"Cutting off a parent is often treated as a moral failure - something you do only if something truly horrific happened. For people who have gone no contact, however, the reality is usually far more complicated and far less sudden. We asked BuzzFeed readers who have cut off or gone low contact with one or both of their parents to share what that experience has actually been like."
"Together, their stories complicate the idea that family estrangement is rare or extreme. Instead, they show how often it is a last resort - one that can bring relief and peace alongside grief, loneliness, and the loss of the family people hoped they would have: Note: This post includes firsthand accounts that reference child abuse, sexual assault, addiction, domestic violence, and family estrangement. Please take care while reading."
"I got on it to text her husband to have her come back and get it. Instead, I found texts of her selling her prescription narcotics. I confronted her (I didn't tell her I had proof), and she denied it. She was arrested by the US Marshals for narcotics sales. I only knew she was arrested because she disappeared. I called every county and city I could think of for info and found nothing."
Many people cut off or go low contact with parents after long-term patterns of harm rather than a single event. Reasons include abuse, addiction, domestic violence, sexual assault, emotional neglect, manipulation, and chronic destabilizing behavior that makes adult children feel smaller, angrier, or constantly on edge. Estrangement often occurs gradually after repeated boundary violations or crises such as a parent's substance sales or violent threats. Going no contact can bring relief, safety, and peace while also causing grief, loneliness, and mourning for the family one hoped to have. Firsthand accounts emphasize complexity and mixed emotions.
Read at BuzzFeed
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