Social media constantly parades glossy, curated families in front of us. On the other side, parents or relatives can read emptiness into your silence — no tag, no post, no update — and interpret it as erasure. Everyone ends up hurting. But remember: platforms reward harmony and visibility, not boundaries, privacy, or emotional maturity. Stepping back is often growth, even if it looks like withdrawal.

If estrangement includes both a lack of closeness and a lack of contact, then many parents don’t even notice the emotional withdrawal. Children learn early to show the family what they want, not who they truly are. So when the child finally walks away: “It came out of nowhere!” says the parent. But the estrangement didn’t start that day. It started years earlier, in the silences, in the performances, and in the emotional disconnection.

If your child has decided to go no contact, it’s likely that there is a fundamental issue in the relationship.

We need space for children to be heard, not fake discussions excusing parents for not meeting unrealistic relationship expectations

The concept of forgiveness can feel daunting. It can seem like yet another way to take on more responsibility for someone else's actions.

Exploring how a narcissistic parent typically responds to estrangement compared to a healthy parent

When confronted with a toxic parent's illness, we're thrust into a moral crossroads.

Family estrangement is very difficult to accept. And can be even harder to come to terms with when we don't know the reason for the...

Estranging from family is complex, difficult, and emotional. One of the overriding emotions we often deal with is the feeling of guilt....

A relationship with a narcissistic person is always complex- when that narcissist is your mother, it become incredibly confusing....

Feeling guilty is one of a Scapegoat child's default setting. Alongside shame, fear, and confusion, it's a pretty steady state of being...

When we are Scapegoats in a toxic family system, we have one role. That role is to be the person who takes the blame for anything that...

The Scapegoat Club, SGC, came about as I was working through my recovery from an abusive, toxic, highly narcissistic family system....