My friend Sunita* did not see it coming. Her messages went ignored, and calls were dismissed.
The truth hit when her daughter blocked her completely.
Sunita could not fathom why: she had always encouraged open communication with her children. The child who had once loved and admired her now called her “toxic” and severed ties.
Sunita slipped into depression, unable to sleep or do household chores, haunted by one question: “What did I do wrong?” She missed her daughter. Fond memories of the past intruded on the present. Her attempts at reconciliation resulted in humiliation.
How does one survive when the child you loved for 25 years dumps you with no explanation?
Sunita joins a growing list of estranged parents whose adult children go “no contact” to protect their own mental health.
While once viewed as a Western phenomenon tied to individualistic “therapy culture”, parental estrangement is quietly spreading across Asia – including Hong Kong.