I’m sometimes contacted by adult children who want to do due diligence and determine whether their position of estrangement is reasonable or severe. I don’t think adult children are obligated to have a relationship with a parent, especially in those cases where there’s a history of abuse. However, I do think that both parents and adult children should try for some period of time to empathize with the other’s position in order to see if a more mutually satisfying relationship can be built. Parents should do this because the buck stops with them,
