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People Share The Real Reason They Cut Ties With A Parent

Woman sitting alone at the edge of a dock
a woman sits on the end of a dock during daytime staring across a lake
Photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash

A Reddit user asked: 'What did *that* parent do that ended your relationship with them?'

There are very few people who haven't found themselves frustrated with their parents at one point in their life.

Whether it be for something they said, did or didn't say or do, sometimes we've found ourselves needing to vent to a friend, or scream into a pillow to let out our frustrations.

For most people, this anger is short-lived, as deep down they still love their parents and will always find a way to forgive them.

Some people, however, have a harder time forgiving their parents for certain actions, and even take the drastic step of cutting them out of their lives entirely.


One Redditor was curious to hear what led these people to finally cut ties with one or both of their parents from their lives once and for all, leading them to ask:
"What did *that* parent do that ended your relationship with them?"

Lies and Theft.

"My mother often said, 'your sorry daddy never cared enough about you to pay child support', but I found out later, he had money order receipts."

"He was a career Navy man so he'd have been forced to pay."

"She stole two of my paychecks when I was a single mother, signing them over to herself in her sweeping left handwriting, I'm right-handed."

"The final thing that made her my EX-mom was when she let two drug addicted so-called caregivers steal liquid morphine which was meant for her dying fourth husband."

"He died in miserable pain at home without relief."

"She disowned my adult sister, who confronted her about it."

"Mom always said, 'I can stand anything except a liar or a thief', but she was both."- Grattytood

Ignorance And Abuse

"A few years later she got cancer, I let her back into my life, I invited her to my wedding, where she spent the entire day talking about how it was a shame I couldn’t lose more weight in time and insulting every aspect of the wedding quietly to my now-MIL who had helped with everything."

"I sat her down a few days later (she was staying at my house as the wedding was far from her home) and asked for the comments about my weight to stop."

"I used all the language I learned in therapy, explaining how it made me feel, trying to not be accusatory but instead cooperative."

"She started scream crying and ran out of the room."

"I left to stay with my in laws."

"I haven’t seen her since."

"She won’t be meeting the baby I’m pregnant with and when she dies, I won’t be attending the funeral."- jonathantavares

Health And Safety At Risk

"Well the last straw was when my father convinced my grandparents to get me kicked out of their house while I was finishing up university by telling them that the hookah I was partaking in every few weeks was an illegal drug."

"During finals which was pretty fun."

"Oh and the part where he told me he hoped I died by getting in a motorcycle crash."

"Followed by weeks of incessant voice-mails of him drunkenly threatening me wanting to meet up for a fight."

"There was also that time he beat the sh*t out of me when I stood up for my mom during one of his drunken rages at a camping trip."

"Oh and who can forget that one time he left me a voice-mail telling me 'this is your fault' and then shooting his gun into the air making it seem he had just offed himself."

"But it was just a manipulation tactic."

"That was a fun one."

"Nothing like some childhood trauma to make someone grow up quickly."

"For anyone wondering, yes, I did use this as a role model of what not to be as I got older.'

"I haven't spoken with pretty much any of my family except my mother for the last decade."

"I'm in a loving relationship now getting married this year and do not plan on having any children."

"My dad's last name dies with me."- Walkman1080i

Actions Have Consequences

"Dad left us when I was super young, like 2."

"Mom remarried (another abusive a**hole) and dad would come around sporadically."

"When I was 12 I saw him once then he left and didn’t see him again for decades."

"About 13 years ago I stumbled upon him in the state prison system database across the country, made contact, he seemed to be changed."

"He was old, previously meth addicted, lots of chronic health sh*t."

"I bought him a prepaid cell to keep in touch."

"He went back to the streets but stayed clean."

"Eventually moved in with some random long lost family member."

"We kept in touch by phone, I helped him get some of his health sh*t figured out."

"We were cordial."

"I got pregnant unexpectedly, it was in the 5 year plan but not the right now plan but whatever, here we are, no reason not to do this thing other than lack of mental preparedness."

"So. I go through this pregnancy, it was horrible in every way, physically uncomfortable, illness, bed rest, all the sh*t."

"He called me one day and told me he was going to go to the beach to celebrate his 20 year anniversary of moving to the coast."

"He’d never let himself enjoy the beach before and today was that day."

"What I heard was that he was going to the beach to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of abandoning his child, me."

"And I had these kids in my belly that I sometimes didn’t want, didn’t plan for, but would’ve murdered for and I didn’t even know who they were, didn’t know if they were boys or girls, no names, no personalities, just feet in my ribs and pelvis constantly, and yet I would have died for them."

"And this motherf*cker is celebrating the day he left me.'

"I never called him again, my kids are almost 10."

"He’s called me plenty, I don’t answer."

"I reply in text at times, briefly."

"I’ve sent Christmas cards to the family member he stays with and to him with pictures and I’ve politely explained the above and he just doesn’t get it."- tobmom

Weren't There When They Were Needed The Most

"Long story short."

"My brother got shot and was in ICU for a month."

"My brother's condition went south and my parents were MIA."

"A decision needed to be made wether or not we pull the plug."

"That decision fell on me."

"At 24, I had to make that choice with no parents in sight and I decided to pull the plug."- Soul_Traitor

A Little Kindness Goes A Long Way

"Oddly, she showed me she was capable of being kind- however disingenuous."

"She just wasn’t capable of being kind to me."- Evening_Run_1595

No Interest In Staying Cordial

"After a childhood ripe with physical, emotional and psychological abuse followed by limited contact through my 20’s, I finally decided to confront my mother."

"She agreed to go to therapy with me."

"A couple days later she started asking questions about the cost to which I said I’d pay."

"A couple days after that she was asking about how often we had to go."

"A couple days after that she said she didn’t want to go because I’d 'expose her'.”

"I was then told that the abuse I endured was my fault because I had given up on being a good son."

"This all happened 4 years ago and I went no contact immediately after."

"My life has gotten better since then."- PewpyDewpdyPantz

Sent Family Down The Wrong Path

"My mom introduced my older brother to heroin."

"He passed away early last year from an overdose."

"I don’t think I can ever forgive her for taking the only family I’ve ever really cared about away from me."- bulbsaur_is_best

Cutting someone from your life is a drastic decision that should be considered very carefully.

Sometimes though, however difficult it may seem, it is not only the right decision, but the only decision.

Especially when your mental and physical well-being are at risk.

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