DAUGHTER'S ESTRANGEMENT BRINGS MORE QUESTIONS FOR PARENT

DEAR ABBY: A few years ago, my daughter went “no contact” with both sides of our family — grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, as well as cousins. Since then, I have been struggling with how I should answer acquaintances who ask, “How is she doing?” as well as those who ask, “Do you have children?” I have been told by friends and family that I should tell the acquaintances that I don’t know why because she doesn’t speak to the family. However, I have found this response leads to more uncomfortable questions.

I am embarrassed to have to tell people “Yes, but she does not speak to us” and worse, try to answer “Why?” Lately, I have been telling people, “No, we don’t have children” so I won’t have to explain. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.



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