What I mean by the invest is the skill development area. No one ever checked to see if my homework was done (it wasn't) or even if I was home. My mother taught me to read though and that served me well a then I could source my own information.
Kids these days need to be bored more so they can explore their creativity.
But don't you think, that taught you one very good thing, you were becoming self sufficient. I am not saying, they should not have invested time. All I am saying is that, it was the case for almost all of us in that time. Even for me, my father probably never asked what I was doing, till I completed my 10th :) It was Mom who did as much as she could.