According to psychologists, polarized politics and a growing awareness of how difficult relationships can impact our mental health are fuelling family estrangement.
Interested in what the ones going through these hardships think about it, Reddit userBridge2235made aposton the platform, asking “People who have adult children that don’t talk to you. Why do you think that is?” Below you will find some of the most upvoted replies they’ve received.
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From the other parent perspective. my adult children (25 and 23) do not communicate with their father at all. Long story short, he remarried about a week after our divorce was final and he and his new wife went on to have children of their own. Over time, his visits with the children because more infrequent and stressful due to his wife’s distaste for me and my children. He has had no contact with the kids in over 3 years and his previous attempt was 4 years before that. My youngest says he will never forgive his father for replacing us all with a new family and forgetting us. The oldest says it’s just not worth chasing someone who has no interest. Personally, I’m sad and angry on their behalf. He divorced me, not them.
Mom here. My 23 year old hasn’t spoken to me in four years. It was completely my fault. I’ve struggled with addiction (alcohol) and for most of her childhood I was bad. I hope to be able to apologize to her someday. But, I completely understand and respect her decision.
My children are low contact. I feel it’s fair. Their mother has BPD. She was violent and abusive. She has gotten help but she still hurt them. I did not protect them. Them not being around me is justified. They should be angry. We f****d up. They didn’t do anything wrong and they need to heal as they see fit. Kids not being around their parents have valid reasons. Most people just can’t accept it.
My mother told me, three weeks after I lost my father/best friend at fourteen, that he has told her on his deathbed that “Adopting me was his greatest mistake.“It stuck with me my whole life. I’m 38 now, and know it wasn’t true. But that narcissistic b***h can rot in hell.
I was very deep in resolving my own trauma when my kids were growing up. I was often distant and emotionally unavailable. I wasn’t the parent they deserved. It is the greatest sorrow of my life; I did to my kids what my mom did to me. I can’t be sorry enough.
My daughter went no contact (off and on) for a couple of years when she became involved with a psychopath who gaslighted us all and brainwashed her into believing her dad and I were the bad guys.We were out of our league, never having dealt with something like this before, and mostly helpless in it.It was the absolute worst thing we’ve all ever gone through. Aged us, still sickens me to think of it. Thank goodness she got away from him and, although she suffers from PTSD because of it, she is now OK and we have reconnected.I understand there are toxic parents, and I understand that is the reason many people go no contact with them (for self-protection). Please, be absolutely sure that the relationship is totally not salvageable before calling it quits because so much hurt is hard to bear.My own parents are total Fox Brains, but I put that aside and just don’t engage about politics because the parents I love are still in there somewhere and I won’t give up on them.
My father would say that my mother lied and manipulated us into taking her side during the divorce. The truth is that he boasted to me about pulling a gun on her to ‘teach her a lesson’ and then didn’t understand why I thought that was unacceptable. I haven’t spoken to him in the decade since that discussion.
Their dad gave an ultimatum- if they want to have a relationship with him, they had to go no contact with me. My middle child agreed to those terms.
Mine doesn’t because I won’t give him any money because it just enables his addiction issues.
I’m 39 and rarely talk with my mother anymore. Anytime I do she has to bring it around to Republican talking points and no matter how often I change the subject or just express that I hate hearing that st, she won’t fg stop doing it. I don’t think she fully appreciates how completely impossible it would be for me to ever believe in any of that b***t. She thinks I’m like almost there but just have yet to see the light. She’s also just wildly paranoid in general and always has this ridiculous theories about her neighbors plotting against her that are just depressing to listen to. I really tried to be a good adult son with her. I used to call her once a week. I flew out to her city and visited twice per year despite the fact that she has literally never come to visit me in the 20 years I’ve been out of the house except the one time when she needed a place to stay for her sister’s funeral. She’s just completely lost in a world delusion, paranoia and narcissism.
I wasn’t there for them like I should have been. I had a stillborn and began having mental health issues with depression and eventually dx bipolar and ended up leaving the girls with their dad. I don’t blame them.
I tried my best but I just sucked at motherhood. It’s been over 10 years, she’s in her late 30’s, and I see no hope for a reconciliation.A better question might be: how do you deal with the guilt and emptiness and sadness?
I grew up in a retirement community. What I’ve noticed was it’s due to a few things. The parent is intolerant of their child’s life choices. That can be everything from drugs, religion, politics, racist ideology(parents), who their kids married etc. Sometimes it’s the parents unpleasant personality from either some personality disorder or just plain being an a*****e.Some kids usually stay away cause they feel they’ve disappointed their parents and are hiding their life from them.The majority of the issue is usually do to an unpleasant parent.
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I had a patient (she has since passed RIP) who didn’t talk to her youngest daughter. We were very close (saw her 3x a week) so I asked her why she thought her daughter distanced herself away from her. She simply said that they were too alike and they butted heads, even over little things. She did admit that since they distanced themselves from each other, she has had more peace and she thinks her daughter does too.Not sure if her daughter went to her funeral, although in my head I’m hoping she did. She died from COVID.
I am the parent. My, now adult, children and I do not have a relationship and have gone years without speaking to each other. This began after their father took his own life. I moved on and began another, which is my current, relationship and they are still grieving the loss of their father. It was too soon for them.We are in the beginning stages of family therapy and I am hopeful that we can learn to have a healthy relationship with one another.Please take care of your mental health. Our world shattered that day.This is really hard to write down. I will never have words to convey all that was lost for so many people because of his death. If I ever get the chance to have a relationship with my children again, I will have healthy boundaries while showing them how much I love and care for them.
I am a parent of a child who does still talk to me but rarely and I fully accept that it is my fault . I was an immature parent and made some bad decisions in addition to being inconsistent with my parenting due to immaturity. I am also on the spectrum but that’s something I didn’t find out until a few years ago when my son was diagnosed. I know I wasn’t great and I understand my daughter and I try to give her space.
I was a pretty s**t dad. 2 of my 3 adult children don’t talk to me. I’ve been working hard on becoming a better person and I hope someday we can reconcile and work to build relationships.i love and miss them desperately but I l know they’re dealing with their own mental and physical health issues and that’s the most important thing. I’m not going anywhere and I’ll be here if and when they’re ready, no matter how long it may take.
My son (31) rarely if ever calls. I try but he rarely answers. He makes big money and is into travel for music festivals so he’s busy. We had a really solid relationship up until he went off to college and his fraternity bros became his family. I miss him.
I have 4 kids. My two oldest aren’t living with me. My oldest daughter talks to me some. My oldest son wishes me dead. I made many many mistakes when my kids came back to live with me. (ex wife lost custody) My eldest hated my LTR girlfriend. My daughter was right. She was terrible and consequently so was I. My daughter left to go back with her mother as she was not doing well here. I understand, now, why. My LTR made eldest sons life miserable too. During that time I broke up with the LTR. It was too late. My eldest son left to go be with his mother and sister. I am sure that my ex wife is not helping this matter but he is mad at me and I know I made some pretty bad decisions. I have accepted the fact I may never have a relationship with him ever again.
I wasn’t the best father. Even though my kids wanted for nothing all through their time before leaving home I had my own issues when they were young and was distant and emotionally abusive. When I realized what I had been doing it was too late. As they grew up we had no common interests even as I supported them in theirs, they avoided me unless absolutely necessary for things they needed for projects or school. Counseling helped, but emotionally they have no connection to me at all. I don’t hold anything against them. I know it’s on me. I hope they can have healthier relationships with their kids if they have any.
Parent. It’s because I f****d up and neglected the relationship. I wasn’t the father she deserved. It’s that simple.
My daughter went through a traumatic event when she found out her Mom was having an affair with a junkie. Daughter was furious at her Mom for destroying the family. Mom flipped out, threatened suicide to our daughter’s face, blaming her. At that moment, everything shifted and daughter became the nurturer to her Mom, who regressed into childhood - a complete switching of roles when my daughter really needed a Mom. Mom wasn’t safe to be angry at (for fear she’d kill herself), so I became the target.We talk, but it’s so terse and superficial that it’s close to non-communication. I’d like to talk through what happened, even in a therapeutic setting, but daughter says that’s off the table.
My father would say that my mother lied and manipulated us into taking her side during the divorce.The truth is that he boasted to me about pulling a gun on her to “teach her a lesson”, and then didn’t understand why I thought that was unacceptable. I haven’t spoken to him in a decade since that discussion. To this day, I believe he was contemplating murder-suicide or family annihilation.
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I don’t talk to my parents because they don’t make an effort to talk to me. Why should I give them the time?
I’m a dad whose 17-year-old daughter does not want to live with me, does that count?I raised her myself. Started a biz from home to support and be there. Gave unconditional love, hold boundaries, support her, and challenge her.We had a beautiful relationship until she turned 13 and got into drugs and sex. Started running away to avoid my rules. Would steal my car and come home drunk.Rules: no drugs, respect my boundaries, grounded if you break the rules.I sent her to an all girls school in Utah. She doesn’t ever want to live with me again.For all you judgmental a**s, go fk yourselves. My daughter has extreme trauma and her mom did drugs in the womb. Our family also has a history of mental illness.She is pure of heart, but with too much st piled on top. I would not be surprised if she turned into the very parent you all demonize.Does that make her a monster? Does that make me a monster?No. Her mom was the monster and her and I suffer for it, but she will soon be an adult, and the trauma choices she is making will be fully her fault.I hope she finds another way before it is too late.
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