now know different, but hindsight isn't available in the present.
Yes, I completely know what you mean. I feel that if the previous generations were more honest about their mistakes, then it would be easier for those who are willing to listen to not repeat them. Some time ago I spoke at a "Family Conference" and shared an "honest testimony" which was pretty much what I had learned from my previous mistakes. Hopefully, it helped some others. Here are the two videos from that in case anyone is interested.