Anyone else's parent(s) had a character change as you got older and it bothers you?

If your parent's "character" did not change in smallest degree, please do not answer. My father was very verbally and physically abusive, emotionally neglectful, ignoring me most of the time, and when I would talk to him he would just snap at me with anger. He often called me a failure whenever I didn't meet his standards, told me to kill myself multiple times, would "help me" jump off the roof and said he hopes I get SA'd in highschool. As soon as I entered college (18 yrs old), his personality completely changed.

I am now 27, and he is so nice, catering, calm, quiet, listens to me alot more, does whatever I need help with, makes time for me, and smiles with me alot more often, etc, I feel like I am being completely gaslight by the huge change and I made up everything in my head, like I lived in an alternate dimension for the past several years.

He told me the other day he is proud of me and it made me want to explode in tears. Not because he is proud, but because why couldn't you have been like this before? I stare at him and disassociate back to all the trauma while we are speaking and I can't help but get internally mad. I am just so angry and distraught at the same time. You robbed me of my whole childhood, make it make sense...