Today I have been reminded of several times over the last few years where our family has experienced what Kerr and Bowen describe as “emotional cutoff.” For instance, immediately after Joe and I got married there was a period of two years where we just could not handle the anxiety that was present every time we were around his family. Joe’s mother would find a way to bring up a conversation regarding the time between Angela’s death and the point where we got married with the boys (when we were not in the room). Unfortunately, this was a time of parental neglect for the boys. Inevitably any time spent together would be followed by nightmares and tears for the boys. It got to be overwhelming and in the tense atmosphere of establishing our
