A lifetime

it’s not a trend. it’s not a mood.

it’s the ending of years, sometimes decades,

of being hurt, unheard, or dismissed.

if an adult cuts off their parent,

imagine the heartbreak it took to get there.

nobody wakes up one day and says,

“i think i’ll cut my family off for fun.”

and they are not obligated to keep accepting disrespect

just because “you’re their mom” or “you’re their dad.”

so if one day they decide they’re better off without you,

it’s because the pain of staying

finally outweighed the pain of leaving. and it was long overdue.

when an adult child walks away,

it’s because the boundaries they set were ignored.

because the same wounds kept being reopened.

because the people who should’ve been a safe place… weren’t.

and that’s not betrayal.

that’s survival.